A Theology of the New Testament

The preface to this book notes that it is intended to introduce seminary students to the discipline of New Testament theology. As a seminarian student, I think this book fulfills its intention more so in its treatment of the gospels and the Pauline writings than its writing on Hebrews and the other letters which seem to be more lightly developed. The positives of this book greatly outweigh any negatives. It is thorough almost throughout, well organized, well written and referenced and easy to read. I would suggest it not only as a text for seminary students or graduates but for any Christians eager to better understand the theology of the New Testament. A theme throughout the book is holding in tension the unity and diversity of the Scriptures and the "already-not yet" nature of the kingdom of God that has already been inaugurated but not yet consummated. There is in fact a helpful chapter on the topic of the unity and diversity in the New Testament. This is a positive treatment of Scripture that stands out in conflict with the overly critical and negative contemporary criticism of Scripture that has gone awry in support of faithless presuppositions. This book sets New Testament study aright for contemporary readers. Ladd illustrates a commitment of historical study of the New Testament with an openness to its theological truth. His orientation is admittedly evangelical and geared toward enabling faith and obedience to God's word. He does not overlook or withhold scholarly views that conflict with his own but lists them along with others as possible interpretations; however, he does not let them go unchallenged. This is no perfect theological book, as none are. Readers are sure to find weaknesses. I thought his treatment of sacramental theology was lacking. But this is an enormous accomplishment and resource for the church.

this is a thick, beefy book! Exellent treatment of new testament theological themes, deals with just about the whole range of new testament studies, a gold mine!! hits a home run with responsible biblical interpretation, although it's a bit involved at times, it may not be the best choice for beginners. Even beginners though, if they are willing to work through this book, will learn loads of new testament theology.

If you want a great book on evangelical theology, this book is for you. Ladd states his reason for writing this book: If evangelical Protestants do not overcome their preoccupation with negative criticism of contemporary theological deviations at the expense of the construction of preferable alternatives to these, they will not be much of a doctrinal force in the decade ahead. Ladd analyzes the presuppositions of liberal scholarship and shows how they fail to hold up to the test of accuracy, reason and logic. In his discussion of the historical Jesus and the Gospel of John, he brings to light one of the most basic presuppositions of the critical New Testament scholars by pointing out that they assume that the mind of Jesus is so limited that any apparent contrast between John and the Synoptic gospels must be due to differences in the early Church. Ladd further states that: Every great thinker. . . will select what seems most congenial or useful out of what he has seen and heard. Thus, Ladd diminishes the critical problem of the fourth gospel. He also points out that liberal historians run into trouble because they have no category for the divine. Thus, they approach the Scripture with anti-supernatural presuppositions that prejudice their study. The liberal scholar rejects anything supernatural for which there are no adequate historical explanations. Did Ladd accomplish his objective? I think so. The book has its weak points, but these may be due to limitations set by the publisher rather than Ladd's theology. His discussion on the historical Jesus and the book of Revelation are primes examples of this- they seemed rather shallow and flat. One feels that Ladd could have done a better job. He does acknowledge in the preface that his study on Revelation that it is lacking an abundance of material. Other than these setbacks, Ladd does an excellent job presenting the Gospel as a truthful and accurate representation of the life and ministry of Christ.

Anyone wanting a good NT theology book should never pass up on Ladd's book. The book is nicely organized and arranged in a logical manner. The book covers practically every book and doctrinal issue in the NT. There are six major sections in the book in the following order: 1) The Synoptic Gospels; 2) The Fourth Gospel; 3) The Primitive Church; 4) Paul; 5) Hebrews and the General Epistles; and 6) The Apocalypse. The book is very scholarly but easy to read for the average seminarian. Ladd writes from an evangelical Baptist perspective but interacts with scholars outside that tradition. Many of his exegeses of certain key passages are convincing and he gives a fair hearing on interpretations that disagree with his. His Kingdom theology and "already/not yet" approach to redemptive-history colours some of his interpretations (esp. on eschatological matters). However, his arguments are cogent and persuasive. Especially valuable is his section on Paul's theology (pp. 395-614). His section on Paul can be a book in itself! Though this book was originally published in 1974, it is still far superior to the other evangelical NT theology books out there (e.g., Guthrie, Morris, Zuck/Bock). If you're a student of the Bible wanting to get a better knowledge of what the NT writers taught this book is the best place to start.

If the only way you have ever seen theology done is Systematics, you need to read G.E. Ladd's New Testament Theology. Biblical Theology will look different from what you've seen in the past. But it emphasizes what the TEXT emphasizes, and no one did it as well as G.E.Ladd. The additional chapters in this update are indeed helpful. The only distracting thing in this 2nd edition is the remarks made at times by the editor, who at points seems to be trying to explain away some of Ladd's theology. This is unfortunate, because in all of these occasions I find Ladd's exegesis more convincing than his.But Ladd's Theology of the Kingdom, and his development of Salvation History are both exemplary. Systematic Theologians will be uncomfortable with the way he leaves tension between author's of Scripture at points. But Biblical Theology would resist the urge to "flatten" the distinctions that each individual author makes. If that is sometimes uncomfortable, so be it.This is Biblical Theology at its finest, and needs to be in every serious scholar's library.