The New Testament as Canon: An Introduction

Brevard Childs, noted scholar of the Hebrew scriptures and biblical theologian, has provided the church with a helpful sequel to his OT "Introduction". As a true Yale-schooler (Cf. Lindbeck and Frei), Childs brackets out the various historical-critical issues in order to deal with the Scriptures as the church's canon. This is not a true "Introduction" in the order of D. Guthrie, W.G. Kümmel, or Raymond Brown, but is properly an introduction to canon-critical method. Although NT scholarship has surpassed many of his historical-critical conclusions (hence 4 stars), Childs achieves theological profundity in many places. He also writes in an elegant, preachable prose that theologians, pastors, and students will find refreshing and welcome.