Dissertation Abstracts
Doctor of Philosophy
Counsel and Conscience: Post-Reformation Lutheran Casuistry According to the
Dedekenn-Gerhard Thesaurus Consiliorum Et Decisionum and Its Cases on Marriage and Divorce by Benjamin T. G. Mayes, under the supervision of Richard A. Muller, James A. De Jong, Calvin P. Van Reken, and Robert A. Kolb. Pp. xii + 380.
In much literature on early modern casuistry and conscience, Lutheran casuistry is denied a place, under-researched, or ignored. Yet, in Lutheran Germany of the post-Reformation era (ca. 1580–1750), there was a genre of pastoral-ethical writings in casuistry and in topically or thematically related theological counsels aimed at instructing and comforting the con-sciences of Christians. An extensive example from this genre is Thesaurus Consiliorum Et Decisionum, 4 vols., ed. Georg Dedekenn and Johann Ernst Gerhard (Jena: Zacharias Hertel, 1671). Lutheran casuistry, related to but also distinct from Roman Catholic and Reformed counterparts, arose espe-cially as pastors looked within Holy Scripture, the medieval tradition, and the writings of Martin Luther and other Lutheran authorities for answers to ethical problems and doctrinal disputes. Dedekenn’s Thesaurus was an anthology, addressing a wide range of dogmatic as well as practical mat-ters. Dedekenn and the other editors of the Thesaurus did not view their counsels as necessarily obligating to a Christian’s conscience. Instead, they viewed the counsels as wise advice, and they encouraged readers to avoid individualistic ethical choices and instead to engage in an aristocratic pro-cess of moral decision-making in which one would consult the wise men of the past and present. The counsels included in the Thesaurus address inter-confessional disputes, intra-Lutheran disputes, sacraments, church government, pastoral ministry, social ethics, marriage, sexual ethics, and many other topics. By examining the cases and counsels on divorce and
CALVIN THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
Old Testament Contributions to Ecclesiology: Engaging and Extending the Insights of John Howard Yoder by John C. Nugent, under the supervision of Ronald J. Feenstra, John Bolt, James K. A. Smith, and Walter Brueggemann. Pp. ix + 301.
Conspicuously absent from ecclesiological literature is a volume dedi-cated exclusively to assessing the Old Testament’s relevance to ecclesiology. With only a few exceptions, scant use is made of the Old Testament in ecclesiological primers and that use tends to be highly selective and often decontextualized. This dissertation argues that in-depth engagement of the Old Testament furnishes a helpful context for ecclesiological reflection and that John Howard Yoder’s canonical-directional approach to Scripture exemplifies such engagement. Though Yoder did not dedicate a treatise exclusively to the Old Testament’s ecclesiological relevance, his numerous scattered essays on this topic evince a rich and coherent Old Testament narration that scholars have not sufficiently engaged and that pays signifi-cant ecclesial dividends.
For Yoder, God did not begin shaping the life of the church only in the New Testament; rather, the formation of Abraham’s descendants as God’s chosen people constitutes the fundamental starting point of the church. This does not, however, mean that every social form that Israel takes in the Old Testament is normative for the church. Yoder argues that in Christ God reveals and confirms the direction he was going in the Old Testament and provides the requisite criteria for evaluating Israel’s social legacy. Importantly for Yoder, God did not wait until Jesus to correct Israel’s missteps but began doing so with the sixth-century diaspora and the transformation of Israel into a transterritorial nation. Consequently, important features of the church’s social shape and structure were largely in place before Jesus was born.
If Yoder is right, the Old Testament must no longer be ignored in eccle-siological reflection. His narration is not, however, without flaws. Though Yoder’s canonical-directional approach to Scripture makes valuable contri-butions to ecclesiology, his reading of key events in Israel’s history needs to be modified and gaps need to be filled. This dissertation brings together Yoder’s full Old Testament narration, engages its weaknesses, and strength-ens it by filling gaps and furnishing needed correctives. It closes by demon-strating that the concept of a priestly kingdom serves as a fitting ecclesial metaphor that marshals the contributions of the full canonical witness for ecclesiology.
Christ’s Atonement: The Hope of Creation by Mary L. Vanden Berg, under the supervision of Ronald J. Feenstra, John Bolt, Arie C. Leder, and Leanne Van Dyk. Pp. viii + 240.
The rich history of research in atonement theology has focused its energy primarily on explanations of how the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ leads to the forgiveness of human sin and the restoration of a right relationship between God and humanity. While the biblical text does describe the work of Jesus Christ in these terms, it also makes clear that God’s people look forward with hope to the restoration of all creation. Lacking in atonement scholarship is a clear explanation of how the work of Jesus Christ might be connected to and bring about this restoration, described in the Bible as the new heavens and new earth.
The biblical narrative portrays human sin as the despoiler not only of the relationship between God and humanity but also of creation itself and God’s intentions for creation. The sacrificial system of the Israelite cult, especially the Day of Atonement rituals, serves to cleanse Israel, thereby restoring the order and beauty of God’s good creation and preserving the presence of God in their midst. Drawing especially on biblical sources, this dissertation argues that Jesus’ death is an atoning sacrifice that stands in continuity with the sacrificial cult of Israel. Jesus’ sacrificial death, there-fore, leads not only to the restoration of the relationship between God and humanity as traditionally argued but to the restoration of all creation. The result of this biblical study will be a model of atonement based on the metaphor of cleansing. This model enhances traditional atonement models by offering an explanation of how Jesus’ death also brings about the restoration of all creation, while offering an alternative metaphor to judicial formulations of atonement theology in an effort to deal with issues regarding violence and the atonement.
Books Received
Abernathy, Alexis D, ed. Worship that Changes Lives: Multidisiplinary and Congregational Perspectives on Spirtual Transformation. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Pp. 288. $24.99 paper. Ateek, Naim Stifan. A Palestinian Christian Cry for Reconciliation. Maryknoll: Orbis, 2008. Pp. xvi
+ 224. $24.00 paper.
Barnes, M. Craig. The Pastor as Minor Poet: Texts and Subtests in the Ministerial Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,2009. Pp. 146. $18.00 paper.
Barnett, Paul. Finding the Historical Christ. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009. Pp. 311. $22.00 paper.
Bavinck, Herman. Saved by Grace: The Holy Spirit’s Work in Calling and Regeneration. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2008. Pp. lvi + 184. $30.00 hard.
Beeke, Joel R. Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2008. Pp. xvi + 414. $24.00 hard.
Billings, J. Todd. Calvin, Participation and the Gift: The Activity of Believers in Union with Christ. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. Pp. 230. $120.00 hard.
Bird, Michael F. Introducing Paul: The Man, His Mission and His Message. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2009. Pp. 192. $20.00 paper.
Blocher, Henri. Evil and the Cross: An Analytical Look at the Problem of Pain. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2004. Pp. 160. $12.99 paper.
Blomberg, Craig L., and Mariam J. Kamell. James: Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008. Pp. 280. $24.99 hard.
Blomberg, Craig L., and Sung Wook Chung, eds. A Case for Historic Premillennialism: An Alternative to “Left Behind” Eschatology. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009. Pp. 208. $24.99 paper.
Blomberg, Craig L., and Sung Wook Chung, eds. The Church’s Book of Comfort. Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2009. Pp. x + 291.
Bockmuehl, Markus, and Alan J. Torrance, eds. Scripture’s Doctrine and Theology’s Bible: How the New Testament Shapes Christian Dogmatics. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008. Pp. 256. $16.99 paper.
