Matthew Barrett - Canon, Covenant and Christology: Rethinking Jesus and the Scriptures of Israel

4Q521 4QMessianic Apocalypse (Dead Sea Scrolls)

Ag. Ap. Against Apion , Josephus

AGJU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des antiken Judentums und des Urchristentums

ANE ancient Near East(ern)

Ant. Antiquities of the Jews , Josephus

AUSDDS Andrews University Seminary Doctoral Dissertation Series

BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

BI Biblical Illustrator

BIS Biblical Interpretation Series

BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin

CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly

CT Christianity Today

CTM Concordia Theological Monthly

dss Dead Sea Scrolls

DTIB Dictionary for the Theological Interpretation of the Bible , ed. Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Grand Rapids: Baker, 2005

EBC Expositors Bible Commentary

EGGNT The Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament

esv English Standard Version

GTJ Grace Theological Journal

HeyJ Heythrop Journal

ICC International Critical Commentary

Int Interpretation

JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament

JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Supplement Series

JSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Supplementary Series

JSP Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha

JTC Journal for Theology and the Church

JTI Journal of Theological Interpretation

JTS Journal of Theological Studies

km kilometres

LCC Library of Christian Classics

m. Mishnah

NAC New American Commentary

nasb New American Standard Bible

NDBT New Dictionary of Biblical Theology , ed. T. Desmond Alexander and Brian S. Rosner, Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000

Ned. Nedarim

NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament

NICOT New International Commentary on the Old Testament

NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary

niv New International Version

NIVAC New International Version Application Commentary

NovT Novum Testamentum

n.p. no publisher

NSBT New Studies in Biblical Theology

NSD New Studies in Dogmatics

NT New Testament

NTS New Testament Studies

OT Old Testament

PNTC Pillar New Testament Commentary

Presb Presbyterion

ProEccl Pro Ecclesia

SBJT Southern Baptist Journal of Theology

SJT Scottish Journal of Theology

SPB Studia post-biblica

SPT Studies in Philosophical Theology

STI Studies in Theological Interpretation

Them Themelios

ThTo Theology Today

TNTC Tyndale New Testament Commentaries

TynBul Tyndale Bulletin

VT Vetus Testamentum

WBC Word Biblical Commentary

WTJ Westminster Theological Journal

WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

ZAW Zeitschrift fr die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft

ZECNT Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

For many years now I have benefited from the scholarship of Don Carson. One thing I appreciate about him is his commitment to integrate biblical theology and systematic theology. Rather than divorcing these two disciplines from each other, Don has demonstrated how integral they are to each other. What God has joined together, let no one separate. The church and academy need both, and Don has left an example to younger scholars like me by writing on both and showing how mutually dependent they are on each other. So I am grateful to Don for his invitation to contribute to the NSBT series. There are also few as experienced as him in the continuing defence of an evangelical doctrine of Scripture. While this book is a positive presentation rather than a polemical one, I do hope it will fortify evangelicals and remind them that their doctrine of Scripture depends not on a few proof texts but is far more organic, grounded as it is in the character of God, his covenantal speech and Christological fulfilment. Biblical theology is crucial to a right understanding of Scriptures inspiration and unity.

I am also grateful to the leadership at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Jason Allen, Jason Duesing and Charles Smith, for their continuing support of my scholarship. It is a joy to teach at a seminary that values theology in the classroom but also ensures its professors have time to write theology. This too serves the church. I have also had inspiring conversations with many other colleagues as we have marvelled at the divine authors intent across redemptive history to give us a unified canon. I must thank Samuel Bierg for his initial digging into sources for the bibliography and excitement on the topic itself, and I am so grateful for Joseph Lanier, who hunted down countless journal articles for the bibliography. Joseph, Timothy Gatewood, Ronni Kurtz and Jenn Foster all pitched in to arrest pesty typos and create the indices. Thank you.

I am also thankful to the team at IVP who worked so hard to make sure this book looks its best. Philip Duce applied a fine editorial eye to the flow and logic of my argument, making sure it was sound and persuasive. Eldo Barkhuizen did a superb job editing the manuscript, catching the most minute mistakes.

As always, I am indebted to my wife, Elizabeth, who has the hardest job of all: homeschooling our four children. I do not know how she does it, but I do know our kids will be in her debt for the time and love she puts into her craft. Alongside her responsibilities, she picked me up from time to time. This book was a difficult one to write, an intense labour. Yet she was patient, at times encouraging me not to give up but to press on because too few Christians know what their Saviour thinks about the Old Testament.

May this book be an exercise in credo ut intelligam (I believe in order to understand).

Matthew Barrett

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Albright, W. F., and C. S. Mann (1995), The Anchor Bible Commentary , vol. 26, Matthew , New Haven: Yale University Press.

Alexander, T. D. (2003), The Servant King , Vancouver: Regent College Publishing.

Allen, M., and S. Swain (2016), Christian Dogmatics: Reformed Theology for the Church Catholic , Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Allison, D. (2013), The New Moses: A Matthean Typology , Eugene: Wipf & Stock.

Allison Jr, D. C. (2012), Studies in Matthew: Interpretation Past and Present , Grand Rapids: Baker.

Alter, R. (1981), The Art of Biblical Narrative , New York: Basic.

__ (1987), Introduction to the Old Testament, in R. Alter and F. Kermode (eds.), The Literary Guide to the Bible , Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 1135.

Aquinas, T. (2010a), Commentary on the Gospel of John, Chapters 15 , tr. F. Larcher and J. A. Weisheipl, ed. D. Keating and M. Levering, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press.

__ (2010b), Commentary on the Gospel of John, Chapters 612 , tr. F. Larcher and J. A. Weisheipl, ed. D. Keating and M. Levering, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press.

__ (2010c), Commentary on the Gospel of John, Chapters 1321 , tr. F. Larcher and J. A. Weisheipl, ed. D. Keating and M. Levering, Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press.

Auerbach, E. (1968), Mimesis , Princeton: Princeton University Press.

__ (2013), Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature , tr. W. R. Trask, Princeton: Princeton University Press.

__ (2014), Figura, in J. I. Paoter (ed.), Time, History, and Literature: Selected Essays of Erich Auerbach , tr. J. O. Newman, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 65113.

Augustine (2001a), Expositions of the Psalms, 132 , tr. M. Boulding, ed. J. E. Rotelle, Works of St. Augustine III/15, Hyde Park: New City.