Graham A. Cole - The God Who Became Human: A Biblical Theology of Incarnation

New Studies in Biblical Theology is a series of monographs that address key issues in the discipline of biblical theology. Contributions to the series focus on one or more of three areas: (1) the nature and status of biblical theology, including its relations with other disciplines (e.g. historical theology, exegesis, systematic theology, historical criticism, narrative theology); (2) the articulation and exposition of the structure of thought of a particular biblical writer or corpus; and (3) the delineation of a biblical theme across all or part of the biblical corpora.

Above all, these monographs are creative attempts to help thinking Christians understand their Bibles better. The series aims simultaneously to instruct and to edify, to interact with the current literature, and to point the way ahead. In Gods universe, mind and heart should not be divorced: in this series we will try not to separate what God has joined together. While the notes interact with the best of scholarly literature, the text is uncluttered with untransliterated Greek and Hebrew, and tries to avoid too much technical jargon. The volumes are written within the framework of confessional evangelicalism, but there is always an attempt at thoughtful engagement with the sweep of the relevant literature.

Books on the incarnation tend to deploy, early on in the discussion, the categories of systematic theology. The biblical proof texts that are adduced are mostly from the New Testament; much less effort has been poured onto tracing incarnation theology right through the canon. Although considerable effort in biblical theology has been devoted to such messianic themes as the Davidic monarch, the priesthood and the temple, relatively little has been devoted to the incarnation. This book by Dr Graham Cole takes steps to fill the need. Undoubtedly more can be said, but it is immensely satisfying to find an able systematician wrestling with the biblical texts as it is to find biblical scholars tracing the lines from exegesis towards biblical and systematic theology not least on a topic as central to Christian faith as this one. As I write these words, the world approaches the Christmas season, and around the globe, in their own languages, Christians will sing,

Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;

Hail th incarnate Deity!

Pleased as man with men to dwell

Jesus our Emmanuel.

D. A. Carson
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

This study has surprised me. In contributing to a series of biblical theology studies rather than to a systematic theology one, I expected to trace a biblical theme from Genesis to Revelation in biblical theology style with careful attention to the unfolding biblical plotline, and then to tease out some larger theological implications of the text.

What I found was that the incarnation per se was not explicitly part of the Old Testament hope, but if certain Old Testament texts are read with a subtle typological method, then arguably the idea is there in a hidden way. Augustines argument that what was latent in the Old Testament becomes patent in the New comes readily to mind. This should not surprise, as Paul teaches us the incarnation is a mystery something hidden in the plan of God that now stands revealed once Jesus has come.

Even so, there is a background in the Old Testament without which the incarnation would be unintelligible. Here is yet another instance where Christology needs to be done from behind in the light of Gods dealings with Israel. The incarnation is a stupendous divine deed. To think that God incarnate wept human tears at the tomb of his friend Lazarus is astounding. There is continued debate as to whether suffering may be ascribed to the God of the Bible, but there is no debate that in classical Christianity Christ suffered in his human nature.