Peter Enns provides an approach to the Old Testament that seeks to bring an
evangelical doctrine of Scripture into conversation
with critical Old Testament scholarship.
Enns brings together many critical
questions familiar to modern Old Testament scholars, but largely unknown outside of that circle. In so doing he aims to draw out some of their doctrinal implications. He deals with those areas of the Old Testament that have traditionally been seen as problematic, namely, its relation to other ancient near eastern literature, its own internal diversity, and the handing of the Old Testament by the New.
Enns introduces the reader in an easily accessible way to the most significant ancient near eastern ‘parallels’ narratives. He raises the question of what standards we should expect of the Old Testament and how historiography should be understood. Crucially, he asks whether it is problematic for its status as divine revelation that the Old Testament reflects the culture of its day. Dealing with question of internal diversity, Enns sets out in a indisputable fashion a number of examples of significant diversity in content in the Old Testament. He asks what this might tell us about the unity of the Bible, about the God who gave it to us, and he observes the dangers of applying preconceived standards to the text. Finally, Enns deals with the questions of the use of the Old Testament by the New Testament authors. He sets the New Testament authors against the backdrop of biblical interpretation in Second Temple Judaism, bringing together a diverse and illuminating range of sources.
Enns’ respond to the problems these critical questions create for an
evangelical doctrine of Scripture through “The Incarnational Analogy”. He argues that the human dimension of Scripture is an integral part of what makes it Scripture; in the same way the Jesus is thought of as both fully human and fully divine, so the Old Testament reflects both God and humanity. The Scriptures are another example of how God “incarnates” himself.
Enns’ successfully overcomes the false notion that critical scholarship makes evangelical faith unviable. He is able to gets right to the heart of people fears and flags up the mistaken assumptions that underlie them. His incarnational approach is extremely effective, and will provide those who wish to engage seriously with the Bible in the practise of faith a spiritually rewarding yet critically sound basis for doing so.