MIDWESTERN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 10 Spring 2011 No. 1 CONTENTS Editorial Articles THEME: BIBLICAL THEOLOGY Theme Classic: On the Proper Distinction between Biblical and Dogmatic Theology (1787) Johann Philipp Gabler 1-11 THE SIZEMORE LECTURES 2011 Sizemore I: The Inaugurated Eschatological Indicative and Imperative in Relation to Christian Living and Preaching Greg K. Beale 12-31 Sizemore II: The Inaugurated End-Time Tribulation and Its Bearing on the Church Office of Elder and on Christian Living in General Greg K. Beale 32-57 Appreciation, Agreement, and a Few Minor Quibbles: A Response to G. K. Beale James M. Hamilton 58-70 The Holman Christian Standard Study Bible and Malachi 2:16: A Brief Response J. Alan Branch 71-86 Who Hates...Divorce? A Text-Critical Examination of Malachi 2:16 Daniel R. Watson 87-102 Bell’s Hell: A Dialogue With Love Wins ii Midwestern Journal of Theology Rustin Umstattd 103-23 Cutting-Edge Obsolescence: Rob Bell’s Reliance on a Long- Discredited Universalist Rendering of Matthew 25:46 in Love Wins Ronald V. Huggins 124-29 Where Is Exhortation in Hebrews? Discourse Analysis and Genre Division in the Epistle to the Hebrews Todd R. Chipman 130-44 Kersey Graves’s Sixteen Crucified Saviors: Prometheus as Test Case Ronald V. Huggins 145-65 John Bunyan on Justification Joel R. Beeke 166-89 The “Repentance of Jerome”: How the Great Translator of the Latin Vulgate Bible Got His Priorities Turned Round. Ronald V. Huggins 190-200 Book Reviews: Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five- Point Calvinism. David L. Allen & Steve W. Lemke, editors (J. Alan Branch) 201-4 Brill's New Pauly: Encyclopaedia of the Ancient World: Antiquity, Volume 9 (Mini-Obe) Hubert Cancik & Helmut Schneider, editors (Steven M. Ortiz) 204-6 Preaching the Cross by Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan, III, R. Albert Mohler, Jr., & C. J. Mahaney (Gary L. Shultz Jr.) 206-8 Who’s Tampering with the Trinity: An Assessment of the Subordination Debate by Millard J. Erickson (Gary L. Shultz Jr.) 208-9 Midwestern Journal of Theology iii Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs (Apollos Old Testament Commentary Series) by Daniel C. Fredericks & Daniel J. Estes (Russell L. Meek) 210-12 God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology by James Hamilton, Jr. (William R. Osborne) 212-14 Spirit-Led Preaching: The Holy Spirit’s Role in Sermon Preparation and Delivery by Greg Heisler (Gary L. Shultz Jr.) 214-16 ‘The Sufferings of Christ are Abundant in Us’ (2 Corinthians 1.5): A Narrative Dynamics Investigation of Paul’s Sufferings in 2 Corinthians by Kar Yong Lim (C. Eric Turner) 217-19 Reception Theory and Biblical Hermeneutics by David P. Parris. (Russell Meek) 219-22 Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation. James K. A. Smith (Cultural Liturgies, vol. 1) (Kevin Dray) 223-26 Doctrine That Dances: Bringing Doctrinal Preaching and Teaching to Life by Robert Smith, Jr. (Gary L. Shultz Jr.) 226-28 iv Midwestern Journal of Theology Editorial Welcome to the Spring, 2011, Midwestern Journal of Theology. The core theme for this issue is Biblical Theology. Our annual Sizemore Lecturer this year was the New Testament scholar G. K. Beale, well known author of numerous books, commentaries, and scholarly articles. Beale delivered two lectures on the subject of the implication of Inaugurated Eschatology for Christian life and ministry. Both these lectures are included here, and are, in a slightly different form, to be included in Dr. Beale’s forthcoming New Testament Biblical Theology, published by Baker. We are also pleased to be able to include as well a response, appreciation, and critique of Beale’s presentation by Southern Baptist Theological Seminary’s James M. Hamilton. As a happy coincidence, William R. Osborne, a Midwestern Old Testament doctoral candidate provided for this issue a review of James M. Hamilton’s God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology. Rounding out our theme section we include a translation of Johann Philipp Gabler’s “On the Proper Distinction Between Biblical and Dogmatic Theology” (1787). This historic discourse is often credited with being the first step toward establishing Biblical and Systematic Theology as separate and distinct disciplines. We present it here without any intention of endorsement, but merely for its historic interest in relation to the development of the concept and practice of Biblical Theology. The English translation first appeared in 1980 in the Scottish Journal of Theology, and is reprinted here by the kind permission of the original translators. In addition to our four major theme articles a number of other items of interest are included as well. Midwestern Professor J. Alan Branch discusses a controversial rendering of Malachi 2:16 in the Holman Christian Standard Study Bible, and Dr. Daniel Watson, also of Midwestern, follows up by providing an extensive text-critical evaluation of this passage. In the interest of timeliness in relation to the recent appearance of Rob Bell’s controversial new book Love Wins, Midwestern professor Rustin Umstattd and the editor have scrambled to put together two articles of critique and response to what represents a very troubling book. Another article included also relates to Rob Bell, but less directly. For many years a myth has been circulated that in the early Christian Midwestern Journal of Theology v period several gods besides Jesus were said to be virgin born “Crucified Saviors.” For the last couple of centuries this myth has been promoted primarily by Christianity’s most vocal opponents. Regrettably, Bell himself recently embraced and positively taught a version of this myth in the 15th installment of his Nooma film series. In this issue we challenge that myth in its historic origins, focusing on one ancient figure in particular who is often erroneously put forth as a “crucified savior,” namely the Greek god Prometheus. One of Midwestern’s New Testament doctoral candidates, Todd R. Chipman, also contributes a piece on the epistle to the Hebrews as Exhortation. This paper was accepted and presented in a well-attended session at the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in Atlanta this past November. (Readers will also find a number of interesting book reviews by a number of authors, including three of our own doctoral students, Russell Meeks, C. Eric Turner, and William R. Osborne). Following up on the theme of Justification in our Spring 2010 issue, we include now a very intriguing article by Joel R. Beeke, President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, on Pilgrim’s Progress author John Bunyan’s defense of the doctrine of Justification in his historical context and its bearing on current debates relating to that variegated collection of opinions now traveling under the general heading “New Perspective on Paul.” The final article of this issue explores the significance of a remarkable story from the life of early Bible translator, Jerome, to Christian life and iconography. Finally many thanks are due to Assistant Journal Editor Joshua L. Mann for his careful editorial work, insightful suggestions, and the contribution of an introduction to the Johann Philipp Gabler piece, and to our new Journal secretary Jessica Vanderford for her crucial help with logistics and proofreading. Blessings and Good Reading! Midwestern Journal of Theology 10.1 (2011): 1-11 Theme Classic: Johann Philipp Gabler: “On the Proper Distinction Between Biblical and Dogmatic Theology” (1787) In 1787 Johann Philipp Gabler gave his inaugural address, De justo discrimine theologiae biblicae et dogmaticae regundisque recte utriusque finibus, at the University of Altdorf. In what Gabler judged a “brief speech” (and surely it was), he attempted to distinguish between biblical theology and dogmatic theology—the former an attempt in understanding the “sacred authors” on their own terms (and subsequently in relation to one another) using historical methods and reason; the latter an attempt to systematize those universal truths mined by biblical theology for application in a contemporary time and situation. Though Gabler’s ideas were shared by others during his time, his address crystallized a viewpoint and shift in thought in his day that continues to be observed by many theologians today: not only is biblical theology distinct from dogmatic theology, it should be the foundation on which dogmatic theology is built. Most scholars recognize the address as significant in the development of biblical theology as a discipline in and of itself. Not all are equally impressed with Gabler’s distinction, but in any case, it surely raises important questions inherent to biblical interpretation and theology. Further, what Gabler delineated as the task of biblical theology is the sort of undertaking that G. K. Beale and James Hamilton have each respectively attempted in their recent scholarly works, the ideas of which appear in their respective articles in this issue of the MJT. The English translation is reprinted here with the kind permission of Professor John Sandys-Wunsch.1 Here, then, is the famous address of J. P. Gabler who is known by some as the father of biblical theology. 1 The translation, along with an extensive analysis of its history and significance, originally appeared in John Sandys-Wunsch and Laurence Eldredge, “J. P. Gabler and the Distinction Between Biblical and Dogmatic Theology: Translation, Commentary, and Discussion of His Originality,” SJT 33 (1980): 135-158 (esp. 134-44). 2 GABLER: Biblical & Dogmatic Theology