THE RICHES OF DIVINE WISDOM
The New Testament’s use of the Old Testament
By David Gooding
Myrtlefield Trust. 425 pages. £16.99
ISBN 978 1 874 584 216
This is an outstanding book on a subject that has occupied the attention of many scholars and continues to be of great interest to all those who take God’s word seriously.
It has no time for fanciful typological interpretation but does not go to the other extreme of believing that nothing in the Old Testament (OT) is to be viewed as a type unless the New Testament (NT) explicitly says it is. The book also deals with the thorny question of how OT narrative can be applied in today’s world.
In tackling these big issues the author, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Greek at Queen’s University, Belfast, shows the various ways in which the NT uses the OT and he offers sound, clear guidance on how to interpret OT passages on which the NT makes no comment. He has a high view of Scripture and follows Jesus’s example in his attitude to the OT. Endorsements come from well-known scholars like Gordon Wenham and Desmond Alexander.
Book in three parts
The book is divided into three parts. Part One investigates what the NT itself says on the topic. Gooding emphasises the dependence of the NT on the OT and indicates both the continuity and discontinuity between them. He also makes clear that the OT continues as God’s inspired word and all of it is profitable for Christians today.
Part Two considers the various ways in which the NT interprets the OT, including prophetic insights, legal concepts, literary devices like quotations, simile and metaphor, explicit and implicit allusions and typological shadows. The author includes a detailed treatment of Galatians 4.21-31 and discusses the subject of allegorical interpretation. He prefers the term ‘prototype’ to ‘allegory’ in Paul’s exposition of the historical incident of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar and their two sons. Also considered are the various items in the Tabernacle, the Melchizedek passages and the ‘rest’ theme. In Part Three, practical steps are suggested in places where the NT gives no immediate guidance on how an OT passage is to be interpreted. Using the incident of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac as it is interpreted in the NT, the author finds at least seven guidelines for interpreting OT narrative. He then shows how they can be applied in the David and Goliath incident, and in the case of the Gibeonites during the conquest of Canaan under Joshua, to give more satisfying lessons than the ones often suggested by commentators.
Study guide
There is a useful study guide at the end, with questions on each of the book’s three parts for individual or group study. Besides a Scripture and general index, the book includes an index of Greek and Hebrew words, a short bibliography and a comprehensive list of the author’s publications.
The author is to be congratulated on presenting a complex subject in a clear and easily digestible way. It is warmly commended to all preachers, teachers and anyone seriously interested in the study of the Bible.
