It’s not often that a scholar of the stature of I. Howard Marshall reviews a book by a scholar of the stature of G. K. Beale. Both are men of massive influence, standing, piety, and scholarship.
Both Marshall and Beale have written a New Testament Theology, and Marshall’s review of Beale’s is in Themelios 37.2, which appeared today. Here’s Marshall’s conclusion:
So if you want a survey that will tell you what are the characteristics and distinctive contributions of the individual authors or books of the NT, you will not find it here (although you will be able to find what many of them say or imply on the selected theme of the book), and you will need to turn to such as Frank Matera and Frank Thielman. Similarly, if you want synthetic summaries of the teaching of the NT on the various motifs that it discusses, you will need to turn to such as Donald Guthrie or Tom Schreiner. And if you want a critical discussion of the varied understandings of contemporary scholars, you will need to turn to such as Peter Stuhlmacher. This volume focuses essentially on the biblical basis for NT theology, and I found so many fresh ideas (well, fresh to me) in it that I have read it with excitement and shall need to keep returning to it for fresh stimulus.
I think it’s safe to say that Marshall’s book will also “tell you what are the characteristics and distinctive contributions of the individual authors or books of the NT.”
Anyone interested in biblical theology should read the whole thing.
Related: my review of Beale’s book can be found here.