Member Reviews
How has God revealed himself, and what do these revelations say about his identity? The series is introduced as 'a critical assessments of major issues that the church faces in the twenty-first century.'
You might presume that the Revelation of God to Israel and the world is reasonably settled in the history of theology. Still, in a mere 116 pages, Bauckham (Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies, St Andrews) takes the reader through the major points of revelation and explains what these key moments mean for us - Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28); The Burning Bush (Ex 3); Mount Sinai (Ex 34); The Baptism of Christ (Mark 1); The Transfiguration (Mark 9) and the Centurion’s Confession (Mark 15).
Nothing presented here will unsettle the reader, but again and again, you may think, like me, 'why I didn't I make that connection already?' Bauckham points out that God's presence is assured with Jacob the wander so that he doesn't need to climb 'Jacob's Ladder,' as might be expected, and indeed as I'd probably long presumed. With deftness, he introduced me to a parallel I’d never seen before, the closing (28 and opening (1-2) chapters of Matthew where in both places Christ is acknowledged as King, as Messiah, is worshipped, and is 'with us'. This alone will change my Christmas sermons! Indeed, the ending of Matthew is presented as a response to Jacob's Ladder. I had also never considered the radical importance of the revelation to Moses at Mount Sinai, where God is revealed as merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness - but only a few days later, when preaching on Ash Wednesday, this very text was placed in front of me via Joel.
As Bauckham puts it, these are 'moments that reverberate through the whole story...their significance is not grasped all at once and forever...moments whose meaning is never exhausted.' I’ve been studying Theology for almost 20 years, and I found more in this short book than in many larger tomes. I've already bought two copies as gifts.
Who is God? It is a question that we have all asked ourselves, including Moses, one of the most prominent figures in the Old Testament, who asks about the identity of God. Who is God? A question that transcends times and people.
Richard Bauckham (PhD, University of Cambridge) who is a senior scholar at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and who has also been a visiting professor at St. Mellitus College, London, and emeritus professor of New Testament at the University of St. Andrews, invites us to reflect on this question in this short book entitled "Who is God?", the reader will find here a Theology Proper that invites you to reflect on how God reveals himself in the Scriptures and how this changes our perception of Him and ourselves.
The author interconnects the Old and New Testaments, presented to Jesus as the fulfillment of what we see in the Hebrew scriptures, He is God with us. Emanuel.
When I started reading this book, I thought it would be a dense and systematic book, however, I found it to be a pleasant read, ideal for every christian. Sunday school teachers and pastors will benefit in their exposition on the attributes and being of God by consulting this short but concise book by Dr. Bauckham.
This book takes us from Genesis to Revelation, approaching Scripture as canonical whole and considering the context of each passage.
Do you want to go deeper into how the Scriptures present us to God? This is a book that helps us achieve that goal.
Richard Baukham makes the profound simple. The book is elegantly written and gentle. You can hear the author'so voice in the writing, which I guess is not surprising as it was bases on a series of lectures. It is an easy read. I was particularly moved by the first chapter. The book led me to ponder and the pondering led me to worship. I highly recommend it.
This book is fantastic. Richard Bauckham is a fantastic scholar and a clear writer, and this little book provides a thorough and compelling biblical presentation of the Christian doctrine of God. This is a very helpful survey that provides insight into the language, history, and culture of the Bible. I recommend it.