Desmond Alexander’s Short Intro to Biblical Theology

Studying at Gordon-Conwell gave me a passion for Biblical theology –  “whole-Bible theology.” A nice short treatment I read recently is by T. Desmond Alexander, one of the editors of the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology (IVP), entitled From Eden to the New Jerusalem. In this book, Alexander is inspired by all sorts of connections between Genesis and Revelation. At many times this felt like he was channeling Greg Beale.

In the first two chapters, he makes connections between Eden and the temple, finally making the connection between church and temple as well. The third chapter follows closely, looking at the royal roles of Adam and Eve. The fourth chapter concentrates on evil and the defeat of the evil powers in Christ. Redemption and new creation are the focus of chapter five. Six and seven engage with the transformation of the world and the vitality of new life in God. Obviously Alexander is interested in how Genesis and Revelation serve as important bookends to the meta-narrative of the Bible. It was a delight to read.