The King in His Beauty
A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments
About
Thomas Schreiner, a respected scholar and a trusted voice for many students and pastors, offers a substantial and accessibly written overview of the whole Bible. He traces the storyline of the scriptures from the standpoint of biblical theology, examining the overarching message that is conveyed throughout. Schreiner emphasizes three interrelated and unified themes that stand out in the biblical narrative: God as Lord, human beings as those who are made in God's image, and the land or place in which God's rule is exercised. The goal of God's kingdom is to see the king in his beauty and to be enraptured in his glory.
Contents
Prologue
Part 1: Creation to the Edge of Canaan
1. Genesis
2. Exodus
3. Leviticus
4. Numbers
5. Deuteronomy
Interlude: A Synopsis of Creation to the Edge of Canaan
Part 2: The Story of Possession, Exile, and Return
6. Joshua
7. Judges
8. Ruth
9. 1-2 Samuel
10. 1-2 Kings
11. 1-2 Chronicles
12. Ezra-Nehemiah
13. Esther
Interlude: A Synopsis of the Story of Possession, Exile, and Return
Part 3: Israel's Songs and Wisdom
14. Job
15. Psalms
16. Proverbs
17. Ecclesiastes
18. Song of Songs
Interlude: A Synopsis of Israel's Songs and Wisdom
Part 4: Judgment and Salvation in the Prophets
19. Isaiah
20. Jeremiah
21. Lamentations
22. Ezekiel
23. Daniel
24. The Book of the Twelve
Interlude: A Synopsis of Judgment and Salvation in the Prophets
A Brief Retrospective of the Old Testament Story
Prologue to the New Testament
Part 5: The Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, and Luke-Acts
25. The Gospel according to Matthew
26. The Gospel according to Mark
27. The Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles
Interlude: A Synopsis of the Kingdom in Matthew, Mark, and Luke-Acts
Part 6: Eternal Life in the Gospel and Epistles of John
28. The Gospel according to John and the Johannine Epistles
Interlude: A Synopsis of Eternal Life in the Gospel and Epistles of John
Part 7: The End of the Ages Has Come according to the Apostle Paul
29. The Theology of Paul
Interlude: A Synopsis of the End of the Ages Has Come according to the Apostle Paul
Part 8: Living in the Last Days according to the General Epistles
30. The Epistle to the Hebrews
31. The Epistle of James
32. The Epistle of 1 Peter
33. The Epistles of 2 Peter and Jude
Interlude: A Synopsis of Living in the Last Days according to the General Epistles
Part 9: The Kingdom Will Come
34. The Book of Revelation
Epilogue
Indexes
Endorsements
"A wonderfully clear and faithful account of biblical theology. This book is both intellectually compelling and honoring to God and so deserves to be widely read."
Simon Gathercole, senior lecturer in New Testament, University of Cambridge
"From the garden of Eden to the garden of Paradise, Tom Schreiner deftly takes the reader through the entire narrative of the history of redemption. Giving attention to every part of the canonical Scriptures, Schreiner shows how the Bible coheres under the theme of the kingdom or rule of God. The payoff is a feast of theological, practical, and devotional insights. In a simple, direct, and nontechnical way, this book will bring Christians to a new understanding and appreciation of the entire Bible."
Donald A. Hagner, George Eldon Ladd Professor Emeritus of New Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
"Schreiner's one-volume biblical theology is a bountiful bonanza of biblical storytelling. In a time when biblical studies has become partitioned between the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament, Schreiner reminds us that there is one God, one book, and one story. A story about God the king, his kingdom, his people, and the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ. A nuanced and much-needed book to help Christians understand what the Bible is about and how it all hangs together."
Michael F. Bird, Crossway College, Brisbane, Australia
"Having written major volumes on Pauline theology and New Testament theology, Tom Schreiner places a remarkable capstone on his work by tackling a biblical theology of the entire canon of Scripture. And he is up to the task, clearly and consistently tracing the theme of God as King and the ultimate triumph of the kingdom of God from Genesis through Revelation. Few volumes have dealt so comprehensively and so well with the grand narrative of Scripture from beginning to end."
Mark L. Strauss, professor of New Testament, Bethel Seminary San Diego
"A book that wonderfully unites all the books of the Bible. Few authors have the command of learning, the gift of teaching, and the heart for God that this volume reflects. Digest this book to elevate your grasp of the Bible and to find your soul riveted like never before to the King in his beauty."
Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri
"All preachers need biblical theology. The Apostle Paul could look at an audience and testify that he was innocent of their blood because he did not shrink from declaring the whole counsel of God to them (Acts 20:26). These words highlight our need for help in proclaiming the whole counsel of God because the stakes are so high. Tom Schreiner's book is pure gold in this regard, focusing on adoring the King in his beauty in all the Scriptures. I plan to wear out my copy as I look for help in this high-stakes calling."
Jason C. Meyer, pastor for preaching and vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church
The Author
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Thomas R. Schreiner
Thomas R. Schreiner (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and professor of biblical theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has taught at SBTS for...
Continue reading about Thomas R. Schreiner
Reviews
"Schreiner is a seasoned scholar whose ability to interact with the various books and genres of Scripture, including both OT and NT, is displayed in this volume. . . . It is written in clear language and is concise in its treatment of the various biblical books. . . . Refreshingly, while working through OT passages, Schreiner does not hesitate to note where the NT picks up on OT texts and reads them Christologically. . . . The King in His Beauty will serve the church well by providing a nontechnical and readable biblical theology that will help many to see the grand canonical forest from the diversity of the biblical trees."
Josh Chatraw,
Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
"Increasingly in an age of specialization, biblical scholars isolate a small cross section of the Bible for a small coterie of fellow academicians. Schreiner reverses this flow. He writes also for an evangelical lay audience, consciously crafting his writing to distill biblical thought. . . . To read Schreiner's book is to matriculate in his classroom, as it were. He writes for a room full of like-minded seminary students. These students will appreciate Schreiner's strong conservative voice that unites the whole of biblical revelation around God's persistent kingdom march. . . . Schreiner himself notes that 'no book can accomplish everything,' nor will his book resonate with everyone. However, whoever enters his classroom via his book will undoubtedly benefit from his call to come see the beautiful King."
David M. Maas,
Review of Biblical Literature
"An excellent resource. Schreiner, having already written excellent books on New Testament theology and Pauline theology, has now given us a summary of the whole of Scripture. . . . This will be a great help for preachers in keeping the big picture of the biblical story in view as we preach."
Ray Van Neste,
Preaching (Annual Survey of the Year's Best Bibles and Bible Reference, 2013)
"Schreiner is a New Testament scholar who is greatly respected in his field and whose influence has been multiplied by the release of so many worthy books from his scholarly pen. The King in His Beauty . . . deserves a place on every preacher's bookshelf. . . . This is one of those books that will provide preachers with an almost bottomless treasury of biblical insights. In many ways, this book should be seen as offering the very best of what preachers are looking for in a commentary, along with some of the most interesting exegetical insights tied to a driving theological narrative. . . . Schreiner's attention to the biblical text ensures that his biblical theology is more than a theology drawn from the Bible. His effort is to allow Scripture to speak and to reveal its own theological priorities. Preachers and their congregations will be very well-served when the preacher makes this book a priority for his own reading."
R. Albert Mohler Jr.,
Preaching (Annual Survey of the Year's Best Books for Preachers, 2013)
"If readers are looking for the largely inductive observations of a seasoned scholar and theologian about the most theologically significantly portions of each biblical book, they will be treated to a delicious feast, with enough footnotes to suggest where they can go for dessert. . . . While [Schreiner] would be the last person to ever want anyone to read his book instead of the Bible, someone with no more than a superficial knowledge of Scripture's contents and significance could read just The King in His Beauty and come away with a substantial understanding of both. We can be very grateful for Schreiner's ambitious projects and wonder what he has left to tackle."
Craig L. Blomberg,
Denver Journal
"Schreiner provides an accessible and coherent account of the biblical story in its entirety, a wonderful achievement."
Andreas Köstenberger,
Biblical Foundations blog (named The King in His Beauty one of the best books in Bible and theology for 2013)
"Students of the New Testament have for some years now benefitted from Schreiner's consistently good, cautious scholarship. It is encouraging to see this latest publication for its attempt at exploring the theology of both Old and New Testaments. . . . One of the most refreshing things about this book is that it does not die the death of a thousand qualifications. This book admirably does what it sets out to do, and deals with the big picture in an extremely readable fashion. . . . Schreiner has successfully built upon the work of others and produced a very readable work which will be of value not only to students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels but also to many thoughtful readers who simply want to know how they can make sense of the Bible as a whole. I warmly commend this book."
John Angus Macleod,
Expository Times
"Writing a biblical theology takes more than a biblical scholar. It requires a skilled artist, one who can fit together sixty-six jewels of different kind, shape, and color into a unified image. Schreiner is both. Invested with hermeneutical and artistic judgment, he brilliantly succeeds in placing before his readers a clear and complex image that does justice to the rich diversity of the biblical witness without imposing a false unity. All the gems from Genesis to Revelation are carefully assembled together to form an impressive picture of The King in His Beauty. . . . The author paints a good, lively story not too long to weary the lay reader, but long enough to satisfy the thirsty seminarian. It is a true masterpiece that deserves a place in the gallery of distinguished biblical theologies alongside that of Childs, Eichrodt, von Rad--and all of the greats."
Beniamin Pascut,
Religious Studies Review
"Schreiner has canvassed the depth of NT and biblical theology like few other scholars of this generation. . . . While in his NT theology Schreiner use[d] a thematic approach, in this volume he employs a canonical approach. That feat in itself adds to the impressiveness of Schreiner's accomplishment. . . . Moving through every book or section of both OT and NT, Schreiner convincingly demonstrates that the kingdom of God, when properly understood, is clearly unfolding through the scope of redemptive history. . . . The King in His Beauty reflects years of faithful study and teaching, but it is not primarily an academic book. And for that I am profoundly thankful. Pastors, teachers, and all Christians will benefit from this book, and it is my prayer that it will be used of God to strengthen and equip his church for many years to come."
Christopher R. Bruno,
Themelios
"The overall approach is characterized by a generous academic spirit, with a broad-based bibliography. MDiv students and upper-level college students would be well-served by this book."
Old Testament Abstracts
"Writing a biblical theology requires a confident method and incisive decisions about what to omit. Schreiner presents a clear overarching plot and a crisp central theme. . . . Schreiner has given us an impressive Biblical Theology, marked by a focused, wide-ranging, and careful attention to the biblical text."
Philip Jenson,
Journal of Theological Studies
"Tom Schreiner has given the church a magnificent resource in his recent whole Bible theology. . . . Schreiner's exegetical points and intertextual insights can be understood by the layperson and the trained biblical scholar or theologian alike. . . . The King in His Beauty is a magnificent compendium of the riches of evangelical biblical theology. Schreiner as always is a careful, meticulous, and engaging writer, and his walk through the biblical storyline is one that will be useful to both lay readers and scholars alike. I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to understand how the Bible is unified in its story about YHWH dwelling in the land with his people."
Matthew Y. Emerson,
Southeastern Theological Review
"One of the main strengths of this book is the masterful retelling of the larger story of the Bible. Because Schreiner is a full-time pastor and a full-time professor . . . he undoubtedly has ample experience from which to draw. One can notice the careful thought and meditation that goes into his comments. . . . This book fills an important lacuna. . . . Many churches fail to prepare their congregations enough to notice the larger story of the Bible, its pointing to Christ, and, then, applications. Although this may seem problematic for the local church only, I have met numerous students in Bible colleges and seminaries who lacked an understanding of these basic concepts of Scripture. This book serves as an important tool for filling the void. . . . Schreiner's book is a useful introductory text for Bible college and seminary courses to help students understand the larger story of the Bible. Pastors could use this book with members of their congregation for the same purpose."
Ben Montoya,
Journal of Greco-Roman Christianity and Judaism
"[Schreiner] offers a careful reading of the whole Bible that is distinctive in its thesis and illuminating in its reading of texts. . . . Schreiner achieves his goal in this book, as he offers a lucid and thorough examination of a central theme in Scripture. . . . Scholars working in biblical theology . . . would be wise to pay attention to Schreiner's findings and methodology. The volume would serve as an excellent textbook for a capstone course for students whose coursework has stressed the particularly nuances of each book, helping them to read Scripture as a cohesive whole."
Brian C. Dennert,
Trinity Journal
"It is uncommon to pick up and read a scholarly book that both delights and instructs. Thomas Schreiner's The King in His Beauty is just such a text. . . . The book closes with a brief epilogue, which alone is worth the price of the volume; in a very brief space, Schreiner traces salvation history and the kingdom of God through the entire corpus of Scripture, summarizing the scholarship presented in the previous six hundred pages. It is a fitting capstone to a well-written book. This book is a rewarding read. It is both scholastically sound and spiritually beneficial. It will enrich the reader's understanding of the whole of the Bible and increase the reader's appreciation of the King of Kings. . . . [It] should have a place on the shelf of any pastor or scholar."
Andrew J. Spencer,
Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
"Schreiner has accomplished a grand feat with the publication of his pan-biblical theology, The King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments--Schreiner has struck a balance in writing a whole-Bible theology that is at once accessible to the church and yet penetrating enough to satisfy readers conversant with the issues and task of biblical theology. In writing this lucid, concise, and easily approachable work, Schreiner has sketched in broad strokes and in vivid hues, YHWH--The King in His Beauty. . . . Schreiner's work is a top-shelf page-turner and welcome addition to the discussion of biblical theology. . . . A refreshing, synthetic work that is at once easily approachable, concise, and goes far in elucidating YHWH's redemption metanarrative from Genesis to Revelation."
Gregory E. Lamb,
Southwestern Journal of Theology
"In this comprehensive overview of biblical theology, Thomas Schreiner argues that 'kingdom of God' is the central theme of the Bible. . . . Schreiner keeps the narrative moving briskly and writes at a nontechnical level that is accessible to the average pastor, student, or interested Christian. Those looking for a high-altitude overview of the Bible's narrative will find valuable insight into the story of the King and His kingdom."
Elliot Ritzema,
Bible Study Magazine
"The goal of God's kingdom is to see the king in his beauty: the goal here is to explore how that beauty is represented in biblical passages from the Garden of Eden to the final book. From how the Temple plays a central role in Chronicles to Jerusalem's salvation in Isaiah, the books of the Bible are each considered in this fine, scholarly survey recommended for any college-level theological studies collection."
Midwest Book Review
"Few scholars have helped me grasp the meaning Scripture as well as Thomas Schreiner. . . . With the publication of The King in His Beauty . . . I can now add that Tom Schreiner's writing has enhanced my understanding of the whole Bible. . . . [Schreiner] exhibits exceptional clarity, brevity, and fidelity. . . . Schreiner . . . seeks to be accessible to a wide audience and therefore purposefully avoids technical discussions and scholarly debates in this volume. . . . He has an uncanny ability to write with precision. . . . Schreiner's approach to the study of God's Word serves as a model for all who desire to divide rightly the word of truth. . . . It is remarkable to see a New Testament scholar handle the Old Testament with such masterful skill. . . . The same competence and faithfulness that mark his Pauline and New Testament theologies also leave an unmistakable imprint on his biblical theology. . . . When it comes to a book claiming to be a biblical theology, what could be more of a commendation than saying that it helped me understand the theology of the Bible better?"
Lucas Bradburn,
Credo
"Schreiner succeeds in showing the essential unity of the Old Testament and New Testament, the consistent purpose of God in establishing His Kingdom, and the centrality of the work of Christ in this process. If you have had trouble seeing how the Bible fits together, you will find Schreiner's book a helpful guide."
Greg Goswell,
New Life
"Some say that genius is making the complex seem simple. If this is so, then calling . . . Schreiner a genius may not be an overstatement. Whether in writing, the classroom or the pulpit, Schreiner displays an uncanny ability to explain a subject with accuracy, accessibility, and honesty--no matter the level of difficulty or complexity--providing satisfying resolutions and conclusions. . . . Schreiner has staked a reputation on being simply profound yet profoundly simple. Schreiner's latest book, The King in His Beauty, maintains that reputation. . . . This text is not primarily written for scholars but for pastors, laypeople, and college and seminary students. Written in Schreiner's usual lucid, straightforward, and pastoral voice, The King in His Beauty requires of readers little else than a broad knowledge of the English Bible. A thing of beauty in itself, The King in His Beauty accentuates the glory of the triune God and the grandeur of his plan to consummate all things in Christ. . . . Reading this book is sure to make one more excited about reading the Bible."
Josh Hayes,
Towers