A Narrative Theology of the New Testament

Focusing on the metanarrative of exile and restoration Timo Eskola claims that a post-liberal, narrative New Testament theology is both consistent and explanative. Combining a post-New Quest perspective on Jesus with an eschatological reading of Paul, the author states that Jesus' temple criticism aims at restoration eschatology. Jesus starts a priestly community that expects God's jubilee to begin with Jesus' work, and proceed with the preaching of the new gospel. The reception of this message in the post-Easter church results in resurrection Christology that proclaims Jesus' Davidic kingship on God's throne of glory. Both Paul and Jewish Christian teachers later present Christ's community as a new temple where believers serve the Lord as priests of the new covenant. Furthermore, restoration eschatology provides a new basis for understanding Paul's contrast with the words of the law, and his teaching of justification. "Eskola [] has written by far the most erudite and helpful of the narrative theologies to date for NT study." Craig L. Blomberg in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 59 (2016), S. 869-871 "Eskola has accomplished the aims of this study. He has skillfully demonstrated how the metanarrative of exile and restoration is at work in Jesus's message and in the early Christian proclamation of the gospel. He has also well demonstrated and discussed the Jewish background that undergirds such theological appropriation through extensive and deft interactions with the Old Testament and Second Temple writings." Abson Joseph in Review of Biblical Literature, https://www.bookreviews.org (8/2017)