Redemptive History and the New Testament Scriptures

Books at a Glance

Publisher's Description

"Any scientific investigator of Scripture repeatedly confronts the issue of the character of the Bible's authority," writes Herman Ridderbos in the opening lines of this book. From there he goes on to examine the basis for the church's acceptance of the new Testament as canonical. More than a merely academic question, the canonicity of the New Testament remains a vital concern for the church today. It is a question of whether these twenty-seven books are in fact God's holy Word and therefore authoritative for our faith and life.

Dr. Ridderbos stresses that the foundation for the canon lies in the history of redemption itself, wherein Christ gave distinctive authority to His apostles. On that basis Ridderbos examines the authority of the New Testament as it is characterized in the content of the text itself—in terms of the redemptive-historical categories of Kerygma (Proclamation), Martturia (witness), and didache (doctrine).

Includes a Foreword by Richard B. Gaffin Jr.