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The Hope of Israel Book Reflections

In his book, The Hope of Israel, Brandon Crowe argues that the resurrection is central to the meaning of Acts and aids in addressing certain difficult theological issues. Several aspects of the book are both insightful and helpful. One particularly helpful element of the book that assists the reader in understanding the theology of Acts is Crowe’s use of the resurrection to engage the longstanding debate regarding the continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments. Crowe utilizes a nuanced view of the post-Reformation terms Historia Salutis and Ordo Salutis to make his point, but for the purpose of this response, the focus is on how Crowe utilizes the resurrection to hold continuity and discontinuity in tension.

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The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles

First, regarding discontinuity, the death and resurrection of Christ provide several epochal shifts in salvation history. Crowe identifies four important shifts: (1) the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, (2) the relativization of the Temple, (3) the modification of Jewish identity markers, and (4) the intensification of world missions.[1] Not only did the Holy Spirit come upon the believers in Acts 2:4, but Crowe points out that it was because of the resurrected Christ that the Spirit was granted.[2] The infusion of the Spirit from the resurrected and exalted Christ then “builds up God’s people into a living temple.”[3] In other words, since believers are now the temple inhabited by the Almighty God, the Jerusalem Temple is relativized. Also, in similar fashion, the inhabitation of the Spirit relativizes various Jewish identity markers, such as circumcision and dietary food laws, while simultaneously opening the possibility for the reclamation of all nations, which leads to the worldwide initiative of spreading the message of the gospel.[4] The discontinuity is unmistakable.

The resurrection also highlights the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. Crowe provides five examples of continuity, but each of them contribute to the concept of covenant fulfillment.[5] Through a faithful remnant, God fulfills His covenant promises to Abraham by blessing and reconciling all nations to Himself through the resurrected Messiah.[6] Accordingly, Donald Hagner may be correct in stating that Christianity is “fulfilled Judaism.”[7] The continuity is also unmistakable.

Crowe also explains that continuity across the ages occurs through the resurrected Christ in the form of proleptically generated forgiveness, justification, and life in the Spirit.[8] More specifically, Luke 3:3 states that John the Baptist proclaimed a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (ESV). However, Paul at Pisidian Antioch asserts that forgiveness of sins comes through Christ (Acts 13:18). Crowe resolves the apparent chronological contradiction by asserting that forgiveness of sins occurred before the resurrection, but that “forgiveness in any age is contingent upon the death and resurrection of Christ.”[9] In sum, although several elements of Crowe’s book are insightful and helpful, the author’s ability to relate the resurrection of Christ to the issue of continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments provides readers with a better understanding of the theology of the book of Acts.

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[1] Brandon D. Crowe, The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020), 114.

[2] Ibid., 21, 24–29.

[3] Ibid., 117.

[4] Ibid., 120–25.

[5] Ibid., 131–32.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Donald Hagner, “How ‘New’ Is the New Testament?: Continuity and Discontinuity Between the Old Testament (Formative Judaism) and the New Testament (Early Christianity),” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 19, no. 2 (2016): 104.

[8] Crowe, The Hope of Israel, 132–43.

[9] Ibid., 133, 136.

 

Bibliography

  • Crowe, Brandon D. The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020.
  • Hagner, Donald. “How ‘New’ Is the New Testament?: Continuity and Discontinuity Between the Old Testament (Formative Judaism) and the New Testament (Early Christianity).” Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 19, no. 2 (2016): 99–107.
Wilder - The Hope of Israel Book Review
Derek Wilder Executive Director
DEREK WILDER, PhD, is the Executive Director of Lives Transforming Group, Inc., a Christian counseling ministry focused on personal transformation, and the author of FREEDOM and Minds on Fire. Wilder has a Master of Theological Studies, an MDiv in Pastoral Counseling, and a PhD in Biblical Exposition. Wilder's scholarly focus lies in Pauline studies, with his doctoral dissertation specifically examining the ontological implications present in the eighth chapter of Paul's Epistle to the Romans. Wilder, an adjunct professor, founded Convergence Therapy, integrating cognitive therapy and grace-based theology into the accredited college course: “Thought Life & Spirit Growth.”