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The Hope of Israel  The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles 182x300 - The Hope of Israel: Book Review

The Hope of Israel_ The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles

During the last couple of centuries, the book of Acts has come under fire from many directions including the identification of the book’s purpose and its historical reliability, which, in turn, impacts discussions around the topic of Jesus’s resurrection. Brandon Crowe, in his book The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles, argues that “a robust appreciation of the resurrection of Christ in Acts…provides a hermeneutical guide to help untangle a number of knotty issues.”[1] Crowe’s main thematic initiative is that the resurrection is central to the meaning of Acts. Without a proper understanding of the centrality of the resurrection in Acts, interpreters may misunderstand its exegetical nuances and also miss its theological implications. His research first provides an exegetical foundation for his initiatives followed by an examination of concepts that synthesize the resurrection’s theological significance. Crowe not only proves the centrality of the resurrection in the book of Acts but also appropriately applies the implications of the resurrection to certain difficult issues in the book of Acts. The following analysis first summarizes the content of Crowe’s work and then provides an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses.

Summary and Main Themes

In chapter one, after identifying his primary argument and main thematic initiative as explained in the introduction above, Crowe identifies his approach as a biblical-theological-canonical methodology that focuses on the text rather than historical-critical methods (7-8). Crowe then provides a brief literature review prior to identifying three aspects of Acts’s theology that highlight the centrality of the resurrection: the accomplishment of salvation, the reality of God’s kingdom, and the importance of the apostles’ witness (15-18). In chapters two through four, the author provides an exegetical analysis of the resurrection that primarily revolves around three major resurrection speeches, which include: Peter’s speech during Pentecost (Acts 2), Paul’s speech at Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13:16-41), and Paul’s speech before Herod Agrippa II (Acts 26) (19). Regarding Peter’s speech, Crowe asserts that the resurrection lays the foundation for the outpouring of the Spirit by Christ, which marks the coming of a newly inaugurated eschatological reality through Christ as foreshadowed in the Old Testament (Joel 2:28-32; Ezek 36-37) (29). Regarding Paul’s speech at Pisidian Antioch, Paul’s rhetoric provides important insights by linking phrases such as “lifting up” with the idea of resurrection, by connecting the fulfillment of prophetic promises to the resurrection, and by fusing the concepts of forgiveness and justification with the resurrection (49-57). Furthermore, Gentile inclusion is also due to a new era of messianic sonship that highlights the covenantal impact of the resurrection (61-64). Regarding Paul’s speech before Herod Agrippa II, Crowe explains that the importance of the resurrection is found in Paul’s retelling of his conversion encounter with the resurrected Christ, Paul’s assertion that his belief in the resurrection is not rejecting his ancestral faith, and Paul’s argument that he is not crazy but logically engaging the Old Testament prophets (76-81). In sum, Paul is on trial because of the resurrection, but ironically, the resurrection is the hope of Israel (Acts 28:20) (81). Finally, surrounding the three speech pillars, the author spends considerable effort teasing out the centrality of the resurrection in several other speeches and passages in Acts. In part two of Crowe’s book, he addresses the theological significance of the resurrection in Acts by addressing the following: (1) the accomplishment of salvation, (2) the experience of salvation, (3) the defense of Scripture, and (4) the book’s canonical relevance. Regarding historia salutis, in chapter five, Crowe emphasizes the discontinuity that occurs via the accomplishment of salvation (105-126). To be clear, Crowe acknowledges that the continuity of the resurrection is seen in the Holy Spirit’s work prior to Jesus’s birth and that a unity exists between the various aspects of Jesus, which include resurrection, ascension, and exaltation (112-125). However, the emphasis of historia salutis on discontinuity spawned by the resurrection highlights a new eschatological age, which is seen in the relativization of the temple, the new equipping of the saints, and the shifts in perspectives regarding the Sabbath, food laws, circumcision, and worldwide missions (116-124). Regarding ordo salutis, in chapter six Crowe emphasizes the continuity represented by the experience of salvation (127-148). The sequential order of salvation takes a back seat to the experience of salvation as Crowe asserts that order salutis depends on historia salutis (128-131). The experience of forgiveness and justification (order salutis) occurs both before and after the accomplishment of salvation (historia salutis) through the death and resurrection of Christ (132-139). In other words, continuity exists in the experience of salvation across all ages. Finally, continuity also exists in the Spirit’s role, which is not fundamentally different across ages as seen in both the process of original creation and the new recreation (140-143). Regarding a defense or apologia pro scriptura, in chapter seven Crowe suggests that Luke’s primary initiative was to defend the Scriptures by appealing to the resurrection (149-150). Specifically, the author provides numerous examples where the resurrection fulfills the Old Testament prophecies and where the New Testament alludes to the resurrection in the Old Testament (150-167). The point is that the resurrection of Christ defends the truthfulness of the Old Testament Scriptures while simultaneously defending God’s faithfulness to keeping His covenant promises through the resurrection, which legitimizes Christianity (168-173). Finally, regarding the impact on early Christianity, in chapter eight Crowe argues that the book of Acts and, more specifically, the resurrection supports the overall coherence of the New Testament canon (175). Crowe then provides examples of how Acts unifies the New Testament and how the resurrection unites Acts to the other books of the New Testament (176-187). Since the doctrine and theological implications of the resurrection are central to Acts and since the book of Acts is the bridge and context for reading other New Testament books, the resurrection “provides part of the necessary framework for interpreting all the New Testament epistles” (188). In sum, both the exegetical foundation and the theological implications provided by Crowe feed the main thematic initiative that the resurrection is central to the meaning of Acts and provides a hermeneutical guide providing insights into several difficult exegetical issues.

Critical Evaluation

The following evaluation of Crowe’s book first identifies several strengths followed by a brief discussion regarding a few weaknesses. Regarding strengths, Crowe should be commended for taking on the topic of the resurrection from a text-based perspective utilizing a biblical-theological-canonical approach regarding a topic that has been underserved in the scholarly community. The overarching beauty of Crowe’s work is his ability to explain precisely how Luke places and highlights the resurrection within the book of Acts. Crowe, under the influence of Reformed scholars such as Richard Gaffin, seems to not only expertly engage biblical theology but also seamlessly weave systematic theology into his analysis. With an exegetical foundation laid, Crowe then engages the concepts of historia salutis and ordo salutis in light of the impact of the resurrection. The result of the endeavor is that Crowe appropriately holds the somewhat paradoxical tension between the continuous and discontinuous reality of salvation history without overemphasizing either perspective. Another strength of Crowe’s work shows up in the connection between the resurrection and the defense of Scripture in chapter seven. In Matthew Jensen’s critique, he asserts that Crowe’s exegetical evidence was insufficient to support the idea that “the reason the Scriptures were quoted in the context of the resurrection were to validate the Scriptures.”[2] Certainly, the Scriptures validate the resurrection. However, it seems difficult to believe that the significant intertextual connections do not cut both ways, and that the resurrection also validates the truthfulness of Scripture, which is what Crowe insightfully recognizes. Crowe also engages in a strong exegetical analysis within part one of the monograph. The exegesis is reasonable and the author, while often digging into the details of the original language and minutia of the text, does not seem to get bogged down and brings the reader back to the overarching initiatives. For example, Crowe references Peter’s quotation of Joel 2:28-32 as an example where the Spirit points to the latter days. Crowe then appropriately points back to the intertextual connections of the Old Testament while also pointing forward to the impact of the resurrection with the gathering of the Jews in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2:5) (22-23). In other words, Crowe finds a balance between the details and the overarching thematic initiatives. Regarding weaknesses, the most significant pertain to the author leaving the reader wanting more. At times, Crowe would make a strong case for an assertion, make the assertion, and then leave the reader with unanswered questions. To be fair, no book answers all questions,  and a book written for a popular rather than scholarly audience also has its limitations. However, for example, Crowe asserts that “Christ’s resurrection…overcomes the sin of Adam” and is “related to the granting of the Holy Spirit” (36). Both assertions are made, and neither is unreasonable, but the reader is left wondering how exactly the two relate. Additionally, regarding historia salutis, Crowe asserts that the resurrection is the “key to the righteousness and justification of his people” (111). Again, the contention is not unreasonable, but the reader is left wondering exactly how the author perceives the relationship between the resurrection and δικαιοσύνη, especially in light of how it may canonically inform Pauline soteriology. A minor weakness involves the blurring of lines of discontinuity and continuity between historia salutis and order salutis. For example, Crowe uses the accomplishment of salvation to support the discontinuity of salvation history, but then intermingles the continuity of the Spirit from creation (Gen 1:2) to recreation within the discussion on discontinuity (115-116), which could create confusion when the reason for inclusion is not evident and when the following chapter so appropriately handles the issue (140-143). Crowe not only proves the centrality of the resurrection in the book of Acts but also appropriately applies the implications of the resurrection to issues surrounding the experience and accomplishment of salvation, the reciprocal relationship between the resurrection and Scripture, and the canonical placement of the book of Acts. Regardless of the minor issues noted above, Crowe provides an accessible book for a variety of readers. Students will likely find the intertextual Old Testament connections and the canonical insights regarding the book of Acts particularly interesting. Scholars will find a work that continues to contribute to the ongoing conversation regarding the centrality of the resurrection in the book of Acts. Finally, all audiences will find the exegetical analysis and theological implications engaging. __________________________________

[1] Brandon D. Crowe, The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020), 5. Note that parenthetical numerals will be used to reference the book under investigation for the remainder of the critique.

[2] Matthew D Jensen, “The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles,” Bulletin for Biblical Research 31, no. 3 (2021): 438.  

 

Bibliography

  • Crowe, Brandon D. The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2020.
  • Jensen, Matthew D. “The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles.” Bulletin for Biblical Research 31, no. 3 (2021): 436–38.
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.”