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

by Brandon D. Crowe

Publisher:

Baker Academic

, 2020

Overview

The Hope of Israel highlights the sustained focus in Acts on the resurrection of Christ, bringing clarity to the theology of Acts and its purpose. Brandon Crowe explores the historical, theological, and canonical implications of Jesus’s resurrection in early Christianity and helps readers more clearly understand the purpose of Acts in the context of the New Testament canon. He also shows how the resurrection is the fulfillment of the Old Testament Scriptures.

The first half of the book demonstrates the centrality of the resurrection in Acts. The second half teases out its implications in more detail, including how the resurrection is the turning point of redemptive history, how it relates to early Christian readings of the Old Testament, and how the resurrection emphasis of Acts coheres in the New Testament canon. This first major book-length study on the theological significance of Jesus's resurrection in Acts will appeal to professors, students, and scholars of the New Testament.

Key Features

• Examines how the resurrection relates to early Christian readings of the Old Testament
• Explores the importance of the resurrection in redemptive history
• Demonstrates the centrality of the resurrection in Acts

Contents

Part 1: The Resurrection in Acts

• The State of the Question: The Resurrection in Acts
• “Both Lord and Christ”: Peter and the Resurrection
• “The Hope of Israel”: Paul and the Resurrection
• “I Will Rebuild the Tent of David”: Other Resurrection Voices in Acts

Part 2: The Theological Significance of the Resurrection in Acts

• The Resurrection and the Accomplishment of Salvation (Historia Salutis)
• The Resurrection and the Experience of Salvation (Ordo Salutis)
• The Resurrection as Apologia Pro Scriptura
• The Resurrection and Acts in Early Christianity

Top Highlights

“Three aspects of the theology of Acts, in particular, reveal the centrality of the resurrection: the divine necessity of the resurrection, the kingdom framework of Acts, and the role of the apostles as resurrection spokesmen.” (Page 15)

“Nevertheless, in what follows I will argue that a robust appreciation of the resurrection of Christ in Acts—which is a prominent Lukan emphasis—provides a hermeneutical guide to help us untangle a number of knotty issues in Acts.” (Pages 4–5)

“Simply stated, this book is an investigation of the centrality of the resurrection of Christ in Acts and its theological implications. This book is not an investigation of the historicity of the resurrection in Acts.” (Pages 6–7)

“Yet I will argue in chapter 5 that the resurrection seems to function for Luke as a primus inter pares (first among equals) when he is speaking of aspects of Christ’s exaltation.” (Page 6)

“As Lord, Jesus is the exalted, heavenly king who has conquered death. As Christ, Jesus has been resurrected from the dead and reigns over the promised kingdom of David, which will have no end. These two key terms for Peter—Lord and Christ—build on the foundational assumption of the resurrection. ‘This Jesus,’ as the one who fulfills Psalms 16 and 110 (among others), is a king superior to all others.” (Page 28)

Praise for the Print Edition

In The Hope of Israel, a most stimulating read, Brandon Crowe puts his finger on one of the most salient themes in Acts, if not the entire New Testament. The book of Acts richly demonstrates how a great deal of the history of redemption hangs on Christ’s resurrection and subsequent enthronement as cosmic Lord. This volume picks up where his previous, The Last Adam, leaves off. This crisply written project is theologically informed, exegetically sensitive, and canonically aware. No doubt Crowe’s work will serve students, pastors, and scholars for years to come. Excellent work!

—Benjamin Gladd, Reformed Theological Seminary

The Hope of Israel breaks significant new ground with the comprehensive treatment it provides of the central place of Christ’s resurrection in Acts. Especially valuable, marked by numerous important insights, is Crowe’s substantial discussion of the theological significance of the resurrection. All told, this book, carefully researched and clearly written, is an impressive achievement. I commend it most highly.

—Richard B. Gaffin Jr., professor emeritus of biblical and systematic theology, Westminster Theological Seminary

Brandon Crowe offers an approach to the resurrection of Christ in Acts that provides a hermeneutic guide for untangling a number of knotty issues in the book. First, he shows how the resurrection is ‘a major artery connecting various events and passages in Acts.’ Second, he explores the implications of Luke’s narrative presentation of this theme for biblical and systematic theology. Crowe’s book makes a distinctive contribution in this second area with its integrative conclusions based on the careful exegesis in his earlier chapters. This is a remarkably helpful resource for reflection on the theology of Acts and its connection with the rest of Scripture.

—Sean Adams, senior lecturer in New Testament and ancient culture, University of Glasgow

Product Details

• Title: The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles
• Author: Brandon D. Crowe
• Publisher: Baker
• Publication Date: 2020
• Pages: 256
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Acts

About Brandon D. Crowe

Brandon D. Crowe (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is associate professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary in Glenside, Pennsylvania, where he also serves as New Testament department coordinator and coordinator of the Greek language curriculum. He is the author or editor of several books, including The Obedient Son: Deuteronomy and Christology in the Gospel of Matthew and The Essential Trinity: New Testament Foundations and Practical Relevance, and is the book review editor for Westminster Theological Journal.

Sample Pages from The Hope of Israel: The Resurrection of Christ in the Acts of the Apostles