When reading through the Bible, it is impossible to ignore the troubling fact that Israel and its leadersand even Jesus' own disciplesseem unable to fully grasp the messianic identity and climactic mission of Jesus. If his true deity, his death and resurrection and his role in the establishment of God's eternal kingdom were predicted in the Old Testament and in his own teachings, how could the leading biblical scholars of their time miss it? This book explores the biblical conception of mystery as an initial, partially hidden revelation that is subsequently more fully revealed, shedding light not only on the richness of the concept itself, but also on the broader relationship between the Old and New Testaments. Exploring all the occurrences of the term mystery in the New Testament and the topics found in conjunction with them, this work unpacks how the New Testament writers understood the issue of continuity and discontinuity. This investigation of the notion of mystery sharpens our understanding of how the Old Testament relates to the New and explores topics such as kingdom, crucifixion, the relationship between Jews and Gentiles and more. As such, it is a model for attentive and faithful biblical theology intended for students, scholars, pastors and lay people who wish to seriously engage the Scriptures.
"An important examination of a crucial theme for understanding some of the New Testament's use of the Old Testament, carried out by two scholars who have thought long and hard on the issue."
Roy E. Ciampa, Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship
"In the realm of lay readers, I can hardly think of an area that is more misunderstood than the area of prophecy; in the realm of biblical scholars, I can hardly think of a topic more controverted than the relationship between the Old and the New. At the crosshairs of both discussions is Daniel's term 'mystery.' For the sake of both readerships, I'm grateful that we finally now have a book that reduces the mystery behind 'mystery.' Many others will be grateful as well, and will want a copy for their own library."
Nicholas Perrin, Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical Studies, Wheaton College Graduate S
