Robert Rendall's book History, Prophecy and God now online

The following book is now available online in PDF:

Robert Rendall, History, Prophecy and God. London: The Paternoster Press, 1954. Hbk.

My thanks to Paternoster Publishing for their kind permission to reproduce this title.

The blurb from the dustjacket reads:

Today's history was yesterday's prophecy; to­morrow, today's prophecy will have become history. Therefore history and prophecy are but different aspects of the same process, and must share a com­mon origin and end. This book seeks to shew that Biblical history and prophecy point to a Divine movement within and behind the flow of human affairs, and have their common origin in the purpose of God as it culminates in Christ.

As this book emphasizes, the authenticity of Biblical history is of vital importance. While myths may be used to illustrate and teach moral truths, they cannot document circumstances of fact. And the Event of Christ in history is an event linked with clearly-stated antecedent circumstances of fact. Consequently, Biblical history and prophecy must be viewed as a coherent whole, or we do but grasp isolated links instead of a chain.

Moreover, the unity of history and prophecy in God presents us with a moral dilemma and a personal challenge. If history be grounded in the decisions of the Divine will: if the structure of events be not fortuitous but deliberate: and if all moves to a culminating purpose—then it behoves all of us, who are the raw material out of which history and prophecy are made, to discover that Divine purpose for each of our lives, and to fulfil it.

Bernard Ramm on the Evidence of Prophecy and Miracle

The following article is now on-line as both iPaper and PDF:

Bernard Ramm, "The Evidence of Prophecy and Miracle," Carl F.H. Henry, ed., Revelation and the Bible. Contemporary Evangelical Thought. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1958 / London: The Tyndale Press, 1959. pp.253-263.

"Revelation and the Bible" to be placed online

Carl F.H. Henry, editor, Revelation and the Bible: Contemporary Evangelical Thought. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1958 / London: The Tyndale Press, 1959.

With the help of members of the Theology on the Web Facebook Group I have been able to contact the literary executor of the late Dr Carl F.H. Henry and I am delighted to be able to report that I have been granted permission to place the entire contents of this book on-line.

As you will see from the Table of Contents (below) all the articles look really interesting. I have added them to my long "to do" list, but would like to place one of them online straight away. I am therefore going to ask my readers to vote on which one they would most like to read by leaving a comment below. The closing date for suggestions is 12th April.

Table of Contents

Preface by Carl F.H. Henry, pp.7-10

Chapters:

1 G.C. Berkouwer - General and Special Divine Revelation, pp.11-24

2 Gordon H. Clark - Special Divine Revelation as Rational, pp.25-41
3 Paul K. Jewett - Special Revelation as Historical and Personal, pp.43-57
4 William J. Martin - Special Revelation as Objective, pp.59-72

5 N.B. Stonehouse - Special Revelation as Scriptural, pp.73-86
6 James I. Packer - Contemporary Views of Revelation, pp.87-104
7 Alan M. Stibbs - The Witness of Scripture to its Inspiration, pp.105-118
8 Pierre Ch. Marcel - Our Lord's Use of Scripture, pp.119-134
9 Roger Nicole - New Testament Use of the Old Testament, pp.135-151
10 Edward J. Young - The Canon of the Old Testament, pp.153-168
11 G. Douglas Young - The Apocrypha, pp.169-185
12 Herman Ridderbos - The Canon of the New Testament, pp.187-201
13 Geoffrey W. Bromiley - The Church Doctrine of Inspiration, pp.203-217
14 R.A. Finlayson - Contemporary Ideas of Inspiration, pp.219-234
15 Everett F. Harrison - The Phenomena of Scripture, pp.235-250
16 Bernard Ramm - The Evidence of Prophecy and Miracle, 251-263
17 J. Theodore Mueller - The Holy Spirit and the Scriptures, pp.265-281
18 Ernest F. Kevan - The Principles of Interpretation, pp.283-298
19 Donald J. Wiseman - Archaeological Confirmation of the Old Testament, pp.299-316
20 F.F. Bruce - Archaeological Confirmation of the New Testament, pp.317-331
21 N.H. Ridderbos - Reversals of Old Testament Criticism, pp.333-350
22 Merrill C. Tenney - Reversals of New Testament Criticism, pp.351-367
23 J. Norval Geldenhuys - Authority and the Bible, pp.369-386
24 Frank E. Gaebelein - The Unity of the Bible, pp.87-401

Ronald E. Clements on Prophecy and Fulfillment

The following article is now on-line in PDF:

Ronald E. Clements, "Prophecy and Fulfillment," Epworth Review 10.3 (Sept. 1983): 72-82.

While I disagree that fulfilled prophecy no longer has any value in apologetics I found this an interesting study.

F.F. Bruce on the Sure Mercies of David

The following lecture is now online in PDF:

F.F. Bruce, The Sure Mercies of David. The Annual Lecture of the Evangelical Library, 1954. London: The Evangelical Library, 1954. pp.23.

This lecture examines how the prophecies given about King David and his posterity were fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ. My thanks to the Trustees of London's Evangelical Library for their kind permission to republish this material on-line.

Richard Bauckham on the Role of the Spirit in the Apocalypse

The following article is now available in PDF:

Richard J. Bauckham, "The Role of the Spirit in the Apocalypse," Evangelical Quarterly 52.2 (Apr.-June. 1980): 66-83.

Since the Apocalypse is the one book in the New Testament which expressly claims to be a prophecy, a study of the leading part which it gives to the Spirit is bound to be of special interest and importance. Some years ago Dr. Bauckham read a paper on this subject to the New Testament Study Group of the Tyndale Fellowship for Biblical Research. This article is a revised version of that paper.

[Adapted from the EQ editor's foreword]

Tyndale Bulletin to be put on-line this year

In November 2005 Mark Goodacre noted in his blog that he never consulted Tyndale Bulletin "because of its weak on-line presence". I have heard that this is about to change and that later this year the complete run of Tyndale Bulletin will be available on-line to subscribers (with new editions appearing after one year). When it appears I will of course be linking to this articles from my sites, but in the mean-time I have been given permission to host 10 articles from the journal. The first four are now available, 3 on www.biblicalstudies.org.uk and one on www.earlychurch.org.uk (see my other blog for details).

Edwin M. Yamauchi, "Magic in the biblical world," Tyndale Bulletin 34 (1983): 169-200.

John F. Maile, "The Ascension in Luke-Acts," Tyndale Bulletin 37 (1986): 29-59.

Thomas Renz, "Proclaiming the future: history and theology in prophecies against Tyre," Tyndale Bulletin 51.1 (2000): 17-58.

The remaining articles will appear as I receive permission from the authors.

David F. Payne on The Servant of the Lord: Language and Interpretation

The following article is now available in PDF:

D.F. Payne, "The Servant of the Lord: Language and Interpretation," Evangelical Quarterly 43.3 (July-Sept. 1971): 131-143.

David Payne looks at the translational issues in Isaiah's Fourth Servant Song.

Robert Gurney's response to Ernest Lucas

Ernest C. Lucas criticized Robert Gurney's interpretation of Daniel 11:40-45 in his commentary on Daniel (Apollos Old Testament Commentary 20, Inter-Varsity Press, Illinois), in 2002. Dr Gurney has responded to this criticism in his new edition of God in Control. His interpretation of Daniel 11:40-45, together with his response to the criticism, can be found in the latter part of Chapter 7, from page 8 onwards.