Dempster Review of Hamilton's God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment

Stephen Demster (himself a gifted biblical theologian; see Dominion and Dynasty: A Study in Old Testament Theology) reviews James Hamilton's God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology. Here's the opening:

When Don Quixote embarked on his quest for the impossible, it was a humorous and tragic adventure. He tilted at windmills which he thought were giants. He looked at peasant girls and saw noble ladies. And he thought an old dilapidated tavern was a castle. Obviously, Quixote was carrying "a few bricks short of a load."

Some might think that James Hamilton Jr. follows in the footsteps of the knight-errant from La Mancha. In his book God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment, Hamilton sets out in pursuit of the holy grail of biblical theology—the elusive centre, the main point of the Bible. This theologian-errant is not deterred by the countless attempts before him, nor by the admonitions of contemporary scholars to give up such a quixotic quest.

As a biblical theologian, Hamilton comes with good background knowledge, which is evident throughout his 600 plus page volume. It is also abundantly evident that he is not a few bricks short of a load. Over the last few years he has been distinguishing himself with publications in the area of biblical theological themes. This book is in fact a sort of culmination of his studies to date.

What makes Hamilton's attempt at writing such a biblical theology impressive is the vast amount of knowledge required. In an age of increasing specialization, the academy boasts not just Old and New Testament scholars, but Torah scholars, Wisdom Literature scholars, Chronicles scholars, Johannine scholars, and so on. Very few feel up to the task of treating the entire Bible as their specialty. In this day and age the task is downright daunting.

Read the whole thing here.