Overview
Internationally respected scholar Richard Bauckham offers a brief, engaging study of divine revelation in Scripture. He probes the deep meaning of well-known moments in the biblical story in order to address the key question the Bible is designed to answer: Who is God?
Accessible for laypeople and important to scholars, this volume begins by exploring three key events in the Bible in which God is revealed: Jacob's dream at Bethel (the revelation of the divine presence), Moses at the burning bush (the revelation of the divine Name), and Moses on Mount Sinai (the revelation of the divine character). In each case, Bauckham traces these themes through the rest of Scripture. He then shows how the New Testament builds on the Old by exploring three revelatory events in Mark's Gospel, events that reveal the Trinity: Jesus's baptism, transfiguration, and crucifixion.
This book is based on the Frumentius Lectures for 2015 at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa and on the Hayward Lectures for 2018 at Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia.
Accessible for laypeople and important to scholars, this volume begins by exploring three key events in the Bible in which God is revealed: Jacob's dream at Bethel (the revelation of the divine presence), Moses at the burning bush (the revelation of the divine Name), and Moses on Mount Sinai (the revelation of the divine character). In each case, Bauckham traces these themes through the rest of Scripture. He then shows how the New Testament builds on the Old by exploring three revelatory events in Mark's Gospel, events that reveal the Trinity: Jesus's baptism, transfiguration, and crucifixion.
This book is based on the Frumentius Lectures for 2015 at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa and on the Hayward Lectures for 2018 at Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia.
Media
Who Is God? reviewed in RBL
“Elegantly written with breadth, depth, concision, and simplicity. . . . Students and scholars will find much useful fodder for reflection.”
Table of Contents
Contents
Introduction
1. The Revelation of the Divine Presence
2. The Revelation of the Divine Name
3. The Revelation of the Divine Character
4. The Revelation of the Trinity
Indexes
Introduction
1. The Revelation of the Divine Presence
2. The Revelation of the Divine Name
3. The Revelation of the Divine Character
4. The Revelation of the Trinity
Indexes
Endorsements
"Richard Bauckham here distills his massive biblical scholarship into an exciting and easily accessible study of nothing less than the character of God. This is a short, powerful book on a huge, vital topic."
N. T. Wright, research professor of New Testament and early Christianity, University of St. Andrews; senior research fellow, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford
"Richard Bauckham writes as a scholar of deep and learned mind; he writes as someone who can talk about God in a way that is as easy to understand as it could possibly be. And he talks about the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament in a way that shows how this is one God, concretely and consistently portrayed in both testaments."
John Goldingay, professor of Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary
"In this brilliant and readable little tome, Richard Bauckham asks and answers the perennial question: Who is God? In doing so, he models how to do deeply revelatory biblical theology. This is a book to savor: its clear prose and profound biblical scope leads the reader to encounter the God of the Bible afresh."
Mariam Kovalishyn, assistant professor of New Testament studies, Regent College
"This is a fantastic little book for anyone who wants to know God. With his customary lucidity and accessibility, careful treatment of evidence, and presentation of convincing arguments, Bauckham shows us that knowing God depends on God's self-revelation and his initiative to be with humanity as the God of immediacy, intimacy, and active presence. By interpreting the stories of Jacob's dream and Moses's burning bush experience and discussing three key moments of divine revelation in Jesus's baptism, transfiguration, and crucifixion, Bauckham beautifully explains how God seeks to be 'God-with-us' through Jesus and his Spirit. Bauckham illustrates these stories with ancient art from Ethiopia, where Christianity has existed for almost 1,700 years. In so doing, Bauckham emphasizes the universality of God's revelation and his dynamic and personal presence through Jesus Christ. This book--whose significance goes well beyond its size--will be appreciated by anyone who wants to know God better."
Desta Heliso, lecturer in New Testament and Jewish literature of the Second Temple Period, Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology
"There are only a handful of scholars I turn to, to learn something new and important about the Bible and its God that I had not considered before. Richard Bauckham is one of them. Who Is God? is a book about God's self-revelation, and it is in itself a revelation! God is self-determining, and he has determined to reveal himself in his own way, at his own time, to his own chosen audiences. He has even revealed his personal name, after a fashion. And amazingly, that specific, named God, the only God of all creation, desires and has determined to be with us, now and forever, particularly in the person of Jesus Christ. This book should be on the shelf of every pastor, layperson, and interested party who desires to know better who God is. It is Bauckham at his most lucid and soul nourishing--an instant classic."
Ben Witherington III, Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary; emeritus professor, St. Andrews University
Shortened version of Witherington:
"There are only a handful of scholars I turn to, to learn something new and important about the Bible and its God that I had not considered before. Richard Bauckham is one of them. Who Is God? is a book about God's self-revelation, and it is in itself a revelation! This book should be on the shelf of every pastor, layperson, and interested party who desires to know better who God is. It is Bauckham at his most lucid and soul nourishing--an instant classic."
Ben Witherington III, Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary; emeritus professor, St. Andrews University
Author
Richard Bauckham
Richard Bauckham (PhD, University of Cambridge) is emeritus professor of New Testament at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, and senior scholar at Ridley Hall, Cambridge. He is a fellow of the British Academy and the author of numerous books, including Who Is God?, Gospel of Glory, The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple, The Christian World around the New Testament, The Jewish World around the New Testament, and Jesus and the Eyewitnesses.