G.K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd. Hidden But Now Revealed: A Biblical Theology of Mystery. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2014. 392 pp. $27.00.
The Bible is amazing. It is a well that never runs dry, but provides life. Today, in 2015, we have access to the Bible like never before…and yet we do anything but meditate on the Scriptures (Joshua 1:8; Deuteronomy 6; Psalm 1). Part of the reason we neglect our Bible is because it can be difficult to understand. It has been picked apart, scrutinized, and denied as foolishness. And yet, “..the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” 1 Corinthians 1:25. While the Bible can be difficult to understand we have no excuse. God has revealed his word to mankind. It is through the Bible that we come to know God and receive eternal life through his son, Jesus Christ.
The relationship between the Old and New Testaments is one of the major difficulties in understanding the Bible. G.K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd in Hidden But Now Revealed, present an extremely helpful resource for anyone seeking to understand the continuity and discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments. Specifically, Beale and Gladd zoom in on how the term mystery is used by New Testament authors to reveal their understanding of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments (18-19). They define mystery as “the revelation of God’s partially hidden wisdom, particularly as it concerns events occurring in the ‘latter days” (20).
The introduction is superb. The authors present the need for their work, a well defined thesis, helpful definitions, presuppositions, goals, and describe the audience they are writing for. Outside of the Introduction the most important chapter of the book is chapter 1 on Daniel’s use of mystery. While the term mystery is found in the New Testament 28 times, it is only found 9 times in the Old Testament and only in the book of Daniel. Thus, the authors emphasize the importance of how Daniel uses the term and how that informs the New Testament authors understanding of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments.
After the foundational chapter on Daniel, the authors have a brief chapter on the use of mystery in early Judaism. They explore how Daniel affected writings, commentaries, and other Jewish texts in their understanding of mystery from the close of the Old Testament canon until the coming of Christ. Next, in chapters 3-10 the authors work through the 28 New Testament findings of the word mystery in Matthew, Romans, 1 Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, and Revelation. These chapters represent the meat of the book and provide excellent insight and analysis of the texts. Each chapter builds off of the initial chapter on Daniel and includes how they are all connected together. After working through the New Testament the authors have a chapter dealing with mystery in the New Testament where the technical terms is not used, and a chapter exploring and contrasting how pagan religions also used secrecy and mystery as well. Finally, chapter 13 provides a concise conclusion.
Throughout the book the authors argue that “…the revealed mystery is in some form or another linked to Old Testament references and bound up with the person of Christ. The unveiled mystery according to the New Testament is is inextricably tethered to Christ and his work” (321). The authors sum up their argument by briefly tracing their argument from Daniel-Revelation before giving final thoughts about the hermeneutical technique of the New Testament authors (which they expand upon in their appendix), the importance of the mystery of the Cross, and how practically mystery should be applied to our lives by increasing our view of God and obedience to His Word.
Beale and Gladd have provided a wonderful resource for the church. It is scholarly, and technical, but not so dry that only scholars and pastors can benefit from it. The authors are very qualified to write such a work (a daunting task 7-8) and each chapter is very helpful on its own and together with the whole. I especially benefited from the chapters on Daniel and Ephesians. These chapters alone are worth the price of the book. While I disagree with some of the authors conclusions about Daniel, that chapter is key to understanding mystery in the New Testament. I recommend this work to anyone who desires to understand the Bible better, as a whole, and the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. The book would be especially beneficial to pastors, seminary students, and others who are wrestling with the tension found between the discontinuity and continuity of the Old and New Testaments. Get it, read it (fast, slow, or maybe both) and be driven to know God through the means He has given us, His Word.
*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review*
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