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554 - John Calvin's Exegesis of the Old Testament |
John Calvin's Exegesis of the Old Testament
By David L. Puckett
Westminster John Knox, 1995. 179 pp. $17.00.
Puckett presents his topic in six brief chapters. The first provides context, the second deals with presuppositions of Calvin's exegesis, the third and fourth examine its " 'Jewish' appearance" and " 'Christian' character," the fifth discusses "Calvin's via media, " and the sixth concludes with a summary and assessment. Based on extensive reading of Calvin's commentaries, Puckett's work
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556 - John Calvin's Exegesis of the Old Testament |
brings out the distinctive combination of factors in Calvin's exegesis, especially his commitment to a Christian understanding of the Old Testament that takes very seriously its historical Jewish context. Unlike most Christian predecessors, Calvin was not content simply to read the Old Testament christologically but also wanted to explain what its first audiences heard, though he believed that those who did not perceive the Old Testament as leading to Christ did not see its full meaning.
None of this is a new discovery, but Puckett's discussion is a useful and readable presentation, and the comments on literary and historical context, typology, and prophecy may be particularly helpful to preachers. Puckett's work is more systematic than historical; Calvin appears rather uprooted from his context because there is no adequate delineation of his immediate Reformed predecessors, for example, Bucer and Oecolampadius. As a systematic summary of Calvin's exegetical approach to the Old Testament, Puckett's book deserves a reading by pastors and others who continue to struggle with how Christians read and preach this part of Scripture.
Elsie McKee
Princeton Theological Seminary
Princeton, NJ.