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In the Church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, vivid frescoes depict the unified story of salvation, centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. In a side chapel in that same building, the body of René Descartes lies. It’s an odd juxtaposition between the premodern vision of the integrity of the Bible’s storyline and a memorial to the man who is, arguably, the father of modernity.
Stephen Presley begins his book Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church: Recovering an Ancient Vision by reflecting on his experience visiting Saint-Germain-des-Prés because it illustrates the tension many modern Christians experience. As Presley—an associate professor of church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary—has experienced, those engaged in academic study of Christianity are often pulled in two directions between the ancient, integrated vision of biblical theology lived within the church and the fragmented, often detached approaches prevalent in the academy.
This tension helps explain why, according to Presley, contemporary biblical theology is at an impasse, struggling with methodological diversity and a disconnect from the church’s life. That’s why he argues we need to recover the early church’s approach to biblical theology as we navigate a world that increasingly resembles the pagan context of the first centuries. He shows that biblical theology was deeply woven into the fabric of the early church’s worship, doctrine, ethics, and mission. This approach offers “a truly Christian way of reading Scripture” (x).
Ruled by a Grand Vision
Contrary to some critics, the early church fathers’ biblical interpretation was neither unsophisticated nor purely allegorical. Instead, they practiced a robust form of biblical theology. They approached the entirety of Scripture through a Christ-centered lens, were guided by the church’s core teachings, and saw the Bible as a unified divine revelation.
Contemporary biblical theology is at an impasse, struggling with methodological diversity and a disconnect from the church’s life.
The church’s earliest theologians didn’t read Scripture piecemeal but with a grand vision of the Bible’s story. This vision functioned as a “rule of faith”—a flexible summary of the apostolic gospel message encompassing creation, Jesus Christ’s person and work (incarnation, death, resurrection), the Holy Spirit’s role, the church’s identity, and the hope of God’s coming kingdom.
This rule of faith wasn’t merely a list of doctrines or a reading strategy for biblical interpretation. It served as the shape and substance of what Charles Taylor would call the early church’s “social imaginary”—a shared understanding of reality, derived from Scripture. That social imaginary shaped how early Christians perceived God, the world, and their place within the grand narrative of salvation.
“The basis for biblical theology,” Presley insists, “[is] a Christian culture crafted through the Scripture” (7). Yet he’s not calling for domination of civil society. He argues, “Sound biblical interpretation is not about mastering methods but about careful catechesis in the patterns of faith and practice within a Christian community” (7).
In early Christianity, the church’s theological framework was constantly reinforced through liturgical practices and communal worship. Thus, the early church’s ecclesial context provided an important orientation for interpreting Scripture correctly. Contemporary believers can look to these ancient examples as we recover a more distinctly biblical theology.
Reading Scripture as If God Existed
Yet the essence of the early church’s cultural formation wasn’t purely practical. Their biblical interpretation began with fundamental theological and metaphysical commitments, primarily the reality of the triune God as Creator and Redeemer. Unlike modern approaches that often attempt (and fail) to achieve neutrality or bracket theological assumptions, the church fathers understood that our conception of God fundamentally shapes how we read Scripture. Good metaphysics lays a foundation for good hermeneutics.
Thus, the church fathers engaged Scripture assuming God’s existence, his active role in history, and his self-revelation within the text. As Presley notes, “Setting our sights on God is the first step in understanding early Christian biblical theology” (17). They sought not just information but an encounter with God through his Word, expecting it to nourish faith and shape the soul.
Furthermore, early Christian biblical interpretation was Christ-centered. The church fathers read the entire Scripture, especially the Old Testament, as pointing to Christ. They employed various reading strategies to discern his presence and work throughout the narrative. This christological interpretation wasn’t a purely intellectual exercise; it was intrinsically linked to pursuing virtue and conformity to Christ. The interpreter’s spiritual state mattered, and Scripture (including oft-neglected wisdom writings) served as a guide for living the “good life” in response to God’s revelation.
As Presley explains, the earliest Christian theologians saw “no divorce between the ontology of the human person and the activity of exegesis” (123). For them, biblical theology wasn’t “simply a method but a way of life” (126). Right belief (orthodoxy) and right living (orthopraxy) were inseparable, both flowing directly from a deep engagement with Scripture.
Biblical Theology in the Church
Biblical theology and Scripture interpretation aren’t pursuits for a lonely scholar in an ivory tower. As Presley notes, “The culture of the church is the fitting and proper home for biblical theology” (149). Reading Scripture should be a communal act performed within the context of worship and catechesis—not only in gathered worship but always with the church in mind. Its communal nature reflects biblical theology’s purpose, which is the edification and spiritual formation of the faithful.
Fundamentally, biblical theology is about understanding and living the story of salvation together. Biblical readers are participants in the ongoing drama described in Scripture. The preaching of Scripture and the church’s liturgy connect the biblical text to the congregation’s lives and guide them toward the ultimate goal: beholding God.
Fundamentally, biblical theology is about understanding and living the story of salvation together.
Recovering the ecclesial dimension—where Scripture, theology, liturgy, and life are interwoven—is crucial for revitalizing biblical theology today. It’s essential for equipping the church to live faithfully in a secularizing age that increasingly resembles the religious context of the early church.
Presley’s work effectively retrieves early Christianity’s rich heritage and showcases the theological sophistication and spiritual vitality of the patristic approach. Biblical Theology in the Life of the Early Church offers an excellent resource for pastors and church leaders working to help their churches connect the gospel to all of life.
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Originally sourced via trusted media partner. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/biblical-theology-early-church/
