Rescources on The Old Testament Church

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Herald

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I am looking for some in-print resources on the the Church as spanning both Old and New Testaments.

Thanks.
 
I don't know if this is the kind of thing you are looking for, but Owen's so-called "Biblical Theology" examines the church in all (Biblical) ages.
Here is how Owen titled and described his work:
"The Nature, Origin, Development, and Study of Theological Truth, in Six books; In which are examined the origins and progress of both true and false religious worship and the most notable declensions and revivals of the church, from the very beginning of the world. With additional discussions on Universal Grace, the Rise of the Sciences, Bellarmine's Roman 'Notes of the Church,' the Origin of Writing, the Antiquity of Hebrew Vowel-Pointing, Translations of Sacred Scripture, Jewish Rites, and Other Matters."

Biblical Theology (Puritan Writings): John Owen: 9781877611834: Amazon.com: Books
 
By the way, I should say that Owen's book is not short. It's over 800 pages; so count the cost ;). I put it down over a year ago when I was more than halfway through. I've not yet had the heart to take it up again.
 
Let me explain why I am asking for resources. I have been in the midst of study and discussion about the New Testament Church vis-à-vis the Old Testament "Church". I know the Hebrew word qahal is often represented by the Greek word ekklesia in the LXX. I agree that God has always had one called out people spanning from the time of Adam until the end of the age. My question revolves around referring to Old Testament believers as part of the Old Testament "Church". The Church is associated with the New Testament. I often have heard Reformed believers qualify themselves when referring to the Church in the Old Testament. The call it the Old Testament Church. Is there really a need for this qualification? What is the dynamic that exists between Old Testament believers and New Testament believers in relation to the Church?
 
I think when we use the term "Old Testament Church" we mean to say the Church under the old administration. It's the same Church; it just took a different form under the old dispensation. That's what I mean when I use the term, anyway.
 
Let me explain why I am asking for resources. I have been in the midst of study and discussion about the New Testament Church vis-à-vis the Old Testament "Church". I know the Hebrew word qahal is often represented by the Greek word ekklesia in the LXX. I agree that God has always had one called out people spanning from the time of Adam until the end of the age. My question revolves around referring to Old Testament believers as part of the Old Testament "Church". The Church is associated with the New Testament. I often have heard Reformed believers qualify themselves when referring to the Church in the Old Testament. The call it the Old Testament Church. Is there really a need for this qualification? What is the dynamic that exists between Old Testament believers and New Testament believers in relation to the Church?

She is one people and one nation spanning the Testaments. The NT Church is also the NT Israel, although the Apostle calls them "the Israel of God" in order to distinguish believing Jews and Gentiles from unbelieving Jews. This trans-national and trans-historical Israel is the Church come of age, whereas OT Israel was the Church in infancy.

See e.g. Galatians 6:16, and Galatians generally on the childhood and adulthood of Israel.

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Pascal Denault touches on this helpfully (albeit briefly) in ch. 3 of his "Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology." I'm thinking in particular of pp. 55-58 and 74-77. I don't recall him addressing it elsewhere in the book, though I may be mistaken in that. I found it clarifying. Along these same basic lines, though giving a somewhat fuller discussion, see Grudem's "Systematic Theology," pp. 853, 859-863 (Grudem's key statement is that "the church has now become the true Israel of God," p.863). M. Erickson's "Christian Theology" gives a page and a half (1052-53), focusing primarily on a future for ethnic Israel as they are brought to Christ and enter the church.

Dever's chapter in "A Theology for the Church" puts it like this: "Though some Christians use the phrase "a NT church," the shape of the visible church today bears a clear continuity -- though not identity -- with the visible people of God in the OT" (p. 768; he concludes, after discussing your question on pp. 768-770, that though Israel and the church are closely related, "they are not identical.")

Contra Denault's position (though, obviously, Denault is seeking to answer a different question) is J.L. Dagg in his "Manual of Church Order." On pp. 119-120 in the Gano edition, he addresses your question briefly, though he's discussing the universal church. He draws a distinction between the Christian ecclesia and the Hebrew Congregation of the Lord. On pp. 137-139, he discusses the beginning of the church, basically leaving the question unresolved but hinting that he sees it as being at Pentecost. Finally in ch. 4 he addresses your question directly (pp. 156-164, 175), giving his exposition of the distinction between Israel and the Christian church. His primary objection to the concept of an OT church is the national character of the covenant. (While he raises some good points, and generally I find Dagg to be very helpful, I disagree with his conclusions; he is, however, the most thorough of all the writers I have).

J.P. Boyce (disappointingly!) doesn't even address the question in his "Abstract of Systematic Theology"; the closest he comes is the assertion that the OT testimony to Christ serves primarily to show "the unity of the doctrines of both Testaments" (p. 271, Founders edition).

Those are the only baptist writers I have access to at the moment. I am confident that our fine Presbyterian brethren have some insightful discussions as well. Hope this helps.

Grace to you.
 
Here's a good little quote that I just reread from 2 Clement 14, early 2nd Century:

And I do not suppose ye are ignorant that the living Church is the body of Christ: for the scripture saith, God made man, male and female. The male is Christ and the female is the Church. And the Books and the Apostles plainly declare that the Church existeth not now for the first time, but hath been from the beginning: for she was spiritual, as our Jesus also was spiritual, but was manifested in the last days that He might save us.
 
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