Dr. Andreas Kostenberger may not have known it at the time, but he may have completed his magnum opus with The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (2009/2016). It should come as no surprise that I did not read this book purely out of pleasure and curiosity (as I do not normally sit down for a leisurely read through 1000 page books). This book, and all of those like it, are not intended to be read for leisure. Pleasure? Perhaps. But leisure? No. I was assigned this book in seminary and found that it was one of the most useful and well-written textbooks that I had ever possessed.
Dr. Kostenberger is a New Testament scholar, and this book reflects that. A refreshing change of pace from the majority of scriptural criticism that one is engaged with in most discussions of the New Testament, The Cradle is a scholarly introduction to the New Testament that will raise the reader's understanding of the Bible they love, and give confidence to that Christian wondering about the legitimacy of the New Testament traditions.
All three writers of this book affirm that all twenty-seven books in the NT were written by the persons to whom they are ascribed.
As an adherent to Sola Scriptura, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find literature that lifts up the scriptures to the position in which they belong. So many scholars hold the scriptures in such low esteem that they are seen as not only not the word of God, not authoritative, but also not even original.
We have so much to be thankful for in The Cradle, but one of the chief things that I am thankful for are the first three chapters (i.e. the first 200 pages) which are devoted to establishing a groundwork on which to discuss the content of the scriptures. That groundwork is based on the historical development of the scriptures, which in this book extends back 600+ years before Christ at least (venturing for a time into the development of the OT). Once the historical development of the scriptures is established, the process of canonization (or perhaps some would prefer "the criteria for canonicity") is thoroughly examined. Proceeding from there, the critiques of the books that are in the canon are laid to rest, and the arguments for non-canonical texts are dispelled as well. Finally, simple arguments about concepts that are often said to have been deleted or excluded from the canon (such as the new "feminist Jesus" movement) are addressed in a nuanced and informed way.
Breaking into the actual discussion of the books of the New Testament (NT), the reader is met with arguably one of the easiest styles that a textbook could be written in. There is a series of Key Facts that introduce each chapter, including the author, date, audience, destination, and purpose, along with other things. Importantly, the authorship and dating is in line with the historical Christian tradition.
It is easy to notice throughout these chapters that much of the information found in this text is cited to D.A. Carson and Douglas Moo's Introduction to the New Testament. Admittedly, this text is cited so often that it makes the reader sometimes wonder why they don't just go get that book. With that said, it would be shallow and foolhardy to believe that the book does not present new information, or does not stand on its own merits. It is simply worth stating that Carson and Moo's book would most-likely serve as a wonderful supplement.
The layout of chapters is helpfully divided into subsections, and the whole chapter is often divided in half between the introductory material that examines the text's development and the examination of the content itself. The dividing line between these two sections is an outline of each book that finds its way into the chapter. There is some difficulty in introducing this second half of each chapter, and sometimes the shift feels unnatural like you are reading a different book all of a sudden. The chapters often finish with theological applications, canonical contributions, and doctrinal developments gleaned from each book, which are incredibly valuable.
As a textbook, each chapter concludes with a series of study questions, which alone could have been a separate workbook - such as the case with Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. So, we must give a round of applause to Kostenberger and his co-authors for deferring from possible additional income to make the book complete as a stand-alone. The index is comprehensive, having not only an index of terms, but an index of authors as well as an index of scriptures (which is another invaluable tool for every preacher - likened to that found at the end of Knowing God by J.I. Packer). Every minister should consult these indices before every sermon, as they would with other commentaries, in order to understand the historical background and textual development of their text. In the modern age, this is becoming as important of a task as presenting doctrinal and theological truth. We are all apologists now, and Kostenberger's Cradle leaves us with no excuse.
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