Author's preface
Author’s preface
The present volume is the outgrowth of ongoing reflection on the biblical theme of mission, particularly on how the role of Israel in the OT relates to the roles of the church and of individual believers in the New Testament. Although my use of biblical theology has repeatedly confirmed the importance of the progressive revelation and accomplishment of redemption, and thus of salvation-historical epochs (as Geerhardus Vos might say), the complexity of the biblical data on mission resisted my efforts to categorize it neatly in chronological categories as one might other themes like divine presence or atonement. This study is thus an effort to appreciate the various kinds of unity that exist in Scripture. The New Testament focus of much prior study of mission (note especially the volume by Köstenberger and O’Brien in this series) also prompted me to focus my attention on the Old Testament.
I am grateful to a number of people who have contributed to this study, especially to those whose writing and teaching have faithfully probed God’s Word with a view toward better understanding and practising the gospel. In that vein I remain thankful to my family, to Dr Jerry Bilkes of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids) and to a number of professors at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Deerfield), including Drs Richard Averbeck, D.
A. Carson, Willem VanGemeren, Lawson Younger Jr. and Kevin Vanhoozer (now at Wheaton College). I am also thankful for the many excellent commentaries (plus a few monographs) on Jonah, particularly those by Sasson, Stuart, Magonet, Trible, Wolff and Lux. The rest of my debt to those who have worked on Jonah before me will readily appear from the footnotes.
I also express my appreciation for the participation and feedback I enjoyed as a panelist (with S. V. Davidson, G. Eidevall and U. Kim, the designated respondent; chaired by Dr Mignon Jacobs) in the Society of Biblical Literature’s ‘Israelite Prophetic Literature’ 2008 programme unit; to my students in OT 501 and OT 506 at Reformed Theological Seminary-Jackson, with whom I explored the book of Jonah; to Robert Mossotti and Tony Piles for pointing me to articles that had escaped my notice; to Dr Sam Larsen of Reformed Theological Seminary (Atlanta) for sharing some of his research on Jonah and mission; to Dr Jerry Bilkes for sharing some unpublished material on conversion with me; to Dr Mark Boda of McMaster Divinity College (Hamilton) for sharing with me his study of mission in the psalter prior to its publication; to Reformed Theological Seminary (Jackson) for creating an environment that is conducive to research and writing in the context of academic teaching; to my colleagues there for their friendship and encouragement; and to Justin Richardson for completing the indices.
I appreciate the permission granted by the Journal of Hebrew Scriptures to adapt a section from my 2009 article ‘The Intertextual Jonah face à l’empire: The Post-colonial Significance of the Book’s Cotexts and Purported Neo-Assyrian Context’ and by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht to adapt a short section from my Creation, Tabernacle, and Sabbath: The Sabbath Frame of Exodus 31:12–17; 35:1–3 in Exegetical and Theological Perspective, FRLANT 227, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2009.
Finally, I am grateful to Drs D. A. Carson and Philip Duce, series and publishing editors respectively, for their acceptance of the volume in a series that I have long appreciated and for their encouragement and guidance along the way. Whatever infelicities remain (and for which I alone am responsible), they have been instrumental in its improvement. It is my prayer that this volume will help the church to understand better the glorious theme of mission and, in the power of the Spirit, to follow in the footsteps of her Lord. Soli Deo gloria!
Daniel C. Timmer