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Doug’s Biblical Studies
“Apply yourself wholly to the text; apply the text wholly to yourself”
This aphorism, from the great seventeenth-century theologian Johann Albrecht Bengel, expresses my passion. From the time of my conversion to biblical Christianity as a senior in college, I have devoted myself to understanding the text of the Bible. To equip myself for this calling, I studied at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, in Deerfield, Illinois (M.Div. 1975), and at the University of St. Andrews, in St. Andrews, Scotland (Ph.D. 1980). I then taught New Testament at Trinity for twenty-three years before moving (in 2000) to my present position at Wheaton College (Wheaton, Illinois), where I am Blanchard Professor of New Testament. At Wheaton, I have the privilege of working with bright and motivated graduate students, teaching in the Biblical Exegesis program and mentoring Ph.D. students.
In the early days of my academic career, I focused on the gospels (see my dissertation listed below) and the Epistle of James (see the two commentaries listed below). But most of my work for the last two decades has been on the letters and theology of the Apostle Paul. The Epistle to the Romans has been a special focus, as you can see from the three books on Romans listed below. Certain “friends” have wondered why one person would write three books on the same biblical book. But each has a different purpose and audience. The Eerdmans NICNT commentary is long (almost 1000 pages) and attempts to present and evaluate a lot of the academic work on Romans in a format usable for pastors and students. The Zondervan NIVAC commentary focuses on the application of the message of Romans and is intended for a general audience. And the Baker Encountering Romans is a textbook, suitable for students who need an overview of the book. I am working on a commentary on Colossians and Philemon (which will be published by Eerdmans in the Pillar Commentary series). Future projects include a commentary on Galatians (for Baker in their BECNT series), a Pauline theology (for Zondervan), and a commentary on Hebrews (in a new series for pastors published by Zondervan).
My passion to understand and teach the Bible has led to my involvement in another significant ministry, that of Bible translation. I have served since 1996 on the Committee on Bible Translation. The Committee, an independent group of 12-15 biblical scholars, produced the New International Version (NIV) in the 1970s and 1980s and has recently released a revision of this Bible, the Today’s New International Version (TNIV). The NIV has been the most popular Bible in English for some years, and I deeply hope that the TNIV, which revises and updates the NIV in significant ways, will take its place in years to come.
I have worked hard, then, to put into practice the first part of my motto: “Apply yourself wholly to the text.” But all the work on understanding the Bible means little if I don’t follow through on the second part as well: “Apply the text wholly to yourself.” I have not been nearly as successful in accomplishing this part of the motto. But I am grateful that God in Christ forgives my failures and that his Spirit is constantly working to overcome those failures.
For those who might be interested, I include here a bibliography of my written works.
Many of the articles can be accessed as PDF files from this site.
Books
Sole Author
The Old Testament in the Gospel Passion Narratives. Sheffield: Almond, 1983 (the published form of my dissertation).
The Epistle of James. Tyndale New Testament Commentary. Leicester: IVP/Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1985.
Romans 1-8. Wycliffe Exegetical Commentary. Chicago: Moody, 1991.
A Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.
2 Peter, Jude. NIV Application Commentary (NIVAC). Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.
The Epistle of James. Pillar Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.
Romans. NIV Application Commentary (NIVAC). Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.
Encountering the Book of Romans: A Theological Survey. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002.
Co-Author
The Rapture: Pre-, Mid-, or Post-Tribulational? Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984 (with R. Reiter, G. Archer, and P. Feinberg).
Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1991 (with D. A. Carson and Leon Morris).
The Law, the Gospel, and the Modern Christian: Five Views. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1993 (with W. Strickland, W. VanGemeren, W. Kaiser, and G. Bahnsen).
Introduction to the New Testament. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004 (with D. A. Carson).
Articles and Parts of Books
Present - 2001
“Paul’s Universalizing Hermeneutic in Romans” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 11.3 (2007): 62-90.
“Nature in the New Creation: New Testament Eschatology and the Enivornment.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 49 (2006): 449-88.
“The Christology of the Early Pauline Letters.” In Contours of Christology in the New Testament, ed. R. N. Longenecker, 169-92. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2005.
“What Does Paul Teach about Hell?” In Hell Under Fire, ed. Chris Morgan and Robert Peterson, 91-109. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004.
“Israel and the Law in Romans 5-11: Interaction with the New Perspective.” In Justification and Variegated Nomism: The Teaching of Paul, ed. D. A. Carson, Mark Seifrid, and Peter O’Brien. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004.
‘Flesh’ in Romans: A Problem for the Translator.” In The Challenge of Bible Translation: Communicating God’s Word to the World. Essays in Honor of Ronald F. Youngblood, ed. Glen S. Scorgie, Mark L. Strauss, and Steven M. Voth, 365-379. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
“Romans,” “James,” “2 Peter,” and “Jude.” In Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, ed. C. E. Arnold. 4 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.
2000 - 1991
“Romans.” In New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, ed. T. D. Alexander and B. S. Rosner. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.
“A Review of Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament.” Bulletin of Biblical Research 9 (1999): 271-76.
“The Theology of Romans 9-11: A Response to E. Elizabeth Johnson.” In Pauline Theology, Vol. 3: Romans, ed. D. M. Hay and E. E. Johnson. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1995.
“Romans.” In The New Bible Commentary Revised, ed. D. A. Carson, et al. Leisester: InterVarsity, 1994.
“What does it mean to Teach or Have Authority over a Man?” In Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, ed. J. Piper and W. Grudem. Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1991.
“Romans 2: Saved Apart from the Gospel?” In Through No Fault of their Own: The Fate of Those Who have Never Heard, ed. W. Crockett and J. Sigountos. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1991.
“Law.” In Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, ed. S. McKnight, J. Green, I. H. Marshall. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1991.
1990 - 1986
“James.” In An Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, ed. W. Elwell. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1988.
“The Law of Moses or the Law of Christ.” In Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship between the Old and New Testament. Essays in honor of S. Lewis Johnson, Jr., ed. John S. Feinberg. Westchester, IL: Crossway, 1988.
“Divine Healing in the Health and Wealth Gospel.” Trinity Journal 9 (1988): 191-209.
“Paul and the Law in the Last Ten Years.” Scottish Journal of Theology 40 (1987): 287- 307.
“Jesus and the Authority of the Mosaic Law.” In The Best in Theology. ed. J. I. Packer. Carol Stream, IL: Christianity Today, 1987.
“Sermon on the Mount.” In Encyclopedia of Biblical and Christian Ethics, ed. R. K. Harrison. Nashville: Nelson, 1987.
“The Problem of Sensus Plenior.” In Hermeneutics, Authority, Canon, ed. D. A. Carson and J. D. Woodbridge. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986.
“Israel and Paul in Romans 7.7-12.” New Testament Studies 32 (1986): 122-35.
1985 - 1980
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