Brad East's The Doctrine of Scripture is a jaunty attempt to outline the topic identified in the title. After a very positive foreword by Katherine Sonderegger, East begins by suggesting that ‘the doctrine of Holy Scripture is a matter of joy. Before it is an occasion for disputation, disagreement, or division, prior to hassling over terms, definitions, and scholarship, the doctrine of Scripture is a cause for praise’ (p. 1). This spirit of the joyousness of the doctrine of scripture suffuses East's book and enlivens discussion that would otherwise be wooden and bare. East attempts to present his doctrine of scripture in ‘an ecumenical sketch in service to the universal church’ (p. 4). In so doing, he draws together insights from the academy and the saints, and brings them into their proper home, the church catholic. East wants to present the doctrine of scripture in a way that is representative, constructive, exhibitive and explanatory, terms that he defines in his introduction. This requires quite a few assumptions, but if East's terms are granted, his hope is that his doctrine would have ‘made sense’ to pre-Reformation Christians (p. 6).
The meat of the book comes in six chapters, each covering a different facet of the doctrine of scripture. The treatment begins with scripture's source, at once from God and an human artefact. Next, East treats the nature of scripture, in which he suggests God takes texts and elicits and deploys them ‘for his redemptive and communicative purposes in the economy of grace’ (p. 40).
In the third chapter East discusses the attributes of scripture, including its sufficiency and clarity. Following this, he discusses the ends of scripture, which, though being many, ‘conduce to a single point’, for the canon ‘conducts the covenant people in its exilic mission to the nations in a kind of circle: from its sending in the presence of the risen Christ back to the selfsame Lord, now enthroned, glorious, and manifested for all creation to behold’ (p. 91).
In the fifth chapter on interpretation, East situates the proper home for scripture in Christian worship, noting that most often in the history of the church, scripture was heard rather than read by the faithful. This leads into the last substantive chapter, in which East teases out what it means to say that scripture is authoritative. Instead of a conclusion, East has substituted a homily from St John Chrysostom on the Gospel of John.
East's book is an important one, not only because of its clear and compelling contribution to the discussion on the interpretation of scripture. It is not just a monograph about scripture, but it actually engages vast swaths of scripture in deep exegesis. Further, this book serves as an example of ecclesial theology that is at once in step with the academy but shorn of the pettier quibbles that can suck up so much of the professional theologian's time. East's thought is deep, but one will not be weighed down with technical jargon or stuffy footnotes. Compared to many other recent treatments of scripture (e.g. Darren Sarisky's Reading the Bible Theologically, or Joseph K. Gordon's Divine Scripture in Human Understanding), East's book sings. While this is a merit of The Doctrine of Scripture, it also raises a question about who will read this book. Seasoned scholars will find East's work compelling for its clarity and concise treatment of scripture, and seminary students and pastors will find it a readable introduction to the same. However, it might not have quite the depth that the former are expecting, and its integration of a wide range of sources might leave the latter scratching their heads. Given the price, it is likely that it will find its way into the hands of engaged lay people and seminary students, instead of simply collecting dust on library shelves.
One major concern with the book is its assumption of a kind of Protestant catholicity. This need not be troublesome on its own, but it seems as if East is writing to and for the church from nowhere. He admits his ecclesial commitments and his debt to Robert Jenson (which may account for the origin of his proclivities), but problems remain. East seems to want to have his cake and eat it too, affirming an ecumenical and catholic voice without inhabiting the concrete and particular realities of his own ecclesial commitments. Can one be catholic without submitting to the doctrine and discipline of one's own church?
While East's desire to avoid jargon in order to write prayerfully is commendable, at times the style of the text is a little too chatty. References to podcasts (and one tweet!) mean that, despite the impressive range of sources, at times, his touch feels a little too light. Other than one typo, however, the text is clean and quite readable. And though this is East's first monograph, it commends itself as a mature work of scholarship that will benefit the church and the academy alike.
