Book Review: Petrine Theology and Petrine Studies by Douglas Kennard
In a word: underwhelming...
The following book review is available in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS) Vol 67.2, pp. 403-406. I publish it here for those without access.
TL;DR, For all of Kennard’s erudition, those interested in Petrine studies would be better served looking towards Markus Bockmuehl’s Simon Peter in Scripture and Memory (Baker, 2012), Gene Green’s Vox Petri (Wipf & Stock, 2020), and Larry Helyer’s Life and Witness of Peter (IVP Academic, 2012).
To find out why this is the case, continue below.
Petrine Theology. By Douglas W. Kennard. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022, 352 pp., $32.00; and Petrine Studies: Support and Ethical Expressions of Petrine Theology. By Douglas W. Kennard. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022, 209 pp., $32.00.
Petrine Theology
In Petrine Theology (PT) and Petrine Studies (PS), Douglas Kennard attempts to provide a truly integrated Petrine theology by drawing on the sources traditionally associated with Peter, including the Gospel of Mark, Peter’s speeches in Acts, and both 1–2 Peter. On initial viewing the reader immediately notices that both books share identical introductions. I contacted the publisher about this unusual feature and learned that the pair of books were originally slated to be a single volume. The publisher, however, determined that 550 pages might be too long, and Kennard subsequently chose to use the introductory material in each book. (Thanks to Matt Wimer at Wipf & Stock for responding to my query.) In any case, Petrine Theology does the bulk of the heavy lifting while Petrine Studies “[provides] important support material to complete a Petrine theology project” (PT, pp. 9–10). As such, the review here will focus chiefly on the material of Petrine Theology, followed by a brief overview of Petrine Studies.
Kennard’s project is a biblical theological one (PT, p. 9), tackling major themes as they appear across the aforementioned sources (he defends the selection of these sources in PS, chap. 2). Chapter 1 provides a brief history of Petrine theology; chapters 2–5 might be described as articulating a Petrine doctrine of God and its various sub-genres (“God,” “Christology,” “Missional Trinity,” and the “Holy Spirit”); and chapters 6–15 offer an eclectic mix of topics ranging from “God’s Word” to “Exodus Following Jesus to Kingdom Virtues” and “Standing Against Satan and Exorcising Demons,” among others.
An extended glance at the details in the contents page of PT also reveals a surprise. It turns out that not all chapters are created equal in PT. Two topics receive, to my mind, extremely short shrift in comparison to the rest of the book. Chapter 5, “The Holy Spirit,” receives a mere 2 pages (pp. 58–60), while chapter 12, “Suffering,” receives just 10 pages (pp. 215–24). Meanwhile three other chapters (e.g., chap. 10, “Exodus Following Jesus…” pp. 137–75) receive treatments nearing 40 pages. Given the significance of the topics and the overall project at hand, one might expect a more balanced approach.
In chapter 2, Kennard proceeds through Petrine material and describes how God is presented there. So, “God is the creator of everything through his word” (p. 11); God is sovereign in action (p. 12); “The sovereign Lord or God and Father is the one to whom Peter primarily prays” (p. 13); God is called the “Shepherd and Guardian…,” the “Majestic Glory,” and “holy” (p. 14), and so the chapter continues. As far as is possible Kennard is, refreshingly, concerned to let the text speak for itself. However, a feature of this chapter—and one that becomes a pattern for the rest of the book—is that there is no genuine introduction or conclusion. Kennard launches into his topic giving the reader little, if any, guidance as to what is to come. Similarly, there is no synthesis of material to wrap up a chapter. The result is each chapter begins and ends abruptly, creating a somewhat jarring experience for the reader.
Chapter 3 sees Kennard cover the topic of Christology. Here Kennard provides a helpful, albeit brief, overview of the scholarly discussion in recent history (pp. 24–25); discusses Jewish messianism with regards to the Davidic covenant (pp. 25–32); summarizes the Markan presentation of Jesus (pp. 32–41); considers Peter’s sermons presented by Luke in Acts (pp. 41–44); before concluding with consideration of the Petrine epistles (pp. 44–50). Chapter 4 covers Peter’s letter form, in which Kennard argues that Peter presents an “intentional missional trinity” wherein the Godhead is presented as functioning together to ensure a believer’s eschatological salvation (p. 57). Curiously, it is this chapter that presents Kennard’s view (following Elliott, Home for the Homeless [Wipf & Stock, 1990]) that the recipients of the Petrine epistles are literal resident aliens (p. 55).
Chapters 5–6 cover concisely the topics of the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, respectively. Here, Kennard presents clearly as one on the more conservative end of the theological spectrum. He (very) briefly distills the work of the Spirit with regards to the believer’s life, concluding that “the Holy Spirit empowers and obligates the believer to obey God as a witness to Christ’s resurrection and authority” (p. 60). Kennard’s work on God’s Word presumes a conservative hermeneutic which, although I’m sympathetic to, needs a more robust development and defense than is provided here. E.g., he asserts that “Peter consciously writes Scripture containing part of the prophetic word” (p. 65, emphasis added), however this is a claim that needs greater substantiation than is provided.
Chapter 7 on Humanity covers concepts of “soul,” “spirit,” “body,” “heart,” “mind,” “will,” “conscience,” and humanity’s relationship with one another. In Kennard’s view, the “soul” is what connects humanity with the rest of creation and “signifies a complete living being” (p. 67), while the “spirit” is seen as a facet of one’s being and the place from which a person’s actions flow (p. 69). Kennard also sees Peter’s household code as being in relative alignment with the Greco-Roman world (p. 81). Chapter 7 also reveals several oddities including an editorial oversight in which material from pp. 68–69 finds itself repeated near verbatim on p. 70; an unnecessary swipe at the antivax movement (p. 83); and the misattribution of “polite resistance” to John Elliott rather than to David Horrell (p. 83).
Chapter 8 sees Kennard tackle atonement, sanctification, purification, and redemption. He sees the sacrificial context of the Exodus narrative playing a significant role in Petrine theology. Of note is that while Kennard sees the idea of substitution present, he pushes back against the idea of a penal understanding of atonement (pp. 89–91). Initially, he acknowledges that Christ’s death is “penal in that he dies under the legal judgment of death sentence from . . . Pilate” (pp. 90–91), though he does not see it functioning in what he terms the “traditional theological sense” (p. 91).
In chapter 9, Kennard articulate Peter’s gospel (via the Gospel of Mark) as “the message that focused on Jesus is Lord and everyone needs to align with him” (p. 123). Moreover, he sees Mark’s use of εὐαγγελίου as indicating the work to be one of biography (p. 123). Kennard discerns from Peter’s speeches in Acts that the gospel focuses on the message that Jesus is king and offers numerous outworkings of that message (p. 126), though curiously he does not view “the efficaciousness of the death of Jesus” as being an essential to the proclamation, arguing that Peter and Luke do not mention it (p. 131). This strikes as an unusual claim given that redemption in 1 Peter is bought through the blood of Christ (1:18–19) and that Luke ties Jesus’s suffering and death to the forgiveness of sins (e.g., Luke 24:46–47).
Chapter 10 is titled “Exodus Following Jesus into Kingdom Virtues.” Here we find Kennard viewing the ministry of Jesus as an Exodus-like calling. To follow Jesus is to follow him in an Exodus-like pilgrimage that creates a new family (p. 139). Kennard elaborates on the way the gospels present discipleship along this exodus way (following Jesus unto death [p. 155]; alertness and praying; relationship and service [p. 156]). Kennard also outlines new exodus motifs in Hebrews and 1 Peter, observing 17 points of connection (pp. 164–65).
The Household of God is the subject of chapter 11. Here Kennard argues that the purpose of God’s household is tied to their identity as priesthood and declaring the excellencies of God, which he sees as being applied especially in personal life (p. 176). Furthermore, because Kennard affirms a literal reading of “resident aliens” in 1 Peter, the language of “God's household” and its praxis provides the believers with “communal meaning and belonging” (p. 185). Finally, like Elliott, Kennard appears to reject the idea that any of the household language in 1 Peter might be understood as temple imagery (p. 189).
Chapter 12 looks at the topic of suffering in 1 Peter (why Mark is ignored remains unknown). Kennard follows the basic contours of the Petrine text noting that Christians ought not be surprised by suffering (p. 220); that they should not suffer as evil-doers (p. 221); that Christians should suffer with joy (p. 222), and ask God for protection in the midst of their suffering (p. 224). The following chapter (13) takes on the topic of Satan and demons. Kennard promotes a Christus Victor approach “that facilitates a new exodus for humanity from bondage under: Satan, idolatry, impurity, and lawlessness” (p. 225). Satan is summarily defined according to his actions as presented in Scripture (p. 227), and the role of demons in Mark’s gospel is examined (pp. 228–35), as is Jesus’s descent into hell (pp. 235–39). Kennard briefly discusses possible interpretations here but argues, based on the Greek grammar, that Jesus proclaims to the imprisoned spirits in his resurrected state as opposed to the lull between his death and resurrection (p. 237).
Chapter 14 gives an overview of false teaching and is largely dependent upon 2 Peter. Such teaching is characterized by despising authority, sensuality, greed, and their ultimate judgment. Petrine Theology concludes with a chapter on the second coming of Jesus, that argues for a somewhat eclectic view with elements of premillennialism, amillennialism, and postmillennialism (p. 281).
Petrine Studies
Briefly, the companion volume Petrine Studies offers 10 short chapters on topics that one would find in the introduction to most commentaries. Chapters 2–6 provide a helpful review of Kennard’s source selections for a Petrine theology (pp. 11–35); an analysis of the recipients of the Petrine epistles (pp. 36–46); the form of the epistles (pp. 47–56); Peter, the man (pp. 57–85), and Petrine Epistemology (pp. 86–106). Chapters 7–10 pick up an assorted range of topics including Jewish traditions and Gentile conversion (pp. 107–15); marriage (pp. 116–23); the poor (pp. 124–33); and the historicity of Jesus’s death and resurrection (pp. 134–50).
Conclusion
What then to make of Kennard’s work? First, the volumes appear to be pitched towards academics and students at Masters level and above, as evidenced by Kennard’s command of primary sources which are replete within the book and for which he should be commended. However, some important secondary sources were surprisingly overlooked. To give but one example, it is astonishing that Kennard does not draw upon Travis Williams’s Persecution in 1 Peter (Brill, 2012) in his chapter on suffering, which has set the standard for the discussion in the last decade.
Moreover, the work contains several glaring weaknesses which detract from Kennard’s abundant knowledge. As stated earlier the project lacks a balanced approach (2 pages on the Holy Spirit!), and most chapters lack true introductions and conclusions to help guide the reader. Longer chapters would have also benefited from subheadings to allow the reader to track better with Kennard’s train of thought, which is sometimes difficult to follow. Additionally, chapters 12 and 14 appear as methodological departures from the rest of the book by relying too heavily upon various dictionaries (TDNT, etc.) This reader is left with the impression that while the final product reflects years of learning and lecturing, due time wasn’t given to properly review the material and mold it into something more coherent (perhaps best exemplified by the editorial errors mentioned regarding chapter 7 above).
The volumes are also riddled with grammatical and spelling mistakes from the very first chapter including the names of authors (e.g., the title of chapter 1 is missing a question mark [p. 1]; D. S. Russel[l] [p. 16]; Jack Kingsburry [p. 25]). Towards the end of PT, Kelly Liebengood is misidentified as a woman (p. 256). Among numerous authors misspelled in the indices are R[e]inhard Feldmeier (p. 295), Bo[n]nie Howe (p.300), Jeremias [Joachim] Jeremias (p. 301), and Bruce Molina [Malina] (p. 308), to name but a few. All of this leads to a frustrating reading experience. Kennard is undoubtedly learned and respected by his peers, but this volume is palpably underdone and would have benefitted enormously from more rigorous editorial oversight. For all of Kennard’s erudition, those interested in Petrine studies would be better served looking towards Markus Bockmuehl’s Simon Peter in Scripture and Memory (Baker, 2012), Gene Green’s Vox Petri (Wipf & Stock, 2020), and Larry Helyer’s Life and Witness of Peter (IVP Academic, 2012).
David M. Shaw (North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa)