Hearing and Doing

The great John Webster never wrote a biblical commentary, but this book is what Webster would have written. Deeply informed by Calvin and Aquinas, and in constant dialogue with the recent masters of his Anglican tradition—from Sonderegger and Mascall to Rowan Williams—Professor Holmes exposits the book of Acts from the perspective of one who believes that the divine realities described therein are real. Holmes’ trenchant insights penetrate to the heart of Christian faith.

~Matthew Levering, James N. Jr. and Mary D. Perry Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary

In this extraordinary study, Holmes practices a kind of theological exegesis of Acts in which the speeches of Peter and Paul become transparent to their ultimate source and ground: nothing less than the triune identity and being of the God of the gospel. Written in focused conversation with Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin, Rowan Williams, and Katherine Sonderegger, the result is an essay in systematic theology marked by concision, intensity, directness, and a compelling confidence in the power of thinking and speaking of God ‘substance-wise’ to instruct faith and to take us to the heart of the matter.

~Philip G. Ziegler, Chair of Christian Dogmatics, University of Aberdeen

I find myself driven to Scripture with renewed vigour and vision of God. By drawing on the riches of the Christian tradition, Holmes spurs a life of repentance, faith, and witness. He practices theological reflection and spiritual exegesis such that contemporary theology might be  of God.

~Rebekah Earnshaw, Collaborative Partner, Angelina Noble Centre

Christopher R. J. Holmes’s Hearing and Doing is especially interesting because it seeks to interact with certain aspects of a biblical book from the perspective of systematic theology.

~John-Christian Eurell, Review of Biblical Literature