New Testament Ethics
Revisiting The Moral Vision of the New Testament
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Eerdmans Publishing
- Published: 2026
FritzSearch.com earns a commission on purchases made through Bookshop.org links.
Publisher's Description
A bold reexamination of a landmark study in biblical ethics Thirty years ago, Richard Hays’s The Moral Vision of the New Testament transformed how scholars, pastors, and students approached biblical ethics. Now a distinguished group of biblical scholars returns to this foundational work with new questions and contemporary urgency. This volume brings together senior and emerging New Testament scholars for a robust scholarly conversation with real-world implications. The contributors grapple seriously with Hays’s enduring influence while charting new territories in biblical ethics—always with an eye toward how Scripture speaks to the moral challenges that Christians face today. New Testament Ethics doesn’t merely commemorate a classic work; it propels the conversation forward, demonstrating that the relationship between ancient Scriptures and contemporary conscience remains as vital as ever. This is biblical ethics for a new generation, rooted in serious scholarship and committed to engaging with the most pressing moral questions of our time. Contributors: Kai Akagi, John M. G. Barclay, Andrew Boakye, Carl-Magnus Carlstein, Elizabeth J. B. Corsar, J. Andrew Cowan, Channing L. Crisler, Rebekah Eklund, Andrew Goddard, Elizabeth R. Hare, Cherryl Hunt, Yung Suk Kim, R. W. L. (Walter) Moberly, Nicholas J. Moore, Timothy J. Murray, Amy Peeler, Annalisa Phillips Wilson, Miles Tradewell
Endorsements (5)
Foreword
“The present collection of essays serves as a reminder that one of [Richard Hays’s] salient characteristics as a scholar was getting others interested in what he was doing. It is altogether a fitting tribute to The Moral Vision of the New Testament and its author.”
“Thirty years after the publication of Richard Hays’s landmark volume on New Testament ethics, this rich and varied collection of essays engages with his work critically and constructively, continuing and extending Hays’s concern to move beyond exegesis to reflection and action on ethical challenges that matter today. Sadly, Richard Hays did not live to write his promised response to the volume, but I am confident he would have been happy to see this fresh and creative engagement with his work, continuing a vital and relevant discussion.”
“Richard Hays’s important work, The Moral Vision of the New Testament, has long been recognized both for its substantive contributions to a biblical-theological approach to ethics and for the controversies it occasionally prompted. This new engagement with Hays’s work acknowledges this two-pronged legacy while deliberating on current approaches to New Testament ethics. This volume constitutes more than just the revisiting of a foundational text. It advances the conversation, with an emphasis on the dialogue between ancient Scriptures and modern moral thought. I highly recommend this resource for anyone interested in the moral world(s) of the New Testament.”
“This book is one of the most important volumes on New Testament ethics to be published since Richard Hays’s The Moral Vision of the New Testament. The significance of this collection of essays cannot be overstated. It provides the academy and the church with a thorough overview of key hermeneutical, exegetical, and thematic issues in New Testament ethics—an overview that engages not only with Hays’s groundbreaking monograph but also with current international scholarship.”
“New Testament Ethics highlights the contributions of Richard Hays to describing the moral logic of biblical authors, moving beyond historical criticism to a literary and theological interpretation of Scripture, wrestling with the role of human experience in ecclesial discernment, and tackling the hot-button issues of his day, especially sexuality. Yet this volume does more than engage the work and theological impact of Hays’s The Moral Vision of the New Testament; it fills gaps in his work by examining a broader array of biblical texts and ethical concerns. It suggests a reconsideration of love and adds justification as a focal image for Christian practice. It addresses wealth and possessions, sex and celibacy, loneliness as a global health crisis, ethnic conflict, environmentalism, and other issues of our time. It critically and fairly evaluates Hays’s ‘change of mind’ in The Widening of God’s Mercy regarding homosexuality. I recommend reading New Testament Ethics in tandem with The Moral Vision of the New Testament for any serious study of the hermeneutical enterprise and its ethical implications for the life and witness of the church.”
See something wrong on this page? Report a problem