Bird on I. H. Marshall

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/euangelion/2015/12/i-howard-marshall-1934-2015/

I. H. Marshall

I. H. Marshall has passed away:

http://blogs.thegospelcoalition.org/justintaylor/2015/12/12/i-howard-marshall-1934-2015-a-tribute-by-darrell-bock/

He was easily the most distinguished Arminian NT scholar of his generation. Moreover, unlike C. K. Barrett, a distinguished NT scholar who happened to be Arminian, Marshall was a very outspoken advocate for Arminian theology. He's one of the people who need to read if you wish to acquaint yourself with the best exegetical defense of Arminianism. 

He was an important Lukan scholar. And he was more conservative than Barrett. 

After the demise of F. F. Bruce, Marshall became the de facto successor to Bruce as the man a number of aspiring American NT scholars chose to supervise their doctorate. 

Mind you, Marshall wasn't in the same league as Bruce. Few are. 

Unlike Ben Witherington–another Arminian popularizer–who spreads himself very thin and writes for the sake of writing, Marshall was a concentrated scholar. He's a cut above Witherington–as well as Grant Osbourne (yet another Arminian popularizer). 

Christ did not found a visible church

Did Christ found a “visible church”? Let’s look at some of the exegetical evidence.

Joseph Ratzinger, destined to be pope, in an essay entitled “Primacy, Episcopacy, and Successio Apostolica,” in the work “God’s Word: Scripture-Tradition-Office” (San Francisco: Ignatius Press ©2008; Libreria Editrice Vaticana edition ©2005), says “The concept of [apostolic] succession was clearly formulated, as von Campenhausen has impressively demonstrated, in the anti-Gnostic polemics of the second century; [and not, as some Roman Catholic writers assert, in the first century] its purpose was to contrast the true apostolic tradition of the Church with the pseudo-apostolic tradition of Gnosis” (pgs 22-23).

<---------------- Yes, that’s Pope Joseph Ratzinger’s picture over there, on the book cover, stating for all the world to see, “The concept of Apostolic Succession was clearly formulated in the second century.” (Even though he wasn’t yet pope when he wrote that, some enterprising publisher put his picture, and name as pope! on the cover, with the hope that more people would buy it!)

The work he is referring to is Hans von Campenhausen, Ecclesiastical Authority and Spiritual Power in the Church of the First Three Centuries, trans. J. A. Baker (London: Black, 1969), pgs 149-177. Hmm. And look at that recommendation from Ratzinger, who was still only a “brialliant theologian” when he wrote that endorsement. “Clearly formulated … impressively demonstrated…” That’s a very fine endorsement indeed.

We look now at what von Campenhausen says: