Confusion reigns

As part of our study at college, there has so far been a fair amount of confusion regarding the differences between the two approaches to studying the Bible of biblical and systematic theology. The categories are both helpful ways of organising the contents of the Bible and are not mutually exclusive.

Here is a definition from Graeme 'Mr Biblical Theology' Goldsworthy;

Biblical Theology is a way of understanding the Bible as a whole, so that we can see the plan of salvation as it unfolds step by step. It is concerned with God's message to us in the form that it actually takes in Scripture.

There are a number of key points here. Biblical theology is acting against the view of the Old and New Testament as merely a collection of vaguely related stories, instead seeking to discover the unifying themes and unfolding narrative of the book as a whole. What unifies the entire Bible? Are there themes which run through the entire narrative which aren't just mentioned throughout, but are actually integral to understanding and pulling together the varying sections?

Systematic theology from our Doctrine lectures is defined as;

Seeking to discover the truth about God from his whole revelation. That is, after reflecting on the Scriptures what is it we can say that we now know.

This form of theology seeks to look at varying subjects and pulling various references from throughout the Scriptures, seeks to come to an orderly, rational and coherent account of the Bible and its teaching. Thus systematic theology is helpfully represented as a filing cabinet as many topics are examined in light of the body of evidence across the entire Bible and gathered together to form what attempts to be the sum of teaching on a particular subject.

So what's the difference? I find the following diagram helpful. But then again I drew it, so it's a bit of a no-brainer (Let the reader understand).

Biblical theology is represented by the coloured bands. It is interested through the lens of a particular topic to seek the unfolding unifying storyline of the Bible. Systematics on the other hand (represented by the filing cabinet) is interested in stepping outside the storyline and gathering pieces of information an any given topic from many parts of Scripture to create a summary of the teaching about that topic.

My preliminary understanding of the difference however lies primarily in the unifying nature of the topic discussed.

Some wish to highlight the unfolding nature of knowledge as the difference. But there is no reason why a topic that can be studied systematically isn't unfolding over the course of the Scriptures. However that topic may or may not assist in understanding the unifying storyline of the entire Bible.

Or I could be completely wrong. It's happened before.