About This Site

Personal Bible Studies in Canonical Context

About Canonical Theology: Mark Gatzen’s personal Bible studies, written in his own name to help readers follow the Bible’s own categories, language, and storyline.

Canonical Theology is a collection of personal Bible studies by Mark Gatzen. I publish them in my own name, in the hope that they may be useful to others.

About me

I am not a theologian, a church authority, or an academic specialist. I am an ordinary Christian — and, admittedly, a bit of a Bible nerd — who has spent years trying to follow the Bible carefully and patiently, under the authority of the Bible itself.

For a little more about me, see About the author .

About this site

This site exists for longer, deeper studies in biblical theology. The aim is not to defend inherited tradition, but to let the Bible speak on its own terms — following its own categories, language, and storyline wherever they lead.

That means these studies try to read biblical texts in several connected ways: in their immediate literary context, in their historical setting where that helps, in the larger storyline of Scripture, and in the Bible’s movement toward Christ, resurrection, and new creation.

The site is especially concerned with the internal logic of Scripture: creation, covenant, exile, judgment, redemption, resurrection, and new creation. The goal is not to force the Bible into a later theological system, but to follow the patterns, claims, promises, and fulfillment that Scripture itself gives us.

What kind of studies are here?

There are two main kinds of studies on this site.

The foundational studies address the major basic questions: who God is, who Jesus Christ is, and who the Holy Spirit is. These studies are more extensively developed. They usually include a main article, an exegesis page that works more closely through the biblical texts, and a reference page with word studies, tables, and supporting material.

There are also topical studies on specific subjects. These are also meant as serious Bible studies, but they do not always have the same three-part structure. They are written to follow a particular biblical question through the storyline of Scripture.

How to read these studies

The main articles are the best place to begin. They give the central argument in a readable form.

The exegesis pages are for readers who want to see more of the biblical-text work behind the argument. The reference pages are for readers who want supporting material, such as word studies, translation notes, tables, and broader canonical connections.

If you want a simpler starting point, the shorter introductory sites may be better places to begin: What Does the Bible Say About? in English, or Wat Zegt de Bijbel Over? in Dutch. Those pages are written as easier introductions. This site contains the deeper studies behind them.

What these studies are — and are not

These articles are not official church documents. They are not academic publications. They are not meant to be the final word on any subject.

They are carefully argued personal Bible studies, offered for readers who want to examine the Bible directly and follow the argument step by step. I expect readers to test what is written here against Scripture itself.

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