Yes, Virginia, there (still) is a metanarrative

The fathers insist that the narrative of the Bible is a continuous, deeply connected story from Genesis through Revelation. The Old Testament is not discontinuous with the New. Rather the themes presented in the Old Testament find their fulfillment in the narrative structure of the New Testament. Continuity and fulfillment characterize the entire story. Most importantly, the fathers insist that the biblical narrative reaches its culmination, its thematic climax, with the incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection of the Son of God. Indeed, the incarnational, soteriological and eschatological foci of the New Testament further clarify and deepen the Old Testament witness itself. We will read the Bible ineffectively and incorrectly, the fathers warn, if we fail to read its individual parts in the light of its overarching, unifying message.—Christopher Hall, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, 191

<idle musing>
I know I've used that blog title at least once before, but I like it. Especially because it is true. Our age likes to split the Bible into smaller sections and look at the theology of a book, or section of a book, or a section of the canon. The big projects of the early-to-mid-twentieth century, such as Eichrodt and van Rad with their huge, two volume theologies aren't being produced anymore. But you can buy any number of books with the title/subtitle/theme of "the theologies of the Bible." We've lost sight of the metanarrative.

Lewis was right (see yesterday's post), we do need the writers and books of the past to correct our blindness!
</idle musing>