main theol contours for today

168/31 ( )

This book only makes me want his upcoming book on Paul as part of his Christian Origins series even more. Through his work here, we discover so much in Paul that is so rich and comprehensive because he opts to understand Paul and his message within the framework of his culture and the different areas, but also within the larger narrative that is the Bible. We find out that Paul was not as concerned with the idea of battling legalism as is generally thought, but rather in conveying that eschatology was actualized through Christ's work and we can no longer life the same in light of that. This is not to demonize or make light of Judaism, but to rather expand on it and allow room for a new life that is found in faith through Christ.

Once again, Wright is able to convey a richer vision of Jesus' mission as well as Paul's in light of that and has enabled me to further appreciate the magnitude of this information. I am endlessly thankful to him for bringing this invigorated passion for understanding more in regards to Scripture than I ever have. ( )

In this relatively brief volume Wright seeks to present a synthesis of his ideas about St Paul. After an introduction he goes on to argue that Paul's contribution was to rethink his Judaism in the light of his belief that Jesus was the Messiah.

To do this Wright first sketches a worldview shared by Paul based on three related sets of pairs. The first is creation & covenant - the God who calls Israel is the Creator God, and for Paul, as for some strands of Judaism, the purpose of Israel's call and covenant was ultimately to bring everbody into God's kingdom. In the next chapter on Messaih and Apocalyptic Wright argues that, given the plan of creation and covenant have not gone to plan because of Sin, God needs to act in some way to restore things. This was a widespread Jewish belief, even if there was dispute over the modality of that intervention. For paul, of course, Jesus is that messiah (Wright argues against those who suggest that Paul mostly uses 'Christ' as a kind of surname for Jesus) and so God is intervening. The particular evidence of this is the gift of the spirit (hence there is at least an implicit trinitarian dimension to Paul's viusion). The third pair is Gospel and Empire. Although Paul famously urges obedience to wordly authorities, this does not represent an aproval of the idolatrous dimensions of Roman civic life, and Paul in various places shows that the only tru Lord is Jesus Christ., occasionaly with clear anti-imperial flourishes.

In the secon half of the book Wright goes on to outline how thinking about God, God's people, and Eschatology are transformed in the light of Jesus and the spirit, thus providing an alternative and (Wright would argue) better framework for Pauline theology.

I found the book engaging and interesting, though I found the frequent repetition of "I've dealt with that in greater detail elsewhere" a bit iritating. The coloquial style betrays its origins as a series of lectures (at Cambridge) which Wright deliberately retains. Wright in several places appeals to Colossians for support, which will undermine his case for some (though not me). Less useful was his occasional appeals to Ephesians and even Acts. Overall a good book if you want a sketch which you can read and digest in a day, but less helphull if you want the detail of the argument. For that you will have to, as Wright says, go to his other books ( )

Historically, the Apostle Paul found himself at the crossroads of Greek, Roman, and Jewish perspectives. While his writings clearly interact with each of these traditions, Paul must be seen primarily as reworking historical Jewish theology (esp. creation, covenant, messiah, apocalyptic). Wright argues that Paul’s theology, ecclesiology, and eschatology are drawn directly from the Old Testament, but are redefined along Trinitarian lines (i.e. how the Messiah and the Spirit reshaped our understanding of each). What is more, Wright argues, all the while Paul must be seen as contrasting Jesus to the rampant paganism of Greco-Roman culture (e.g. emperor worship). While his conclusions have upset many, who claim that he has devalued Paul’s emphasis on salvation by faith, Wright’s scholarship remains solid throughout the book (although Wright will find little support from church history). In all, Wright offers an engaging read with much fodder for further thought and conversation. A ( )