Biblical texts, Church history, and Christian philosophy relevant to Christian theology, are the general areas of discussion. One might wonder why the “narrative breakers” (another name Wright gives the “neo-apocalyptic” scholars) wish to argue against the single-narrative approach. Chris Tilling Review essay of Paul and the Faithfulness of God 55 letters (xviii, 55-56, 1359), but in the followi ng few points, I will suggest that he has not mmartha replied on November 6, 2014 Permalink. Dr Tuggy’s podcast presents a wide array of thought and knowledge, that is both interesting and informative. He was, after all, shaliach or apostle of God (Heb. Dale is an expert on church history and it is truly fascinating listening to things that you were never taught in church! Thus, I don’t think it’s a meaningful argument. I get what you are saying, and the emphases are strong. In his current resurrected glory, the same divine glory was retrospectively seen in the historical Jesus. There are some disagreement on Philo in Hebrews, but the evidence is overwhelming. Or has God created in Christ a people utterly new, radically distinct from any prior identity? I was raised Oneness but became Unitarian when I realized the Father (Yehovah) has a different name than the Son (Yehoshua), and the Son’s name (Yehovah Saves) points away from himself. London: SPCK, 2013. “The Trinity” – Whatever it is, smart guys believe it. Read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. podcast 303 – Rauser’s review of Is Jesus Human and not Divine? On this last, it seems that Dr. Barclay was quite offended at how Dr. Wright interacts, and doesn’t interact, with competing views. Again from the first-century sources the High Priest as God-enacter and Adam as glory-bearer are clearly reflected in Paul (2 Cor. What is lost is ample evidence—particularly when Paul speaks of the cross, the cosmos, and ways of knowing—that Paul’s own transformation and the gospel he preached were both more radical and more far-reaching than Wright’s “freshly reworked” covenant allows. Barclay does not pull his punches! Didn’t Paul speak of him as “the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead” (Colossians 1:18)? 8 is applied to Jesus in the most exemplary way. Even John the baptizer was “sent from God” (John 1:6). Because you’re too busy to read the book, here is Dr. John M.G. Your explanation in your final paragraph stops short of what can logically be concluded, namely that Jesus displayed God’s glory in his words, actions and miracles – in fact, his full character. 3. LOGOS became a “name” for Jesus Christ himself (Revelation 19:13) because he embodied the message of eternal life that God sent him the proclaim (1 John 1:1-5). It is true that the account of Paul’s conversion involved his meeting Jesus while in ecstasy. Where do you see the “second Adam” language being applicable to Jesus Christ before the resurrection? But wherever you look in Paul's letters, you see him arguing and working for the unity of the church. However, those occurrences are within the context of the actions of the subjects in an historical account, whereas Philippians 2:6 is given in the context of what is expected of the Philippians in the present time(Philippians 2:5). fbq('track', 'ViewContent'); 1:18). Paul also indicated that Jesus had a “glorified body” after he ascended into heaven (Philippians 3:21). The failure of Israel to live up to the covenant is dealt with by the Messiah, who comes as the faithful Israelite to be crucified and resurrected, “to take upon himself and exhaust Israel’s curse,” to “fulfill the main plot.” Thus is God faithful to his purpose: the rescue and restoration of covenant through Israel via Israel’s Messiah. Wright: Paul and the Faithfulness of God – A Review December 1, 2013 Frank Viola Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Studies of Paul in the past five decades reflect the tumult of the decades themselves. In 1,513 pages (like Luke-Acts, split into two volumes), Wright not only outlines his distinctive vision of Paul’s theology (chs. But the point is not so much exegesis here but trying to re-build the world-views of the time, much of which would never be expressed as the references might be so implicit. 1:1-3 with Ecclesiasticus 7:26 and Philo: Quis Rerum Divinarum Heres 181; Quis Rerum Divinarum Heres 38, 56, 57, 138; Legum Allegorae I.61; De Sacrificiis Abelis et Cain 60; Quod Deterius Potiori Insidiari Soleat 77, 83. From that point of view, Wright’s own project appears to restrict the range of divine action and divine mercy, limiting it to a controlling and singular pattern of exile and restoration that effectively precludes divine agency apart from that pattern. 4) and John (John 6, 7, 17, etc.). So I disagree with your limiting Jesus’ reflecting God only in his resurrected glory. I think both can be held simultaneously if the “difference” of Jesus is considered to be in degree, and not in kind. I just received my copy of God and the Faithfulness of Paul: A Critical Examination of the Pauline Theology of N.T. Review. Studies of Paul in the past five decades reflect the tumult of the decades themselves. ISBN: 978-0-281-07140-1. 2. I’m not big on taking the “world view” approach to interpreting scripture (as has been the trend in biblical scholarship during the past generation). For that reason we have ancient traditions of Moses’ face glowing, the high-priest re-enacting creation in temple ceremony, Adam be considered as the divine glory-bearer and rulers being called “gods” (Ps. You cannot take the Fourth Gospel in isolation. The purported evidence does not convince. I for one do not think that Paul articulated the Jesus-God relationship in a way that would best please trinitarians, not even close. Christian Origins and the Question of God… Martineau: What’s left after historical inquiry unravels “the Trinity”? Thus, sound exegesis and logic prefers that we let the writer of Hebrews speak on his own terms. ..the stimulus offered by this book will be lessened, and perhaps cancelled, by its persistently shrill and overheated rhetoric. Rivers, I hear you. What evidence is there in the Hebrews scriptures that Jesus Christ was “God in representative sense”? Wright, just released this month. He mentions that Jesus Christ was presently “existing in the form of God” (2:6) because God had already exalted him (2:9-11) and he was already in a “glorified body” (Philippians 3:21) at that time. Paper $89. From the perspective of some (myself included), the principal matter at stake is divine agency to elect freely, apart from the covenant. However, I don’t think the “last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:43) and “exact representation” (Hebrews 1:3) language was applicable until after the resurrection. 3), the place where God’s indwelling Shekinah is interchangeable with the Spirit of the Messiah. This review first appeared on Reformation 21 and is reproduced here with permission.. Let me begin by stating the fact that most obviously strikes the recipient of a copy of Paul and the Faithfulness of God (henceforth, PFG): it is 1658 pages long. Wright’s narrative demands a co­v­enantal literalness, tied to a particular and narrowly selected set of covenant definitions, that stands opposed to Paul’s pervasive language of new creation and his location of the scandal of the cross in its demonstration of divine agency to save apart from any prerequisite, Jewish or gentile. 3:1). 9). 2 vols. His presuppositional pool is vast, and that’s the challenge. Letters to CC replied on November 17, 2014 Permalink. I don’t think these two positions are in opposition to each other. Regarding the “positive opinion of Caesar”, I do not think you can arrive at that via exegesis either. Destined to become the point of reference in Pauline studies for the next decade, and beyond. However, there is actually very little about Jesus Christ being a “representative” of God in the apostolic kerygma. Paul had actually seen the glorified appearance of Jesus Christ when he appeared to him on the road (Acts 26:13-14). There isn’t any “image” language about Jesus Christ until after the resurrection, and it isn’t talking about the way he lived his life. The book is massive, although not quite as large as Wright’s 2-volume Paul and the Faithfulness of God (PFG). Rabbinical traditions, targumic references, and historical echoes are all presupposed at various places in the Gospel. 8) into a new creation that thus can both include and transcend covenant identity. Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God: Two Book Set Please consider these things: 1. Fortress Press kindly allowed me to review it. Jesus would be the ancestor of a new human creation, yes. The writer of Hebrews explicitly said that he received his information from “the Lord” and the apostles (Hebrews 2:3-4). and student of the Word, it is fitting that I work through this book, however slowly. Dale Tuggy and guests bring some interesting points, and I really enjoy the humble, intelligent dialogue from both viewpoints. Thanks. Rather, it arises out of the unfortunate concession that there was some kind of “preexistent word” or that Jesus was actually called “God” (neither of which is a necessary conclusion to be drawn from any particular text of scripture). To be fair, Wright has a book coming out entitled “Paul and his recent interpreters” where he will, so one expects, interact with many competing views. Paul and the Faithfulness of God (Review) It is probably not surprising for a thirty-something pastor type of an evangelical background proclaim his enjoyment of NT Wright’s dozens of books. Likewise, it is through the Spirit that God dwells with believers, and the Spirit causes even idolatrous pagans to believe this “strange” gospel of the one God revealed in a crucified Jew. N.T. ). Whatever you think of him, Tom Wright is a force of nature. Reviewing N. T. Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God is like trying to get a handle on the U.S. tax code. These debates—which are urgent and showing no signs of resolution—focus on Paul for obvious reasons: he is our earliest witness to the Jesus movement, he was himself a devout Jew, and within a decade of the death of Jesus he articulated and disseminated widely what he called the gospel, or good news, of Jesus Christ while penning letters that are our earliest reflections on the meaning of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. 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