Michael J. Gorman

Christosis: Engaging Paul’s Soteriology with his Patristic Interpreters, by Ben C. BlackwellChristosis: Engaging Paul’s Soteriology with his Patristic Interpreters by BlackwellBen C.Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016. 344 pp.

For paul and those who read Paul as Scripture, what precisely is salvation? For many, the stock answer to this question will be some version of justification by faith. But is that a sufficient interpretation? This highly important book by Houston Baptist University professor Ben Blackwell— who teaches both New Testament and patristics— exemplifies three significant trends in theology: the explosion of interest in the soteriological theme of participation (including “union with Christ” in Luther, Calvin, and their theological descendants); the importance of reception history for contemporary biblical interpretation; and the growing interest in doing theology and biblical studies in an interdisciplinary manner. It also represents a trend in theological publishing: to make the most significant doctoral dissertations available to pastors and other non-specialists.

40.00. ISBN 978-0-8028-7391-0.

There are aLready severaL comprehensive contemporary theologies of Paul for readers of English, each with its own perspective and contributions: E. P. Sanders’s recent Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015); N. T. Wright’s massive Paul and the Faithfulness of God (2 vols.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013); Frank Matera’s God’s Saving Grace: A Pauline Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012); James D. G. Dunn’s now classic The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998); and my own Apostle of the Crucified Lord (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004; 2nd ed. forthcoming). Fortunately, some recent Pauline theologies by German scholars have been translated into English, such as Udo Schnelle’s Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005) and now the contribution of Michael Wolter, Professor of New Testament on the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Bonn.

Paul: An Outline of his Theology by Michael Wolter; translated by Robert L. BrawleyPaul: An Outline of his Theology by WolterMichael; translated by BrawleyRobert L.Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2015. 476 pp.

The sTudy of paul is currently in a state of both fervor and confusion. In that regard, there is nothing new under the sun. Various approaches to Paul vie for center stage: the “traditional” perspective (Luther and his heirs), the “new” perspective, (e.g., James Dunn, N. T. Wright), the “counter-imperial” perspective (e.g., Richard Horsley, Neil Elliott, Wright again), the “participationist” perspective (E. P. Sanders), and so on. Add to this set of approaches the self-styled “apocalyptic” perspective, which is represented especially among current scholars by J. Louis Martyn, Beverly Gaventa, Martin de Boer, Douglas Campbell, and others. What is a pastor—or even a scholar of another field—to do?

79.95 (cloth). ISBN 978-1-4813-0416-0.

For some time, both the academy and the church have needed a Pauline theology that engages all thirteen letters without overlooking the differences among them. This is such a book: not a theology of Paul confined to the seven undisputed letters, but a theological treatment of the entire Pauline corpus, the canonical Paul. Frank Matera does not belong to a particular “school” of Pauline interpretation (old or new perspective, apocalyptic, etc.), nor does he propose a radical new thesis about the key to, or center of, Pauline theology. Rather, he organizes his work around a central Pauline theme that should cause no dispute and should warm every interpreter’s heart: grace.

Apocalyptic Paul: Cosmos and Anthropos in Romans 5–8 edited by Beverly Roberts GaventaApocalyptic Paul: Cosmos and Anthropos in Romans 5–8 edited by GaventaBeverly RobertsWaco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2013. 206 pp.

thus, questions revolving around divine or redemptive suffering must be analyzed with a critical view toward this missing perspective. In the analysis of Mark 8:31–38 (ch. 5), St. Clair asserts that a womanist reading of these verses causes suffering to lose its sacred standing: “Agony is not the will of God but a manifestation of moral evil” (p. 164). While she argues that both the “call” and the “consequences” of discipleship are a part of the gospel story, the consequences should not be viewed solely through the lens of divine or redemptive suffering, but rather through the “life-affirming, God-glorifying, agonyeradicating” ministry of Jesus. This compelling book was inspired, in part, by ecclesial experiences that confirmed for St. Clair how different communities of interpreters and worshipers may interpret the teachings of Jesus depending on their understanding of his call to bear the cross and suffer in the world. The dilemma of how to resolve interpretive tensions related to self-denial, agony, and “taking up the cross” led to this balanced blend of Markan scholarship and actual experiences of African American women—many of whom live on the margins of society and are considered, in the words of Zora Neale Hurston, to be “de mule uh de world” (p. 165). With this book, interpreters from various cultural backgrounds can now easily access the questions and concerns framed by womanist scholars and apply this material to the task of exploring new options and meanings of discipleship. The remnants of the dissertation are still evident, particularly in ch. 2, which summarizes Markan scholarship, and also in ch. 3, which discusses the sociolinguistic method used as the foundation for womanist biblical interpretation. Despite this minor limitation, St. Clair provides an engaging, rigorous analysis of Mark’s Jesus and challenges interpreters to reevaluate the meaning of the call to share in his suffering and to focus more on the “call to partner with Jesus in service, not pain” (p. 166). This book is required reading for any serious engagement with the Gospel of Mark and a useful supplementary text for introductory NT courses.

34.95. ISBN 978-1-60258-969-8.

• Remembering Jesus: Christian Community, Scripture, and the Moral Life by Allen Verhey Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, 2002. 538 pages.

God’s Saving Grace: A Pauline Theology by Frank J. Matera

35.00 (cloth). ISBN 0-80280323-7. IN THIS SIGNIFICANT BOOK, THE distinguished New Testament scholar and Christian ethicist from Hope College makes his contribution to the renewed effort to describe the significance of Jesus (as remembered in the New Testament) for contemporary Christian moral reflection and existence. Verheys book contains five parts: an introductory section on scripture in the moral life of the church, plus four sections devoted to specific topics—sickness, gender and sexuality, economics, and politics.

Book Review: Philippians: A Commentary in the Wesleyan TraditionPhilippians: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition by FlemmingDean E. New Beacon Bible Commentary. Beacon Hill, Kansas City, 2009. 255 pp.

FROM THE PEN OF THE PROLIFIC PROFESSOR of New Testament comes yet another helpful work on Paul. This one is designed to update students, pastors, and biblical scholars (who are not specialists in Paul) on the explosion of scholarship and new perspectives on the apostle in the last two decades. It draws on his earlier narrative interpretation of Paul (Pauls Narrative Thought World [Westminster John Knox, 1994]) and his commentaries on the Corinthian correspondence, Galatians, and Philippians.

25.99. ISBN 978-0-8341-2411-0.

theology, the church, and feminism are themselves extraordinarily constructive, reflecting her awareness of the ambiguity of her own identity as a feminist, Christian, practical theologian. She successfully resists any temptation to sever a connection between productive and reproductive labor, as well as any urge to romanticize or to mystify mothers, children, and work in the public arena. Connecting child rearing to work in the public arena, including a mother s perspective in human development in a theological context, and extending mothering as a responsibility to be shared by all adults make this work a major original contribution to all branches of theology, as well as to most fields of theological studies. A truly strong piece of work, the books one limitation, which can be easily rectified in future printings, is the lack of a good index.