Second title in the R.E.D.S doctrine series Critiquing the New Perspective on Paul Covenantal Nomism versus Reformed Covenantal Theology

Can someone please explain this "New Perspective on Paul"? Where did it come from and will it help or hinder Christian interpreters to grasp the apostle's writings more clearly? In The New Perspective on Paul: An Introduction, Kent Yinger provides concise, readable, and authoritative answers to these and other questions currently exercising students of Paul.

[(The New Perspective on Paul)] [By (author) James D G Dunn] published on (January, 2008) by James D G Dunn (2008).

For those inspired by Barclay’s Paul and the Gift Over the course of his academic career, John M. G. Barclay has transformed how we think about Paul. Barclay’s contributions to Pauline Studies reached a new height with the publication of his award-winning Paul and the Gift, in which he presents a sophisticated reading of Paul’s theology of grace within the context of gift-giving in the Greco-Roman world. But where does Pauline scholarship go from here? Featuring a diverse group of internationally renowned scholars, The New Perspective on Grace collects essays inspired by Barclay’s magnum opus. These essays broadly explore the implications of grace and gift across a variety of fields: biblical studies, theology, reception history, and theology in practice. Topics include: • Paul’s soteriology • The role of grace in Paul’s life and ministry • Implications of the New Perspective on Paul • Divine giving in the Gospels • Gift-giving and Christian aesthetics • Interpretations of Pauline grace from the patristic period to the present • Self-giving and self-care • Grace and ministry in marginalized communities The New Perspective on Grace is essential reading for all students and scholars who want to understand the current state of Pauline scholarship. Contributors: Edward Adams, Dorothea H. Bertschmann, Ben C. Blackwell, David Briones, Marion L. S. Carson, Stephen J. Chester, Susan Grove Eastman, Troels Engberg-Pedersen, Simon Gathercole, Beverly Roberts Gaventa, John K. Goodrich, Judith M. Gundry, Jane Heath, David G. Horrell, Jonathan A. Linebaugh, Joel Marcus, Orrey McFarland, Dean Pinter, Todd D. Still, Paul Trebilco, Michael Wolter

The so-called "New Perspective on Paul" has become a provocative way of understanding Judaism as a pattern of religion characterized by "covenantal nomism," which stands in contrast to the traditional, Lutheran position that argues that the Judaism against which Paul responded was "legalistic." This "new perspective" of first-century Judaism has remarkably changed the landscape of Pauline studies, but it has done so in relative isolation from the Pastoral Epistles, which are considered by most critical scholarship to be pseudonymous. Because of this lack of interaction with the Pastoral Epistles this study seeks to test the hermeneutic of the New Perspective on Paul from a canonical perspective. This study is not a polemic against the New Perspective on Paul, but an attempt to test its hermeneutic within the Pastoral Epistles. Four basic tenets of the New Perspective on Paul, taken from the writings of E. P. Sanders, N. T. Wright, and James D. G. Dunn, are identified and utilized to choose the passages in the Pastoral Epistles to be studied to test the New Perspective's hermeneutic outside "undisputed" Paul. The four tenets are as follows: Justification/Salvation, Law and Works, Paul's View of Judaism, and the Opponents. Based on these tenets, the passages considered are 1 Tim 1:6-16; 2:3-7; 2 Tim 1:3, 8-12; and Titus 3:3-7.

Paul writes that we are justified by faith apart from 'works of the law', a disputed term that represents a fault line between 'old' and 'new' perspectives on Paul. Was the Apostle reacting against the Jews' good works done to earn salvation, or the Mosaic Law's practices that identified the Jewish people? Matthew J. Thomas examines how Paul's second century readers understood these points in conflict, how they relate to 'old' and 'new' perspectives, and what their collective witness suggests about the Apostle's own meaning. Surprisingly, these early witnesses align closely with the 'new' perspective, though their reasoning often differs from both viewpoints. They suggest that Paul opposes these works neither due to moralism, nor primarily for experiential or social reasons, but because the promised new law and covenant, which are transformative and universal in scope, have come in Christ.

New Testament studies are witnessing many exciting developments, and Douglas Campbell's groundbreaking publications offer an important contribution to future discussions about Paul. Campbell tackles familiar problems relating to justification, 'old'and 'new' perspectives, and much more besides, in fresh and exciting ways. In doing so he sets down one profound challenge after another to all those involved in Pauline studies. As a consequence, his work demands extended and serious deliberation. This book seeks to facilitate academic engagement with Campbell's work in a unique way. It contains chapters summarizing key themes in his thinking, reflections from friendly critics that aim to challenge or extend his ideas, and his own responseto these interlocutors. In this way, the book allows readers to be drawn into a vitally important conversation. It is academic theology in the making and constitutes a cutting edge in Pauline studies.