In the last two decades N. T. Wright has produced a succession of connected volumes that explore the nature and origins of Christianity. Wright has consistently argued that Christianity, while indebted to Second Temple Judaism, represents an explosive new development. With major books on method and background, Jesus, and the resurrection already in print, in Paul and the Faithfulness of God, Wright added a comprehensive study of the Apostle to the Gentiles.
Wright’s Paul, as well as his reading of Christianity, is not without its detractors. In The Paul Debate, Wright answers his critics. The five chapters represent a response to the five most questioned elements of his understanding of Paul. The first chapter takes up the question of Paul’s theological coherence, particularly the way in which his Jewish context, and the story about Israel he inherited, interacted with what he came to believe about Jesus, a Christological story. Chapter two follows on by tackling the debate over the background, origin, and implications of Paul’s Christology. The third chapter addresses the questions of covenant and cosmos, narrative and apocalyptic. Chapter four focuses on the debate over Paul’s view of who constitutes the people of God; this chapter also addresses the question of whether justification belongs to Paul’s soteriology or his ecclesiology, or somehow to both. The final chapter then traces debates about method, both Paul’s and ours, as well as questions of discovery and presentation, again, both Paul’s and ours.
The Paul Debate is essential reading for those who both agree and disagree with Wright, and for all who want to understand the compelling voice of one of the most productive and widely read scholars in past decades.
Industry Reviews
In The Paul Debate Wright is a prize fighter in top form. In his earlier Paul and the Faithfulness of God, Wright flexed his considerable intellectual muscle, but what emerged was akin to a sumo wrestler--massive and powerful yet with the ripple of muscle hidden. The stripped-down style of The Paul Debate allows Wright to showcase a svelte, powerful Pauline theology. New moves are on display that readers will not want to miss. -- Matthew W. Bates, Quincy University -- Themelios
This very readable volume will be attractive to interested readers who have neither time nor energy to work through Wright's larger tome. It is a concise summary of an eminent New Testament scholar's interpretation of Paul. -- Thomas D. Stegman, SJ -- Theological Studies
This deceptively slim volume not only introduces the reader to a clear and succinct summary of the major themes of N. T. Wright's substantial contribution to Pauline scholarship, but also exposes the reader to the questions that have informed Wright's arguments and continue to be debated in contemporary studies of Paul. -- Patricia Sharbaugh -- Horizons in Biblical Theology
The Paul Debate answers the critics of Wright's Paul in considerable part by paraphrasing Wright on Paul. As a handy guide to Paul and the Faithfulness of God , it is magnificent. -- Markus Bockmuehl -- Times Literary Supplement
This is an engaging book that will interest those knowledgeable of contemporary debates in Pauline theology. -- John K. Goodrich -- Religious Studies Review
A very clear and accessible exposition of many of the assumptions that drive Paul and the Faithfulness of God and is valuable especially for pastors and students as an orientation to Wrightas overall interpretation of the apostle Paul. -- Andy Johnson -- Interpretation: Journal of Bible and Theology
