I always love scholars who teach with sensitivity, clarity and a great dose of humor...
Another proponent in the study on Paul is Stephen Westerholm. He ably defended that Augustine and Luther got Paul's basic point correct, even though their critics helped to make it more nuanced and situated in 1st century Judaism.
If you'd like a readable entry point to the issues, can't go wrong with his "Perspectives Old and New on Paul: The "Lutheran" Paul and His Critics"
Rembrandt's painting has a nice effect on the background so meet the 'Lutheran Paul'...
He had a whimsical introduction of meeting Martin Luther at the bookstore with a friend. Luther asked, "What's new on Paul?"
As Westerholm scampered to look for stuffs by Ridderbos or FF Bruce, his friend was quicker to give Luther a tour de force on Ed Sanders, James Dunn and NT Wright...
After reading excerpts from their books, Luther looked around in despair and went to the Self-Help section. Hehehe... luckily, he didn't let go one of his infamous 'zingers'!
Westerholm sums it up:
"We may decide, in the end, that the reading of Paul reached by Augustine, Luther, Cavin, and Wesley after much wrestling with the texts and embraced by generations of scholars who were neither appreciably dumber than we nor less conversant with the Pauline writings, requires modification in the light of later knowledge; I myself believe this is true.
We may even decide that the long-accepted reading should be given up today as hopelessly wrongheaded from the start -- though I myself do not think so. In any case, our own thinking will be stretched by the exercise, we will learn much of the history of Pauline scholarship in the process, and we may even discover an insight or two into the apostolic object of all the wrangling."
Another proponent in the study on Paul is Stephen Westerholm. He ably defended that Augustine and Luther got Paul's basic point correct, even though their critics helped to make it more nuanced and situated in 1st century Judaism.
If you'd like a readable entry point to the issues, can't go wrong with his "Perspectives Old and New on Paul: The "Lutheran" Paul and His Critics"
Rembrandt's painting has a nice effect on the background so meet the 'Lutheran Paul'...
He had a whimsical introduction of meeting Martin Luther at the bookstore with a friend. Luther asked, "What's new on Paul?"
As Westerholm scampered to look for stuffs by Ridderbos or FF Bruce, his friend was quicker to give Luther a tour de force on Ed Sanders, James Dunn and NT Wright...
After reading excerpts from their books, Luther looked around in despair and went to the Self-Help section. Hehehe... luckily, he didn't let go one of his infamous 'zingers'!
Westerholm sums it up:
"We may decide, in the end, that the reading of Paul reached by Augustine, Luther, Cavin, and Wesley after much wrestling with the texts and embraced by generations of scholars who were neither appreciably dumber than we nor less conversant with the Pauline writings, requires modification in the light of later knowledge; I myself believe this is true.
We may even decide that the long-accepted reading should be given up today as hopelessly wrongheaded from the start -- though I myself do not think so. In any case, our own thinking will be stretched by the exercise, we will learn much of the history of Pauline scholarship in the process, and we may even discover an insight or two into the apostolic object of all the wrangling."
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