(nt3) Paulinetheology Centre Of Theology

New Testament 3

Pauline Theology

Centre of Paul's Theology The search: Augustine (grace), Luther (justification), Bultmann (new being in Christ) The battle: ● Justification by faith ○ God's divine act of imputing Christ's righteousness to sinner's accounts ○ ~50% of δικαιο- language in NT is in Paul. (though more in Romans and Galatians) ○ Critique 1: Luther reads in his own personal struggles against the Catholic church ○ Reponse 1: Rom 1-3 – universal sin and guilt ○ Critique 2: It's only mentioned in passages dealing with Jew/Gentile issues ○ Response 2: How much is enough proof? It's the framework behind all Paul's thought ● Union with Christ ○ Schweitzer suggests Paul created itt o explain the delay in parousia ○ Key texts: Rom 6.10, 11; 8.1, 2; 2 Cor 5.17 ○ Claim 1: Sheer amount of data ἐν, συν and participatory metaphors ○ Response 1: Pervasiveness ≠ centrality ○ Claim 2: uniqueness of concept, early stage formation on Damascus Road. Judicial language came later. ○ Response 2: juridical ideas can be seen at the Damascus Road ○ Claim 3: ethics in Paul derive from 'in Christ' thinking ○ Response 3: Rom 14.23 - 'But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.' ○ Claim 4: justification by faith serves participation, not vice versa ○ Response 4: 2 Cor 5.14-21, esp vv14, 15. - '14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.' The verdict: ● not a false dichotomy ● Paul had a complex theological framework The problem with 'the centre' 1. What does it mean? ○ it generates all other doctrines? ○ it assumes basic coherence in Paul's writings 2. Methodological problems ○ does Paul tell us what his central thought is? ○ which texts should we consider? do some have primacy over others? ○ what order of the texts? chronological, development of thinking? ○ what role should we give to the traditions Paul inherited? 3. Contingency or coherence? ○ contingency – each letter written ad hoc for a specific situation ○ coherence – Pauling corpus has substructure of coherent core of thought. 1

New Testament 3 ○

Pauline Theology

what kind of coherence? ■ theological – one God, his son and the gospel? ■ narrative – paul's life story, his missionary journeys ● Ben Witherington – (4 inter related stories) ○ world gone wrong ○ story of Israel in the world ○ story of Christ in the world ○ story of Christians in the world ● Tom Wright – whole story of God, Israel and the world as compressed in the person and life of Jesus Christ.

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