Abstract
511
Studies in a Va riety of Aspects of Pa uline Theology
Stanley E. Porter (ed.), Paul and His Theology, Pauline Studies 3 (Leiden: Brill, 2006. €143.00/ $196.00. pp. xiii + 454. ISBN: 978-90-04-15408-7).
Pauline studies continue to be a growth area, and perhaps in that field of research investigating Paul’s theological perspectives is a particularly fertile area. This edited volume on Pauline theology opens with a programmatic essay by Stan Porter addressing one of the perennial questions: ‘Is There a Centre to Paul’s Theology?’ (pp. 1-20). This study serves as an introductory overview to issues that surround the study of Pauline theology. In particular, it seeks to probe the possibility of defining Paul’s theology, and specifically asks ‘whether it is possible to find a center to his thought, and what that center might look like.’ (p. 2). The issue as Porter presents it is that given the contingent nature of the individual epistles, what would constitute a meaningful core conviction that is central enough to unite the various strands of thinking into a coherent whole. Porter does not answer his own question, although he offers some possible directions and alternatives for thoughts. Instead, he employs the question as a heuristic device that explicates the topics covered in the volume as a whole.
Notwithstanding this editorial explanation, while there are many interesting essays in the volume, perhaps like Paul’s theology the coherence of the individual studies is not entirely obvious. Arland Hultgren presents an interest study of ‘The Scriptural Foundations for Paul’s Mission to the Gentiles’ (pp. 21-44). Hultgren argues that especially in the prophetic writings, and above all in Isaiah, Paul is able to find scriptural precedence that envisions the nations coming to serve the God of Israel. The next five essays tackle specific theological themes. David Hay probes the Pauline idea of faith as participation (pp. 45-76); Harrison discusses the concept of electing grace in Paul’s thought (pp. 77-108); Kruse revisits the relationship between the Law and the Spirit in Paul’s theology (pp. 109-130); Porter discusses Paul’s concept of reconciliation (pp. 131-152); and Tan uses linguistic insights to study the major participant mentioned at the opening of Romans as a vehicle for understanding the theological foundation of the epistle. The remaining essays form somewhat of a miscellany. Of particular note is Craig Evans’s study, ‘Paul the Exorcist and Healer’ (pp. 363-379). Evans suggests that the portrayal of Paul as exorcist and healer show that his credential were consistent with those of the other apostles, Paul’s ‘power’ mirror those of Peter and thus validate Paul as apostle to the Gentiles, and that the portrayal of his ‘works of power’ in Acts actually cohere with the admittedly reserved comments made in his letters (p. 379).
There are many interesting gems in this volume. However, these essays are perhaps best seen as a fairly disparate collection treating individual aspects of Pauline theology, with that category being loosely conceived. Nonetheless, there is much of value in this volume.