Abstract
Issuing from a conference at Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia, in 2014, this volume comprises fourteen papers devoted to the theme of the apostle Paul as pastor. The overall objective of these ‘initial soundings’ (p. xi) in the topic will strike many as laudable: to help foster serious academic research on Paul’s pastoral practice which will, in turn, serve as an encouragement to practicing Christian pastors.
The volume begins with an orientation chapter from Brian Rosner: ‘The Household Setting of Paul’s Pastoral Practice and Its Biblical and Jewish Roots’. Rosner gives an overview of the status quaestionis, the key Pauline passages, and some of the previous scholarship. He focuses on the familial aspect of Paul’s pastoral discourse and deals with the objection that such language is purely metaphorical. He argues that such family imagery primarily derives chiefly from Jewish sources and the Jesus tradition rather than Graeco-Roman philosophy.
The coverage of texts featuring Paul – including Acts and the Pastoral Epistles – is extensive. Each of the next ten essays treats an individual letter (group): Acts (Thompson), Romans (Kruse), 1 Corinthians (Malcolm), 2 Corinthians (Barnett), Galatians (Bird and Dunne), Ephesians (Orr), Philippians (Harris), Colossians (Malone), 1 Thessalonians (Burke), Pastorals (Yarbrough). There is a healthy range of perspectives and styles. Some pieces, notably those on Galatians and 1 Thessalonians, are more scholarly and would be worthy of any major New Testament journal. Some which focus on contemporary application than finer exegetical points are perhaps more geared towards practitioners rather than scholars. Some will regret that there is only one essay from a female scholar, Sarah Harris, who argues that the disagreement between Euodia and Syntyche is the central concern of Philippians. In most cases, the relevant passages are well-analysed, although I wonder if, for instance, Malcolm’s contribution could have ventured past 1 Corinthians 1-4 into later chapters, where there are clear pastoral themes (e.g., prophecy as paraklesis and paramuthia, resurrection hope). The final three chapters provide some fruitful insights from somewhat different angles: the Church of England’s First Ordinal (Patrick), Augustine (Bain), the ministries of George Whitefield and Jonathan Edwards (Bezzant).
These articles are a welcome contribution on an underappreciated aspect of Paul. My main criticism is that the Graeco-Roman context has been overlooked: the influential studies of Malherbe are only briefly considered; and the important ancient notion of psychagogy is only mentioned once in passing – in relation not to Paul but to Augustine. This was a missed opportunity. Although the collection does not pretend to be top-tier scholarship, experienced Pauline scholars could certainly profit from it, even if they do not share the faith perspectives of the writers or the conservative views on Pauline authorship. Perhaps most importantly, these contributions will no doubt refresh the spirits of the target audience: Christian pastors, seminarians, and informed laypeople.