Abstract
On April 16–17, 2010, ten scholars met at Wheaton College for the nineteenth annual Wheaton Theology Conference. Jesus, Paul and the People of God is the published version of the presented papers. These essays are intended to be “a kind of Festschrift” (p. 10) for the conference's subject, N. T. Wright, and each essay offers both praise and critique of certain aspects of Wright's work. They also ask how Wright's work can be applied in the church, and each is followed by a brief response by Wright. Although most helpful to those who are familiar with Wright's publications, it is still beneficial to all who desire to understand better Wright's scholarship and its implications for the church.
Part I concerns Wright's work in historical Jesus studies. In chapter 1, Marianne Meyer Thompson asks how Wright's conclusions in Jesus and the Victory of God relate to and could be enriched by the Gospel of John. Richard Hays (chapter. 2) discusses the epistemological and methodological implications of the relationship between canonical story and history, and Sylvia Keesmaat and Brian Walsh (chapter 3) focus on how Wright's portrait of Jesus relates to contemporary issues of economic justice. Nicholas Perrin (chapter 4) expresses gratitude for many of the gains made through Wright's scholarship—his methodology, understanding of Jesus in light of the Old Testament, and integration of soteriology and ecclesiology—while also raising a number of further questions. Especially prominent is Perrin's admonition that Wright should not separate what is joined together scripturally. Wright ends Part I (chapter 6) with an essay on the prospects of historical Jesus studies in the life of the church: viz., the relationship between Christ's divinity and humanity and between the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Part II focuses on Wright's work in Pauline studies and begins with Edith Humphrey's appreciation and critique of Wright's conclusions on righteousness, “apocalyptic,” and the Ascension. Jeremy Begbie follows (chapter 7) by arguing that Wright is popular among, and at the same time has theological critiques to offer, emerging ecclesiologies. Markus Bockmuehl (chapter 8) critiques what he perceives to be Wright's separation between heaven and the renewed earth, and Kevin Vanhoozer proposes a via media concerning the justification debate between Wright and Reformed theologians in chapter 9. Wright concludes Part II (chapter 10) by focusing on what he considers to be the central picture of salvation for Paul, the united family of God, as well as Paul's supporting theological interpretations of monotheism, election, and eschatology as they relate to that central picture.
Jesus, Paul and the People of God does scholarship a great service by placing in one volume a critical appreciation for Wright's work. Even if readers have combed the Wright corpus, this volume will assist them in appreciating the gains of Wright's scholarship and in sharpening their thinking about where Wright is right. But while the authors highlight many of the positive aspects of Wright's scholarship, they also offer gracious but pointed critiques. The content of these critiques grow increasingly uniform as one reads the volume; Wright's view of
There are only two negative aspects to the book, each of which is relatively minor. First, the format of chapter 3, a dialogue, is somewhat distracting and hinders the reader from finding or following the thesis until a certain point in the essay. Second, I found myself desiring longer rejoinders from Wright and wanting his concluding essays in each Part to address some of the repeated criticisms found in the essays. This would have been especially helpful in the Pauline section, as Wright's views on justification have been particularly controversial.
Even with these minor criticisms, Jesus, Paul and the People of God is an immensely helpful volume. It will encourage readers to gain a critical appreciation for Wright's work on Jesus and Paul, as well as to apply that scholarship to their own lives among the people of God.