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Galatians and Christian Theology: Justification, The Gospel, And Ethics In Paul's Letter
Galatians, a key source for Pauline theology, treats such issues as the Gospel and the nature of justification and includes many topics of keen contemporary interest. In this volume, some of the world's top Christian scholars offer cutting-edge scholarship on how Galatians relates to theology and ethics.
The stellar list of contributors includes John Barclay, Beverly Gaventa, Richard Hays, Bruce McCormack, and Oliver O'Donovan. As they emphasize the contribution of Galatians to Christian theology and ethics, the contributors explore how exegesis and theology meet, critique, and inform each other.
400 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 2014
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43 people want to read
About the author
Mark W. Elliott
24 booksMark W. Elliott (PhD, University of Cambridge) is reader in church history and head of the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews.
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December 15, 2014
In 2012 a large group of scholars gathered at St. Andrews for the fourth in a series of triennial Scripture and Theology conferences. This particular year’s focus was upon Galatians and Christian Theology. The results of this conference were published in this extensive collection of essays.
This collection of essays is comprised of three sections: Justification, Gospel, and Ethics. The actual conference was not arranged according to these three topics, but as the publisher edited the collection, it became clear that all the presentations fit quite neatly (in most cases) into one of these artificial categories.
On interesting aspect of this collection is the cross-disciplinary nature of many of the papers. Naturally some papers are written by specialists who stick to their particular area of knowledge (i.e. Wright on Messiahship in Galatians), but many of the biblical scholars and theologians ventured on to the other side of their academic divide. Systematicians dove into exegesis and exegetes dove into systematics. All this makes for some really interesting essays!
On of the most interesting sections in the book was the Gospel section. I probably found this to be the case since I have more of a bent towards systematic theology… When considering the gospel in Galatians, the editors write, one is “lead to the meaty matters of the ordo salutis, as well as to issues of time, eternity, election , and God’s very being as Trinity.”
One final aspect of this collection that I really appreciated was the sensitivity of (most of) the authors in paying attention to the history of theology and biblical interpretation. Rather than simply sticking to “brand spanking new” insights, most essays interacted in significant ways with the history of the church’s interpretation of this letter.
Highlights
This collection contains a total of 23 essays; 10 devoted to the issue of justification, 7 devoted to the gospel, and 6 devoted to ethics. To address each of these essays is beyond the scope of this brief review, but I will give some personal highlights.
Ch 1- Messiaship in Galatians? N.T. Wright. Typical Wright, talking about exile and justification. He argues for the importance of Messiahship in “christos-based incorporative language.” He also argues that Messiah as true Israel is at the heart of Paul’s participatory soteriology. In other words, God’s people are summed up in the Messiah.
Ch. 11 – The Singularity of the Gospel Revisited – Beverly Roberts Gaventa. The Gospel’s singularity deals not only with the fact that there is only one gospel, but also with its “singular, all-encompassing action in the lives of human beings.” The gospel makes claims upon all things.
Ch. 12 – Apocalyptic Poiesis in Galatians – Richard Hays. He tries to move past the redemptive-historical vs. apocalyptic dichotomy often presented in readings of Paul’s letters. In this essay he argues that “Paul is seeking to reshape the imagination of his readers, seeking to narrate them into a symbolic world where God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the Spirit are powerfully at work to bring a new world into being.”
Ch. 17 - Heirs Through God: Galatians 4:4-7 and the Doctrine of the Trinity – Scott R. Swain. He defends the need for theological interpretation of scripture because scripture is the “seat of doctrine.” He shows how Galatians 4:4-7 is a “seat of doctrine” for the doctrine of the Trinity. He analyses the grammar of divine agency in this passage and shows the God’s action in Christ and the Spirit is not “mediated” action – it is immediate. Hence showing the rational behind the Trinity.
Ch. 19 - “Indicative Imperative” as the substructure of Paul’s theology and Ethics in Galatians? – Volker Rabens. Many of us who preach have learned about the importance of the indicative-imperative distinction in Paul’s letters. Well this distinction is being challenged. Rabens interacts with one of this model’s primary critics – Zimmermann – and shows that although the indicative-imperative distinction is not the be-all-end-all mode of ethics for Paul, it is certainly an important aspect. In fact if we want to be faithful to Paul’s words and he particular grammar he actually uses, we ought to see Paul’s ethics as implicit indicatives and implicit imperatives. Paul doesn’t always explicitly talk about indicatives-imperatives, but he certainly thinks this way.
All in all, I recommend this book. It offers some of the most up to date discussion of important topics in Galatians. It also provides a window into contemporary Pauline studies (which according to this book revolves around apocalyptic readings of Paul). Every reader will be able to find something that interests them in this book; for some that might be exegesis, for others it might be biblical theology, and even for others it might be historical or systematic theology. Its all here!
(Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an impartial review.)
This collection of essays is comprised of three sections: Justification, Gospel, and Ethics. The actual conference was not arranged according to these three topics, but as the publisher edited the collection, it became clear that all the presentations fit quite neatly (in most cases) into one of these artificial categories.
On interesting aspect of this collection is the cross-disciplinary nature of many of the papers. Naturally some papers are written by specialists who stick to their particular area of knowledge (i.e. Wright on Messiahship in Galatians), but many of the biblical scholars and theologians ventured on to the other side of their academic divide. Systematicians dove into exegesis and exegetes dove into systematics. All this makes for some really interesting essays!
On of the most interesting sections in the book was the Gospel section. I probably found this to be the case since I have more of a bent towards systematic theology… When considering the gospel in Galatians, the editors write, one is “lead to the meaty matters of the ordo salutis, as well as to issues of time, eternity, election , and God’s very being as Trinity.”
One final aspect of this collection that I really appreciated was the sensitivity of (most of) the authors in paying attention to the history of theology and biblical interpretation. Rather than simply sticking to “brand spanking new” insights, most essays interacted in significant ways with the history of the church’s interpretation of this letter.
Highlights
This collection contains a total of 23 essays; 10 devoted to the issue of justification, 7 devoted to the gospel, and 6 devoted to ethics. To address each of these essays is beyond the scope of this brief review, but I will give some personal highlights.
Ch 1- Messiaship in Galatians? N.T. Wright. Typical Wright, talking about exile and justification. He argues for the importance of Messiahship in “christos-based incorporative language.” He also argues that Messiah as true Israel is at the heart of Paul’s participatory soteriology. In other words, God’s people are summed up in the Messiah.
Ch. 11 – The Singularity of the Gospel Revisited – Beverly Roberts Gaventa. The Gospel’s singularity deals not only with the fact that there is only one gospel, but also with its “singular, all-encompassing action in the lives of human beings.” The gospel makes claims upon all things.
Ch. 12 – Apocalyptic Poiesis in Galatians – Richard Hays. He tries to move past the redemptive-historical vs. apocalyptic dichotomy often presented in readings of Paul’s letters. In this essay he argues that “Paul is seeking to reshape the imagination of his readers, seeking to narrate them into a symbolic world where God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the Spirit are powerfully at work to bring a new world into being.”
Ch. 17 - Heirs Through God: Galatians 4:4-7 and the Doctrine of the Trinity – Scott R. Swain. He defends the need for theological interpretation of scripture because scripture is the “seat of doctrine.” He shows how Galatians 4:4-7 is a “seat of doctrine” for the doctrine of the Trinity. He analyses the grammar of divine agency in this passage and shows the God’s action in Christ and the Spirit is not “mediated” action – it is immediate. Hence showing the rational behind the Trinity.
Ch. 19 - “Indicative Imperative” as the substructure of Paul’s theology and Ethics in Galatians? – Volker Rabens. Many of us who preach have learned about the importance of the indicative-imperative distinction in Paul’s letters. Well this distinction is being challenged. Rabens interacts with one of this model’s primary critics – Zimmermann – and shows that although the indicative-imperative distinction is not the be-all-end-all mode of ethics for Paul, it is certainly an important aspect. In fact if we want to be faithful to Paul’s words and he particular grammar he actually uses, we ought to see Paul’s ethics as implicit indicatives and implicit imperatives. Paul doesn’t always explicitly talk about indicatives-imperatives, but he certainly thinks this way.
All in all, I recommend this book. It offers some of the most up to date discussion of important topics in Galatians. It also provides a window into contemporary Pauline studies (which according to this book revolves around apocalyptic readings of Paul). Every reader will be able to find something that interests them in this book; for some that might be exegesis, for others it might be biblical theology, and even for others it might be historical or systematic theology. Its all here!
(Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an impartial review.)
May 3, 2015
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatians has served as a basis for some intense discussion among scholars and even laymen throughout the centuries since it was penned. Covering important theological topics such as justification, the gospel, law, and grace, it is quite important that a proper understanding of such topics exist and how they should be applied to the Christian life. A collection of essays from the St Andrews Galatians and Christian Theology Conference hosted in 2012, Galatians and Christian Theology: Justification, the Gospel, and Ethics in Paul’s Letter is a collection of plenary discussions provided at that conference.
This is not a book one can read through quickly. Each essay is very scholarly and explores each subject with a great deal of information. I would submit that unless one is familiar with the body of scholarship surrounding the various topics addressed in these essays, the material can be quite overwhelming. With that said, those who take the time to read this book will find they will have a much deeper understanding of the current conversation surrounding this important Pauline epistle.
The book is divided into three parts with a total of twenty-three essays. While conference itself was not specifically divided along the three themes of justification, gospel, and ethics, the conversation and engagement between those who presented at the conference seemed to naturally fall along those lines and thus the essays in this book are aligned along those themes to try and capture that flow of thought.
It is evident that Martin Luther’s commentary and thoughts on Galatians continue to highly impact the overall discussion. Luther’s writings form the discussion of at least three of the essays in this book and rightfully so. I also appreciated the essay on the discussion of Galatians in the early church as it provides a valuable snapshot of how the early church leaders approached and applied the theology of Paul’s letter. Many times tracing the flow of thought in church history can be quite valuable in assessing how various doctrines have been understood and applied and the issue of how to best understand and approach the theological statements in Paul’s letter to the Galatians is no different in that regard.
I also appreciated the discussion by Volker Rabens in his essay on the indicative and imperative model of ethics in Galatians. This is a highly important concept to grasp and I found the provision of criticisms of this model followed by well thought out and biblically astute responses to those criticisms to be a valuable way of outlining the importance of understanding the indicative and imperative model as revealed in Galatians. As noted by Rabens, “As believers let the Spirit draw them into transforming and empowering relationships with God and the community of faith and then live according to the values set forth in Paul’s gospel, the depth of their relationship to God and others will increase.”
As noted earlier, this is a collection of essays that will challenge the reader into a deeper understanding of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. While not an easy read, it is nevertheless well worth the time and effort. There is much information to come back to for further study and the footnotes along in each essay certainly provided even more food for thought. I recommend this book for anyone interested in digging even deeper into Galatians and understanding both the historical and current scholarly commentary surrounding Galatians. The reader may certainly not agree (or understand for that matter) all that is discussed in this collection of essays; however, I found the discussion to be informative and important.
I received this book for free from Baker Academic for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This is not a book one can read through quickly. Each essay is very scholarly and explores each subject with a great deal of information. I would submit that unless one is familiar with the body of scholarship surrounding the various topics addressed in these essays, the material can be quite overwhelming. With that said, those who take the time to read this book will find they will have a much deeper understanding of the current conversation surrounding this important Pauline epistle.
The book is divided into three parts with a total of twenty-three essays. While conference itself was not specifically divided along the three themes of justification, gospel, and ethics, the conversation and engagement between those who presented at the conference seemed to naturally fall along those lines and thus the essays in this book are aligned along those themes to try and capture that flow of thought.
It is evident that Martin Luther’s commentary and thoughts on Galatians continue to highly impact the overall discussion. Luther’s writings form the discussion of at least three of the essays in this book and rightfully so. I also appreciated the essay on the discussion of Galatians in the early church as it provides a valuable snapshot of how the early church leaders approached and applied the theology of Paul’s letter. Many times tracing the flow of thought in church history can be quite valuable in assessing how various doctrines have been understood and applied and the issue of how to best understand and approach the theological statements in Paul’s letter to the Galatians is no different in that regard.
I also appreciated the discussion by Volker Rabens in his essay on the indicative and imperative model of ethics in Galatians. This is a highly important concept to grasp and I found the provision of criticisms of this model followed by well thought out and biblically astute responses to those criticisms to be a valuable way of outlining the importance of understanding the indicative and imperative model as revealed in Galatians. As noted by Rabens, “As believers let the Spirit draw them into transforming and empowering relationships with God and the community of faith and then live according to the values set forth in Paul’s gospel, the depth of their relationship to God and others will increase.”
As noted earlier, this is a collection of essays that will challenge the reader into a deeper understanding of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. While not an easy read, it is nevertheless well worth the time and effort. There is much information to come back to for further study and the footnotes along in each essay certainly provided even more food for thought. I recommend this book for anyone interested in digging even deeper into Galatians and understanding both the historical and current scholarly commentary surrounding Galatians. The reader may certainly not agree (or understand for that matter) all that is discussed in this collection of essays; however, I found the discussion to be informative and important.
I received this book for free from Baker Academic for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews