Chapter Six: Beyond Old and New Perspectives
S.1. Preamble (p167)
list of intrinsic difficulties (p168-70). Summaries of concerns (p171-72).
S.2. Concerns of Pauline Interpreters
2.1 Krister Stendahl (p172): Paul characterised as introvert (Augustine, Luther and Freud) contra Philippians 3.2-11 of "robust conscience: (p173). Stendahl insightful but non-systematic; Anachronistic hermeneutics; circumstantial re-framing; specifics: 1. Jt individualist; Paul caught between two peoples 2. JT requires introspection (p174) but inadequate evidence 3. The generalisations of JT obscure Paul on the particular 4. Why would JT attack Jews when Paul is mission to Gentiles? 5. Biography and conversion distorted by JT (p175).
2.2 Participatory and Transformational (p176): Unhelpfully dubbed "mystical" the alternative participatory soteriology to JT.
Excursus: Wrede Construal: contradictory but overall revelatory (p177); Paul's idea of redemption can be presented regardless of Judaism and J, based round the resurrected Christ (p176): the concrete reality of the Christian's participation in Christ; the inaugurated nature of this participation; the imminence of Christ's return for Paul; and the present reality and guarantee of the Spirit: "Christ becomes what we are, that we through his death may become what he is"; the appropriation of salvation (wrongly says Campbell) through faith and Baptism; salvation history; the centrality of love (p179). The sacramental church is the new humanity; soteriology: simple, unconditional, grounded in benevolence (Father and Son) transformational; Paul's doctrine can be articulated without JT which is only "the polemical doctrine of Paul" (p180) to free Christianity from Judaism and to assert its salvific superiority (p181); further elaborations of Wrede (p182).
Excursus: Traditional but Problematic Solutions: is Paul coherent or incoherent (p183)? Previous arguments showing incompatibility of JT and alternatives recapitulated (Chapters 1/3) (p184-85). The solution of "sanctification": Christians try to become (R 5-8) what J has made them (R 1-4) (p186): Paul is never explicit; the two languages are parallel not sequential; it does not eliminate any of the major contradictions (p187); sanctification must be subordinated to J.
2.3 The Apocalyptic Protest: Kasemann (p188): "... the sovereignty of God, the unconditional nature of the divine action within the world, the robust ethical commitment of God's resulting community called into being by the Christ event, and the reality of eschatology, in relation both to God's present divine intervention and to the coming consummation" (jp189). Martyn: "... Gospel is visited upon Paul and his churches essentially unconditionally, by grace and by revelation", liberative soteriology and inaugurated eschatology, Christ and his church leading to ethics. Matlock's query on ambiguities in "apocalyptic" (p190); Campbell justifies the term (p191).
2.4 Contradictoriness: Westerholm (p192).
Excursus: Raisanen: on the Law: i. Radical abolition and partial force; Law supported by JT provides no ground for abolition of ethics (p193). ii. Law as temporary clashes with JT. iii. Paul's call for legal perfectionism clashes with what Paul says about Judaism and what it says of itself. iv. On the origins of sin clash between timeless view that Law exposes sin in all and historic view that it results from Adam’s fall. v. Is Paul's account of the Torah anthropological or Christological (p194)? vi. JT dictates a certain biographical stance. Raisanen ignores the apocalyptic, the hermeneutic and the Christological.
2.5 Biographical Concerns (p195): (1) JT frames a problematic view of Jewishness. (2) JT frames Paul's call as "conversion" (p196). (3) If Acts is read episodically or, even more so, sequentially it can accord with JT (p197) Galatians and R frame his mission with JT texts. JT can be used to judge Pauline authorship excluding Ephesians, Colossians and 2 Thessalonians (p198-99).
2.6 "Faith" Terminology: Pistis Christo might either be "faith in Christ" or "Christ's faithfulness" (p200).
2.7 Immediate Implications: Recapitulation (p201-2). All the issues linked together in JT; JT and alternative have severe problems (p202).
S.3. Broader Concerns with The pre-Christian Vestibule
3.1 Natural Theology: Barth on R 1.19-20: political in that it allowed the emergence of Nazism and epistemological in that it is foundationalist (p203); all must be subordinated to revealed Trinitarianism. JT foundationalism allows for rejection and legitimises atheism (p204).
3.2 Post Holocaust: JT particular harshness for Jews who do not become Christian; JT offers no constraints on punishment and for Jews in particular (p205); the Holocaust anticipates God's judgment.
3.3 Homosexual Relations: Opposition to homosexual sex is written into JT P1, applies to all and denies special revelation; and as all must know it is wrong, all must be punished (p206); legitimises state coercion. Withdrawal of JT reduces coercion and mobilises hermeneutics.
3.4 Constantinianism: Coercion arises from JT (;p207).
3.5 Totalizing Metanarratives (p208): Postmodernist suspicion of authorial imposition.
3.6 Conversion: JT overlooks Paul's positive contribution to Church practice (p209).
S.4. Broader Concerns with The Consequent Construal of Christianity
4.1 The Trinity and Atonement: JT no intrinsic commitment to Christ's divinity and denies the Spirit, is monotheistic; if Anselm works it is bitheistic denying pneumatology and homoousion (p210); a narrow view of atonement.
4.2 Pneumatology: JT P1 excludes the Spirit.
4.3 Christology (p211): JT designates Christ's task as avoidance of sin so that his sacrifice is perfect.
4.4 Election and Assurance: JT's anxiety versus R 5-8 assurance.
4.5 The Sacraments: in JT sacraments are limited to symbols of atonement and individual belief.
4.6 Ethics and Ecclesiology: ethically scandalous and ecclesiologically tepid. JT renders the idea of the ethical Christian invalid (p213).
4.7 Ecumenism: JT of Luther: " Articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae"
Summary (p214); text box summaries (p215).
S.5. The Implications
Difficulties of JT greater than at the outset, comprehensive and economic, intrinsic: "to avoid ...resolution by failing to acknowledge that it exists is ... to concede its basic correctness' (p216). A theory that dispenses with JT would solve the problems (p217).