Paul and the New Perspective: Second Thoughts on the Origin of Paul's Gospel

by Seyoon Kim

Overview

Understanding Paul and his conversion to Christianity is imperative for a thorough knowledge of the New Testament. In Paul and the New Perspective Seyoon Kim develops his argument that the origin of Paul's gospel lies in two places—his radical conversion at Damascus and his usage of the Jesus tradition in light of Damascus.

This new way of looking at Paul further explains how Paul made strong distinctions between the Spirit and the flesh/law, with further implications for his doctrine of justification. A departure from the New Perspective School represented by James D. G. Dunn, Kim's Paul and the New Perspective offers a thorough and extensive argument for the foundation of the gospel that Paul spread in the first century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802849748
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	08/19/2011
Pages:	354
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Seyoon Kim is professor of New Testament and associate deanfor the Korean D.Min. program at Fuller TheologicalSeminary, Pasadena, California. Among his other books areThe Origin of Paul’s Gospel, “The Son ofMan” as the Son of God, and Paul and the NewPerspective.

Table of Contents

	Preface	xi
	Introduction	xiii
1.	Paul's Conversion/Call, James D. G. Dunn, and the New Perspective on Paul	1
	Dunn's Interpretation	2
	Dunn's Critique of My Thesis	4
	Only an Apostolic Call for the Gentiles?	7
	The Christological Component Not Essential?	13
	The Crucified Christ Only for the Gentiles?	20
	The Problem of the Law	22
	Excursus: Terence L. Donaldson's Theory	35
	What Gospel Did Paul Preach before the Antiochian and Galatian Controversies?	45
	The Doctrine of Justification Developed Only for the Gentile Mission?	53
	"Works of the Law"	57
	The Antithesis between Faith in Christ and "Works of the Law"	60
	The Forensic and Ethical Dimensions of Justification	66
	The Problem of the Law and Liberation from It	70
	"My/Their Own Righteousness"	75
	Conclusion	81
2.	Justification by Grace and through Faith in 1 Thessalonians	85
	No Doctrine of Justification in 1 Thessalonians?	85
	Salvation as Deliverance from the Wrath of God through Christ's Atoning Death	86
	God's Sovereign Initiative and Grace	88
	Not by Works of the Law but by the Holy Spirit	88
	Paul's Initial Preaching (1:9b-10)	90
	By Faith Alone	96
	The Absence of the Terminology "Righteousness/Justification"	97
	Conclusion and Corollaries	98
Appendix	Justification in the Corinthian Correspondence	99
3.	Isaiah 42 and Paul's Call	101
	God "Was Pleased ([characters not reproducible])..."	102
	God's "Call" to Be "a Light to the Gentiles"	103
	"I Immediately Went Away to Arabia"	103
	"Chosen" and "Set Apart"	104
	"The Old Things" and "The New Things"	106
	To Preach the Gospel of God's Saving Judgment or His Righteousness	106
	The Hope of the Gentiles	109
	Unfaltering and Undaunted, to the Ends of the Earth	109
	"A Covenant to the People"	110
	"I Will Put My Spirit on Him"	115
	The Hardening of Israel	123
	Conclusion	126
4.	Paul, the Spirit, and the Law	128
	Galatians 3:10-14 as a Test Case	128
	The Challenges of the New Perspective	130
	The Theory of the Continuing Exile	136
	No Alternative to the Traditional Interpretation	141
	The Judaism of Paul's Day	143
	Revelation of God's Righteousness in the Crucified Christ	152
	The Flesh/Law-Spirit Antithesis	154
	The Origin of the Flesh/Law-Spirit Antithesis	155
	Paul's Experience of the Holy Spirit at His Conversion/Call and Its Impact on His Theology	157
	Conclusion	163
5.	Christ, the Image of God and the Last Adam	165
	Summary of My Thesis	165
	Recent Research on the Tradition-History of the Theophany Vision of Ezekiel 1	174
	Contra James D. G. Dunn Again	176
	Alan F. Segal	184
	The Origin of Adam-Christology	192
	The "Son of Man" Christology Hidden	194
	Christ, the Last Adam, and the Wisdom of God	208
	Conclusion	213
6.	2 Corinthians 5:11-21 and the Origin of Paul's Concept of Reconciliation	214
	Linguistic Background	215
	Uniquely Pauline Terminology within the New Testament	216
	Various Suggestions about Its Origin	218
	2 Corinthians 5:11-21	220
	Conclusion: Origin and Development of the Doctrine of Reconciliation	236
7.	The "Mystery" of Romans 11:25-26 Once More	239
	My Original Thesis in Brief	239
	From Scriptural Exegesis Alone?	242
	The Damascus Revelation and Call	247
	For an Early Dating	250
	Paul's Visit with Peter the Terminus ad Quem?	253
	Conclusion	257
8.	The Jesus Tradition in Paul	259
	Certain or Probable References	259
	Possible Echoes	270
	Continuity/Similarity in Theology and Attitude	275
	Theological Loci and Sayings of Jesus	279
	Narrative Tradition	281
	Paucity and Allusive Character of References	284
	Summary and Conclusion	289
	Bibliography	291
	Conclusion	293
	Bibliography	298
	Index of Modern Authors	318
	Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Texts	322

Editorial Reviews

L.W. Hurtado
"Seyoon Kim offers here a doughty defense of a more traditional reading of Paul, taking on 'the New Perspective.' He lays down a barrage of criticism against James Dunn in particular, contending forcefully that Paul's relativization of Torah sprang immediately from his Damascus road christophany and was not simply a tactical position Paul developed as a consequence of his Gentile mission. This book will be particularly valuable for its critical engagement with current Pauline scholarship and for Kim's proposals about how Paul drew upon biblical and Jewish traditions in his christological views. This is not going to be the last word on Paul and the Torah, but for a vigorous defense of an informed traditionalist case, this book is required reading. "

Peter Stuhlmacher
"Reading Kim's new book is a rewarding and instructive experience."

E. Earle Ellis
"Seyoon Kim gives both a devastating critique of the 'new perspective' school and a very important reaffirmation and development of Pauline christology and of the Reformation understanding of Paul's teaching on justification. This book is an indispensable reference for all Pauline scholars and students."

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