Description
Erudite and authoritative, Paul’s Message and Ministry in Covenant Perspective is the fruit of twenty-five years of scholarship about the theology and life of the apostle Paul, now made available for the first time to a wider audience. Confronting the questions raised by the history of Pauline thought since F.C. Baur, Scott J. Hafemann’s essays focus on how Paul’s self-understanding shaped everything, from his message to the driving force behind his ministry, and his consequent call to suffer for the sake of his churches. Hafemann’s work reveals that Paul’s views of redemption, of his own redemptive mission, and of the life of the redeemed all derived from a central point: his eschatological conviction that the purpose of the new covenant established by Jesus was to prepare the way for when Christ returns on Judgement Day.
About the Author
Scott J. Hafemann is Reader in New Testament at St Mary’s College, School of Divinity, at the University of St Andrews.
Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
Abbreviations of Ancient Sources
Part One: Paul’s Message
1. Paul and His Interpreters since F.C. Baur
2. Reading Paul’s ΔIKAIO-Language: A Response to Douglas Campbell’s “Rereading Paul’s ΔIKAIO-Language”
3. Paul’s “History-of-Redemption” Use of the Old Testament in 2 Corinthians
4. The Comfort and Power of the Gospel: The Argument of 2 Corinthians 1-3
5. The Glory and Veil of Moses in 2 Corinthians 3:7-14: An Example of Paul’s Contextual Exegesis of the Old Testament
6. The Sum of the Matter: Paul’s Understanding of Perseverance
Part Two: Paul’s Ministry
7. Paul’s “Jeremiah” Ministry in Reverse and the Reality of the New Covenant
8. “Because of Weakness” (Gal 4:13): The Role of Suffering in the Mission of Paul
9. Pastoral Suffering: Recovering Paul’s Model of Ministry in 2 Corinthians
10. The “Temple of the Spirit” as the Inaugural Fulfillment of the New Covenant
11. Paul’s Concern for the Unity of the Church: An Embodiment of His New Covenant Theology
12. Divine Judgment and the Completion of the Missionary Task: Paul’s Motivation for Ministry in 1-2 Thessalonians
13. The Sum of the Ministry: Challenges to Paul’s Exclusive Gospel
Bibliography
Endorsements and Reviews
Over several years, Scott Hafemann has been steadily amassing a portfolio of impressive work on Paul within his larger biblical and covenantal context. This opens up dimensions that are often ignored or downplayed but which are arguably vital to any serious historical and theological reading of the great apostle. The present volume makes this important work freshly available so that it can have the impact it deserves.
N.T. Wright, Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, University of St. Andrews
It is excellent to have Hafemann’s essays collected together here, and updated to include the latest scholarship. This book encapsulates Hafemann’s combination of exegetical skill and theological interest, which are all too rare in Pauline studies.
Simon Gathercole, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, University of Cambridge
… masterful and insightful … This volume is highly recommended for scholars and graduate students working on Paul or the New Testament… Certain essays will also prove beneficial for certain other audiences as well, particualrly pastoral leaders and undergraduates.
Jacob J. Prahlow, in Heythrop Journal, Vol 57, Issue 4
… adds a distinctive voice to today’s lively discussions of Pauline theology.
John Tudno Williams, in Journal for the Study of The New Testament: Booklist 2017, Vol 39, No 5
The author presents some interesting points and arguments that are important to wrestle with. The work as a whole, however, is dated in several aspects since the majority of the collected essays are already two decades behind the recent developments in Pauline studies.
Ronald Charles, in Theological Book Review, Vol 27, No 2
