Browsing the archives for the Paul category

3 Paul Books: Which One Would You Choose?

Let us say that you have a limited amount of time because of, for example, your teaching responsibilities and your nine month old baby at home. And then, let us say you have an option to choose one of three books on Paul to write a five page review with your limited time. Which one [...]

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Paul's Mother Was a Roman Citizen

This is the suggestion of Lynn Cohick in a recent post on Zondervan’s blog Koinonia. I have not come to a conclusion myself regarding the citizenship of Paul. His citizenship plays a significant role in Acts, but is nowhere mentioned in Paul’s actual letters. Historically speaking, then, I think those who argue that Acts invented [...]

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Film: "Birth of a New Religion"

Bartchy had his survey course, “History of Early Christians,” watch a section of a documentary film on Christianity to review. I thought I would share my own thoughts here. Part One of the film “Two Thousand Years: The History of Christianity” (1999), a section entitled “The Birth of a New Religion: 1st and 2nd Centuries,” [...]

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Translation Mischief with Junia, the Female Apostle

In order to share with you an observation I had in class yesterday, I have to share a little background about a certain woman who Paul praises in his letter to the Roman church. In Romans 16:7, amidst his chapter of greetings to specific people in the Roman church, Paul mentions “Junia” who he says [...]

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Blog Action Day: (Ancient) Poverty

Today is blog action day and the theme is poverty. I would like to abbreviate it BAD: Poverty. I thought it might be interesting to look at an excerpt from the book I am currently reading, The Jesus Movement by Stegemann and Stegemann, that addresses poverty in the ancient world. Here is their reflection on [...]

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Hagner's Response to Nanos' Critique

I have just noticed that the SBL session reviewing “Jewish Christianity” (S19-116) is available for free audio download (HT: JC Baker). I will be reflecting on the exchange between Hagner and Nanos a little later (as has Matt Barnes on his blog), but I thought that I would share Hagner’s response to Nanos’ critique here [...]

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Finding balance in the New Perspective debate

Michael Bird has announced that he has a new book out: The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification and the New Perspective (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 2007). From what I gather, Bird approaches the issue from a balanced perspective, trying to summarize both sides and highlight the benefits of both. This balancing act [...]

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Relationship between flesh and law?

What does “works of the flesh” have to do with being “under the law”? That’s the question with which I’m presently wrestling. I don’t have my answer worked out yet (and I’m not sure I ever will), but here are some quotes that are helping me think about it. Dunn is, of course, from the [...]

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Translating Galatians 5:16-26

I have decided to choose Gal 5:16-26 for my 5-6 page exegetical assignment in Paul and the Law because at first glance I really have no idea where it will fit into the whole OPP/NPP debate. I thought it would be best to do my own translation to get me going, so this is my [...]

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Does the New Perspective on Paul call Judaism racist?

There is a criticism of the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) that has come up in our Paul and the Law class several times (first initiated by Dr. Hagner himself) which I find both troublesome and intriguing. It goes like this: in its attempts to absolve 1st century Judaism of a legalistic image, the [...]

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