The Real Paul: Rediscovering His Radical Challenge

Whatever you might think you know about Paul the apostle, prepare to be surprised, advises Scott (The Trouble with Resurrection), the Darbeth distinguished professor emeritus of New Testament at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Okla. Scott explains that he follows the recent work of other New Testament scholars in challenging the “Augustinian/Lutheran interpretation” of a “guilt-ridden” Paul that dominates Christian interpretation. In the easily readable style of an experienced teacher, Scott shows the anachronism of claiming a religious conversion for Paul, which helps readers understand why (the Jewish) Paul so focused on the paradox of Jesus’s crucifixion as victory against Roman ideology. Plumbing the nuances of Paul’s Greek leads to provocative conclusions (modeling “the faithfulness of Jesus” rather than having “faith in Jesus,” for example) that may cause Christian readers to reconsider their own assumptions and beliefs. Some readers might find that enduring questions of some letters’ authorship undermine Scott’s argument, but that’s a small problem in the face of a fine contribution to Pauline scholarship and understanding. (Mar.)