The next few weeks will be one of the most exciting seasons for Pauline studies. A number of significant books have been/will be published by senior scholars, reflecting the fruit of their labours.
For those of us in Malaysia, we could only wish that Ringgit had not been heading south!
For those of us in Malaysia, we could only wish that Ringgit had not been heading south!
 Reading Romans in Context: Paul and Second Temple Judaism, by Ben C. Blackwell, John K. Goodrich, and Jason Maston (Zondervan, 2015, already released) This is a helpful book suited for students struggling to make sense of Romans in light of Second Temple Jewish literature. In this collection of essays, a major unit of Paul’s letter to the Romans is paired with a related Jewish text, and this allows readers to understand how these comparative texts shape Paul’s thoughts and illuminate our understanding of Romans.  Paul and His Recent Interpreters, N.T. Wright (Fortress, forthcoming, Oct 2015). This is the 3rd volume of Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God. In this volume, Wright engages with interpreters of Paul, and I will be interested to see how Wright respond to his critiques and the reactions to this work. How can one live without Wright, considering that there are now a total of 2,744 pages in his volume on Paul in the Christian Origins and the Question of God series! (Am I the only one who think that Wright needs to learn the art of "ringkasan karangan"?)  Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought, by E.P. Sanders (Fortress, forthcoming, Dec 2015). E.P. Sanders, a household name in NT studies who changes the tide of Pauline scholarship with his Paul and Palestinian Judaism (Fortress Press, 1977), now offers an expansive introduction to the apostle (600 pages!). This will certainly be a useful book to be included in the reading list for my class. |  Paul and the Gift, John M.G. Barclay (Eerdmans, 2015, already published). John Barclay from Durham, examines Paul’s theology of grace in this book, a product of many years of the study of Paul. Barclay sees Paul’s theology of grace from the perspective of ancient notions of gift. This book will surely be an important reading on Paul and Pauline theology and I am looking forward to reading it.  God and the Faithfulness of Paul: A Critical Examination of the Pauline Theology of N. T. Wright, Michael F. Bird, Christoph Heilig and J. Thomas Hewitt, eds. (Mohr Siebeck, forthcoming, Nov 2015) This volume brings together a group of scholars to critically evaluate N. T. Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God, covering wide-ranging issues including methodology, first-century contextual issues, exegetical considerations, and theological implications. This volume will not only be a great companion to Paul and the Faithfulness of God but also bring readers into dialogue with current Pauline scholarship.  The Epistle to the Romans, by Richard N. Longenecker (Eerdmans, forthcoming, Dec 2015). This is the long-awaited commentary from a season and matured scholar. While the list of commentaries on Romans is already long enough, I still believe there is room for one more. I look forward to interacting with Longenecker and learning from his insights. I am contemplating using this commentary for my Exegesis of Romans class in future. |
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