Title: Perspectives old and new on Paul: the  Lutheran  Paul and his critics. Author: Westerholm, Stephen Perspectives old and new on Paul xix, 488 p. Publisher: Grand Rapids : Eerdmans, 2004

Cole-Arnal, Oscar

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 31Issue 1 Preaching the Gospel in Canada in the 21stCenturyArticle 195-1-2006Perspectives old and new on Paul: the "Lutheran"Paul and his criticsOscar Cole-ArnalFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationCole-Arnal, Oscar (2006) "Perspectives old and new on Paul: the "Lutheran" Paul and his critics ," Consensus: Vol. 31 : Iss. 1 , Article19.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol31/iss1/19refuses to wallow in a sentimentality that acts as if the world werestill enchanted.As a teacher of preaching, I find it refreshing to find a work by ahistorian that takes seriously the media by which we hear andappropriate the Reformation Gospel of God’s grace. WhileMatheson’s book occasionally tends to the romantic (as is the wont ofbooks about imagination), he often just as quickly checks himself andproperly reminds readers of the contradictions and ironies that makehistory what it is. I recommend the book highly for those who wishto consider in a new way not just what but how the Reformationmight be meaningful for us today.David Schnasa JacobsenWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryPerspectives Old and New on Paul:The “Lutheran” Paul and His CriticsStephen WesterholmGrand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2004508 pages, $42 PaperbackI recently had the pleasure of teaching a one-term course on Pauland his letters, for which Westerholm’s fine work on how Paul hasbeen interpreted for the last two thousand years proved to be asuperb resource. I recommend it to all who have interests in thehistorical Paul of the first century, but especially those who seek tounderstand the impact of the apostle to the Gentiles in thesubsequent history of the Christian church, in the scholarly world,and in the recent explosion of healthy Jewish-Christian dialogue. To be sure, this is not a New Testament text as such; rather itfalls more comfortably into the realm of the history of ideas. Afterall, the book begins with an analysis of how Augustine understoodand used Paul. Nonetheless, it remains a valuable work for NewTestament scholars in at least two respects. First, in the last extensive section of his work (“Part III: TheHistorical and the ‘Lutheran’ Paul”), Westerholm provides an in-depth analysis of the Pauline corpus in relation to the veryBook Reviews 177Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2006terminology that so grabbed and drove Martin Luther in the sixteenthcentury: the righteousness of God, the Law, and of course,justification by faith. After covering such great historical thinkers asAugustine, Luther, John Calvin and John Wesley, he turns to variousconflicting visions of Paul found in the twentieth century, and in thissection we find a focus almost entirely on the New Testamentscholarly community. Beginning with such pioneering giants asWilhelm Wrede and Albert Schweitzer he moves swiftly into thatscholarship (both Jewish and Christian) which continues to define thedebate on Paul from the Bultmann School and its critics up to thepresent. From a bird’s-eye view, this grand summary of Paulineimpact from Augustine to our current day is masterful and flawless.Other details deserve similar high praise. In order forWesterholm to use the designation, “the Lutheran Paul,” in thesubtitle of the book, he needed to present a thorough and balancedaccount of Luther’s own perceptions and use of the apostle. Had henot, the book would have collapsed. The section on Luther held upvery well. Westerholm brilliantly demonstrates the historicalcontinuity of Luther’s dominance in Pauline hermeneutics in hisexamination of such twentieth century figures as Rudolf Bultmannand his most renowned pupil, Ernst Käsemann. Moreover theauthor deftly handles the challenges to Bultmannian dominance inhis discussion of such figures as Krister Stendahl and E. P. Sanders.I was pleased and refreshed by his inclusion of high profile Jewishscholars of Paul such as Hans Joachim Schoeps and the more recentDaniel Boyarin. His bibliography of well-known Pauline scholarsand their works provides a valuable tool for interested readers. Westerholm’s study provides a powerfully balanced accountthat treats the entire range of Pauline scholars with integrity andrespect. I have one criticism: I believe that that the study needs tobegin not with Augustine but rather with that most controversialMarcion who challenged the young Jesus Movement with his ownbrand of bifurcated radical Paulinism.In my judgment Perspectives Old and New on Paul lies on thatthin border between required and highly recommended reading for acourse text on Paul. This is especially true, I believe, for those withinthe Lutheran tradition. Although I chose another book on Paul forrequired reading in my course (one that focussed on the first centurycontext), nonetheless I promoted this book unequivocally for my178 Consensushttp://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol31/iss1/19students’ continued study and vocation. In the interim that positiveopinion of Westerholm’s work has not changed.Oscar Cole-ArnalWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryWaterloo, OntarioMartin Bucer: A Reformer and his TimesMartin GreschatTranslated by Stephen E. BuckwalterLouisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2004 (1990).Pp. xii + 334, $42 PaperbackWestminster John Knox Press has performed a commendable service inproducing this English translation of Martin Greschat’s definitive workon the Strasbourg reformer Martin Bucer Martin Bucer: Ein Reformatorund seine Zeit which came out fifteen years ago. Although studies ofBucer have fallen habitually into the category of second-level reformers,one notch below such giants as Luther and Calvin, Greschat’s workunderscores the opinion of numerous academics (self included) whobelieve that Bucer stands out in the period as another such giant both inhis influence at the time and in his vision so often alien to his time.Although the author himself does not take this position in an obviousway he does demonstrate it with a wealth of detail and analysis.Although I find some significant weaknesses in the book, myopinion of it remains overwhelmingly positive. For me, the majorweakness is one I find in all too many books. The author seemsrelatively unaware of any significant role played by women in theStrasbourg Reformation. Katharina Zell, controversial wife of thecity pastor Matthieu Zell, receives a bare mention only three times.Even though Dr. Greschat calls her “the indomitable Katharina Zell(225),” we find virtually no fleshing out whatsoever of her influentialcorrespondence, her courageous support of Reformation pluralismwhich well surpassed that of Bucer, her writings, and her care formarginalised people including refugees from the Peasants’ War.Although the book is a biography of Bucer, most other malereformers mentioned receive more substantial analysis thanBook Reviews 179Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2006

Perspectives old and new on Paul: the  Lutheran  Paul and his critics

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Perspectives old and new on Paul: the Lutheran Paul and his critics

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