Recommended Audio on The New Perspectives on Paul

Today, I joined a group of folks at noon at Eastwood Presbyterian Church (Montgomery, AL) for a time of discussion with Rev. Ian Hamilton (see here for a brief introduction). Prior to the formal session, a mother asked for a few book recommendations to help her know how to guide her teenage son with issues concerning covenant theology, the sacraments, and the New Perspectives on Paul.

Regarding critiques of the New Perspectives on Paul, Hamilton recommended the three lectures presented by D. A. Carson. Tim Ashcraft pointed these out to us one year ago today in his post "Critiques on the New Perspective on Paul." You can also find a couple other helpful posts under the label New Perspective on Paul.

Here, again, are links from The Gospel Coalition website:

Jan 1 2008	The New Perspective on Paul, Lecture 3	mp3
Jan 1 2008	The New Perspective on Paul, Lecture 2	mp3
Jan 1 2008	The New Perspective on Paul, Lecture 1	mp3

Recommended Audio on The New Perspectives on Paul

Critiques of the New Perspective on Paul

With the approach of Reformation Day (October 31) I thought it timely to mention some resources to counter a serious challenge to the Protestant Reformers’ way of looking at Paul’ epistles, specifically, the way of viewing Paul’s doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone. This new way of viewing Justification is referred to as the New Perspective on Paul (NPP). It can be called New Perspectives since more than just one new view is promoted. The NPP is not a monolith; however, there are certain features common among writers advocating a fresh reading of Paul.

According to NPP writers

• We need to read Paul’s epistles unfettered by the Reformation’s view since the reformers misread him.
• The Protestant Reformers read the doctrinal controversies of the 16^th Century back into the 1^st Century Judaism of Paul’s day and missed his point.
• Any reading of Paul must deal with the Judaism that Paul was familiar with, referred to as Second Temple Judaism.
• Studying the primary historical sources shows that Second Temple Judaism was not a legalistic religion, but one that emphasized God’s grace in the election of His people.
• Though elected by grace, God’s people were still required to maintain their position in the covenant by obedience to the law.
• Justification has to do with God’s covenant faithfulness and who is in the covenant, not with how a guilty sinner can find acceptance with God.

If you have any familiarity with classical music, you can think of the NPP as variations on a theme. Many writers have different takes on reading Paul, but they all seem agreed that the Reformation view of Justification by Faith should be discarded. Since this doctrine was the centerpiece of the Reformation, the call for abandonment has serious implications. Were the Reformers wrong? Did they cause an unnecessary division in the Church? What should Protestants today think of the Ecumenical Movement? (It actually helps clarify the issues a little since the current pope recently drew a line in the sand with his declaration that Protestant churches are not true churches.) And what should we do with the command to “preach the gospel to every creature”? In light of the NPP’s claims, what should our message be?

I’ve been listening to some informative lectures by D.A. Carson on my mp3 player this week. He is very helpful in understanding the New Perspective. Andy Naselli provides links to many Carson mp3s. You can follow Andy’s links to Carson’s lectures on the NPP, or if you use iTunes, you can go to the Reformed Theological Seminary website and download these lectures, along with many others. Carson gave the same lecture in the UK, which can be downloaded here. He does an excellent job of showing what’s wrong with the NPP and also points out certain things that are good about these studies. It seems that NPP writers make much bolder claims than their studies warrant.

Carson’s treatment of the main players in this movement is tempered by the fact that he knows most of them. He is acquainted with James D.G. Dunn and is a long time friend of N.T. Wright. His tone, while authoritative, is friendly and engaging, not acerbic. You’ll even enjoy a few laughs along the way. In addition, you’ll get good exegesis of specific passages like Romans 3:21-26 and Galatians 2:11-21.

Jason recently provided a couple of posts on the NPP which I recommend you check out. They can be found here and here. He points out many good resources, some of which Carson recommends in his lectures.

I’d like to recommend a book published last year by Banner of Truth—The Gospel of Free Acceptance in Christ: An Assessment of the Reformation and New Perspectives on Paul by Cornelis P. Venema. This book gives a good overview of the different perspectives on Paul and the issues at stake without being overly technical. I read this book earlier this year as a newcomer to the NPP, and it helped me gain a better understanding of the academic changes and challenges of the last 30 years. Venema also wrote Getting the Gospel Right, a smaller book that treats the same subject on a more popular level. I haven’t read this one yet, but it should prove useful in helping church members understand what’s going on in Pauline studies. Click on the link and read Westminster Bookstore’s brief review of this book.

As we observe the 490^th anniversary of the nailing of Luther’s 95 theses, we need to remember that what was at stake nearly 500 years ago is still at stake today: the Gospel.

Critiques of the New Perspective on Paul

Dever & Gathercole on the NPP

Over the weekend, finishing up this AM, I listened to Mark Dever's 9Marks interview (10/06) with Simon Gathercole and Peter Williams. The discussion was dominated by the New Perspective on Paul (NPP) which is Gathercole's area of expertise.

Dr Peter Williams was not brought into the discussion very much, which is a shame. At the time of the interview, he was a Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He, now, is the Warden of Tyndale House in the UK. I would recommend that you read Justin Taylor's interview with Dr Williams.

Dr Simon Gathercole, at the time of the interview, was Senior Lecturer in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He, now, is lecturer in New Testament Studies and Fellow, Fitzwilliam College, the University of Cambridge.

As Dever and Gathercole discussed the NPP issue, mention was made of Gathercole's book Where is Boasting? Early Jewish Soteriology and Paul's Response in Romans 1-5 (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002) [CBD]. Dever asked if this book serves as a good starting point for someone interested in learning about the NPP issue. Gathercole said, "No," so Dever asked him to name a few that would be good. Here's the list I made from their discussion.

Simon Gathercole's recommendations for beginners...

1. Monographs -
1. Stuhlmacher, Peter. Revisiting Paul's Doctrine of Justification: A Challenge to the New Perspective. With an essay by Donald A. Hagner (IVP, 2001). [WTS | CBD]
2. Westerholm, Steve. Perspectives Old and New: The 'Lutheran' and His Critics. (Eerdmans, 2003). [WTS | CBD]
2. Commentaries on Romans -
1. Cranfield, C. E. B. Romans. ICC. 2 volumes (Continuum Int., 1979). [WTS | CBD]
1. Gathercole noted that, although dated in light of the NPP, this commentary continues to be viewed as "a standard." This unabridged set is recommended for the student who is able to deal with the Greek text.
2. Cranfield, C. E. B. Romans, Abridged. (Eerdmans, 1985). [CBD]
1. Gathercole noted that he recommends this to students who do not have a handle on the Greek text.
   
3. Schreiner, Thomas R. Romans. BECNT. (Baker, 1998). [WTS | CBD]
1. Schreiner does interact with the NPP in this commentary. Gathercole prefers this over that of Moo for its simplicity and clarity. Although Schreiner does interact with some other commentators, his exposition is not filled with citing secondary sources. (This is part of the design of the commentary series.)
   
4. Moo, Douglas. Romans. NICNT. (Eerdmans, 1996). [WTS | CBD]
1. Moo also interacts with the NPP in this commentary. Gathercole appreciates this commentary, but does not prefer it over Schreiner since Moo spends so much time interacting with other commentators. This is not a bad thing. However, for the pastor looking for good, quick help, Schreiner fits the bill best.

Of note is the fact that Gathercole does not recommend the commentary written by his former supervisor, James D. G. Dunn [WTS, vol 1 | WTS, vol 2 | CBD]. For one, Gathercole notes that Dunn's commentary is the first to implement the viewpoints of the NPP. Gathercole takes issue with Dunn on the point. Secondly, in Gathercole's opinion the WBC series is more encyclopedic in nature which makes it very difficult for a pastor to deal with in sermon preparation.

Mark Dever tossed out the following titles...

1. Kim, Seyoon. Paul and the New Perspective: Second Thoughts on the Origin of Paul's Gospel. (Eerdmans, 2001) [WTS | CBD]
   
2. Waters, Guy Prentiss. Justification and the New Perspectives on Paul: A Review and Response. (P&R, 2004). [WTS | CBD]

You may also be interested in reading the following article by Gathercole published in Christianity Today: "What Did Paul Really Mean?" (August 2007).
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Previous Post: Quick Overview of the New Perspective by Darrell Bock (with his own book recommendations).

Dever & Gathercole on the NPP

Quick Overview of the New Perspective

Darrell Bock offers a quick overview of the New Perspective. He also recommends a few titles to get you started.

Thompson, Michael B. The New Perspective on Paul (Cambridge: Grove Books Unlimited, 2002), 28 pp.

Justification and Variegated Nomism, Volume 1: A Fresh Appraisal of Paul and Second Temple Judaism, edited by D. A. Carson & Peter T. O'Brein (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), 480 pp. [CBD | WTS]

Justification and Variegated Nomism, Volume 2: The Paradoxes of Paul, edited by D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004), 576 pp. [CBD | WTS]

Quick Overview of the New Perspective