A Theology of Paul the Apostle, Part One

The legacy of Paul looms large in all Christian theology. While the study of Paul is not a simple task, proper interpretation should be sustainable on the basis of a thorough examination of Paul's letters within their historical matrix. The work, Theology of Paul the Apostle, is presented in two parts. Part One, Paul's Eschatological Gospel, addresses matters relevant for Paul's appreciation of the gospel of God in the establishment of the eschatological community in Christ. Paul's Judaism informs his apocalyptic description, as he expresses his thought with consistent convictions within the varied contingent contexts of his communities within a Greco-Roman world. Part Two, Cross and Atonement, examines a perennial "storm center" within Paul's theology from both an exegetical and developmentally historical perspective. Paul was embraced by the gospel of God "in Christ," the resurrection being the turning point of the ages. While Paul's theology and the understandings of Paul must be established point by point, Paul's theology has continuing relevance within the very different matrix of a postmodern world.