Corpus-Paul

["Wieland Willker" <willker AT chemie.uni-bremen.de>]

New book:

T. E. van Spanje: Inconsistency in Paul?
A Critique of the Work of Heikki Raeisaenen

Is Paul as inconsistent in his thinking as Heikki Raeisaenen demonstrates?
With the help of several hermeneneutical techniques, T. E. van Spanje shows
that the contrary is the case.
The distinguished Finnish scholar Heikki Raeisaenen claims that Paul’s
statements display a certain amount of inconsistency. Raeisaenen argues that
there is a strange oscillation in Paul when it comes to the question: who is
under the curse of the law? Is it only the Jews, or also the Gentiles? In
Raeisaenen’s interpretation Paul does not make a clear distinction between
the ritual and the moral law. Further, there is no clarity in Paul on the
question of whether the law has been abrogated, neither is there any clarity
in Paul with regard to the possibility of the fulfilment of the law. Is the
law indeed of divine origin? On the one hand the power of sin in the world
is due to Adam’s fall, while on the other hand this power is due to the law.
And finally, the law has been given in order to give life, while the same
law has never had life-giving power. Raeisaenen also detects many
inconsistencies in Paul’s view of Israel (Rom 9-11).
T. E. van Spanje offers an analytical description of Raeisaenen’s study of
Paul by describing all these inconsistencies together with Raeisaenen’s
theological and historical explanations for these. In addition, he reviews
Raeisaenen’s work critically. He describes his position within contemporary
New Testament research and gives a justification for a critique of his work.
Subsequently, Raeisaenen’s interpretation is countered with the help of
several hermeneutical techniques. T.E. van Spanje demonstrates that our
interpretation of Paul becomes completely different if we do not use
Raeisaenen’s criteria, but rather the criteria suggested by the texts
themselves. In the texts, Paul emerges as a pastor, a rhetor, and a
theologian. In this light Paul’s statements do appear to be consistent.

1999. XVII, 281 pages (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament
2. Reihe). ISBN 3-16-147188-1 paper  DM 98.00 / oeS 715.00 / sFR 89.00
(October)



Best wishes
    Wieland
      <><
--------------------
mailto:willker AT chemie.uni-bremen.de
http://www-user.uni-bremen.de/~wie/