Paul the Apostle: The Triumph of God in Life and Thought

484 Pages·1980·17.34 MB·English

by  Johan Christiaan Beker

J. CHRISTIAAN BEKER
The Triumph of God in Life
and Thought
With a new preface by the author

4’ Ni
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The Triumph of God in Life and Thought
J. Christiaan Beker
FORTRESS PRESS PHILADELPHIA
Unless otherwise noted, biblical quotations are from the Revised Standard
Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952, © 1971,1973 by the Division
of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the United States of America, and are used by permission.
Copyright © 1980 by Fortress Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the copyright owner.
First paperback edition 1984
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Beker, Johan Christiaan, 1924-
Paul the apostle.
Bibliography: p.
Includes indexes.
1. Bible. N.T. Epistles of Paul—Theology.
2. Bible N.T. Epistles of Paul—Hermeneutics.
I. Title.
BS2651.B44 230'.092'4 79-8904
ISBN 0-8006-1811-4
1078D84 Printed in the United States of America 1-1811
To Wilfred
in commemoration of fifty years
of friendship
and to Ada
a constant support in all seasons

Contents
Preface ix
Preface to the First Paperback Edition xiii
PART ONE
Introduction
1. Paul: Apostle to the Gentiles 3
2. The Character of Paul’s Thought 11
PART TWO
The Contingency of the Gospel
3. Contingency and Coherence in Paul’s Letters 23
4. Contextual Interpretation I: Galatians 37
5. Contextual Interpretation II: The Structure and Argument
of Romans 59
6. Contextual Theology in Romans and Galatians 94
7. Tradition and Gospel 109
PART THREE
The Coherence of the Gospel
8. Paul’s Apocalyptic Theology: Apocalyptic and the
Resurrection of Christ 135
9. The Scandal of the Cross 182
10. The Dilemma of Sin and Death: Equivalent or Disparate
Powers? 213
11. The Enigma of the Law: Instrument of God or Servant of Sin? 235
12. The Gift and the Demand of Salvation 255
13. The Responsibility of Life in Christ 272
14. The Church as the Dawning of the New Age 303
15. The Destiny of Israel 328
PART FOUR
Conclusion
16. The Triumph of God 351
vii
CONTENTS
viii
Abbreviations 369
Notes 371
Bibliography of Works Cited 399
Indexes
Index of Passages Cited 421
Index of Names 447