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Paul: A Short Introduction |
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Book Review Morna D. Hooker ( If you're looking for an
introductory textbook on Paul, you probably won't find a better one than Morna D. Hooker's Paul: A Short Introduction. Concise
yet thorough, Hooker's small book covers every significant aspect of current
Pauline studies. Though writing in a non-technical way for the reader with
little theological background, she nevertheless articulately describes the
current state of Pauline studies. Hooker begins by
carefully explaining the most basic issues -- the legacy of Paul, the
problems of reading Paul's biography from Acts, the problem of determining
Pauline authorship, and so on. Students who are new to Pauline studies will
find these opening chapters invaluable. This book is firmly
grounded in the new perspective on Paul (cf. pp. 120,145,146) -- Hooker
argues lucidly that Paul was "thoroughly Jewish in his thinking and his
approach" (p. 146). He was neither the creator of Christianity nor the
distorter of Jesus' original message (p. 148). Hooker closely associates
Paul's "calling" (as apostle to the Gentiles) with his "conversion"
(pp. 22,60,107), identifies Paul's Galatian opponents as Jewish Christians (p. 60), and
works coherently through texts like Galatians 3:10-14 (p. 43). In her treatment of
justification, however, Hooker emphasizes simple trust in what God has done
in order to achieve righteousness (p. 73), apparently implying the
traditional idea of Gentiles being justified like Abraham rather than because
of Abraham (cf. pp. 44,65). On the other hand, her treatment of
"righteousness" on pp. 73ff is informative. Hooker's treatment of key
christological texts is closer perhaps to Dunn than
to Wright (cf. p. 50, although cp. p. 58 n. 18). Also like Dunn, Hooker
interprets Paul's teaching on the atonement in terms of representation rather
than substitution (pp. 92-95). Like Sanders, she emphasizes participation in
Christ's death and new life. On the translation of pistis
Christou, she is closer to Hays than to Dunn,
preferring "faith of Christ" over "faith in Christ" (pp.
105,106) -- reflecting the broad consensus of Pauline scholars. More importantly,
however, the book succeeds where it most counts. She argues lucidly against
misogynist interpretations of Paul (cf. pp. 128,129,144) and treats with
sensitivity the problem of the misappropriation of Pauline texts. For instance,
in addressing the problem of slavery she writes that "It was surely a
gross misinterpretation of Paul's teaching to suppose that what he
said about about how one should behave within
a particular social system gave approval to that social system for all
time" (p. 144). Although some of her arguments may not be fully
compelling to those with a more liberationist approach (cf. pp. 118,119),
nevertheless she is acutely aware of and sensitive to the issues. Most significantly,
Hooker ably demonstrates that Paul was not anti-Jewish (cf. pp. 145,146),
aptly illustrating the point by considering Luther's approach to Paul. When
the language of an intra-Jewish debate was re-read after the break of
Christianity with Judaism, it appeared much more sinister. Accessible yet academic,
Hooker's book is a valuable resource. Not every book needs to break new
ground and explore novel theses. Sometimes a good summary of an already
established consensus is more useful. Mark M. Mattison |
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