Israel In Prophecy

Last Name

CAMPBELL

First Name

William S.

Title

Paul and the Creation of Christian Identity

Publisher

London; New York: T & T Clark

Year

2006

Group

JID6 JCR1

Comments

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Summary: Paul is traditionally viewed as separating from the churches of Peter and of Jewish Christ-followers to promote his own mission, eventually triumphing in the creation of a church with a gentile identity. Campbell argues that the Pauline mission represents only one strand of the Christ-movement that should not be universalized to signify the whole. In conjunction with his gentile mission, Paul acknowledges Jewish identity as an abiding reality, rather than as a temporary, weak form of faith in Christ.. In establishing that Jews and gentiles could and should retain distinct identities in Christ, he has dealt with what is in the first instance a first century issue, but this is still of major significance for contemporary church and society. To fail to acknowledge diversity in the Pauline communities has an inevitable consequence for the acknowledgement of diversity within church and society today. On the other hand, to acknowledge diversity between Jew and gentile in the church of the first century has foundational significance, and puts obligation upon contemporary Christians to give a similar recognition by no means limited to the area of ethnicity alone.

Contents:

• Introduction
• Pauline interpretation and Christian identity : aspects of the history of research
• Paul's theologizing concerning the other
• Paul's peculiar problem : the creation of Gentile identity in Christ
• Tripartite context : Paul's mission between state and synagogue
• I laid the foundation : Paul the architect of Christian identity?
• Paul's attitude towards Jewish identity in Romans
• Self-understanding and the people of God : Israel in Romans
• Christ-defined identity
• Conclusion: Paul's theology as a theology of transformation