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N. T. WRIGHT, Paul: In Fresh Perspective (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005). Pp. xii + 195. Paper $25.
N. T. Wright has attempted to rethink the Jewishness of Paul in the context of the insights of the so-called new perspective on Paul, which have anchored Paul's theology in Judaism. Using the categories of creation and covenant, messiah and apocalypticism, gospel and empire, W. reimagines Paul's Jewish theology as a narrative to create a unified people of God of both Jews and non- Jews. W.'s Paul is not only essentially Jewish but also thoroughly the Paul of the Christian Testament. The Acts of the Apostles, all thirteen of the letters attributed to Paul, and Christian theological reflection provide an important, though usually implicit, context for his reading of Paul's undisputed letters. This book is an edited version of lectures delivered at Cambridge University and retains the easy conversational spirit of the lecture format. W.'s respect for Paul as a profound thinker is evident throughout his brief exposition of Paul's thought.
Wright explicitly constructs Paul's Jewishness and his narrative of salvation in relation to three worlds: Judaism, Hellenism, and Roman imperialism. These worlds are not neutral. W.'s portrayal of Paul's relationship to Judaism is relentlessly positive; Paul's relationship to the Hellenistic and Roman worlds is relentlessly negative. According to W., Paul...