Description: Although covenant language is not prominent in Paul's letters, Campbell argues that it remains the basis of his thought in differentiated ways concerning Israel and the nations. The covenant remains God's covenant with Israel, but through its re-ratification in Christ, non-Jew...
Brief description: William S. Campbell is Reader in Biblical Studies, University of Wales, UK, is author of 'Paul's Gospel in Inter-Cultural Context' (1992) and is Editor of Journal of Beliefs and Values.
Review Quotes:
"The Nations in the Divine Economy is an impressive book. Rarely do we find in a single work its combination of careful exegesis, theological and ethical reflection, and concise, accessible engagement with the history of biblical interpretation. . . . It deserves a careful reading by anyone who is interested in this subject matter." --Reading Religion
"There is much that is praiseworthy in this volume. Campbell certainly proves his point regardingthe reluctance of many scholars, in the past as well as today, to recognize adequately the Jewish foundations of Paul's theology. Campbell is also persuasive that in Paul's thought the unity of Jew and gentile in Christ does not cancel out their diversity but presupposes it." --The Catholic Biblical Quarterly "In this important and timely book, William S. Campbell, well-known for his insightful work on Paul, combines historical, theological, and socio-scientific approaches in a constructive way to shed new light on Paul's covenantal hermeneutics. A must read for all scholars of the historical Paul and the Pauline literature, the significance of the book is not limited to the scholarly world. Reconstructing the Pauline message, The Nations in the Divine Economy also speaks perceptively to issues of critical importance to those seeking mutual respect and understanding between Jews and Christians today. This is an eminently readable study engaging key questions related to continuity in the Jewish and Christian reality, written from a historically sound and theologically inspiring perspective. Highly recommended!" --Anders Runesson, University of Oslo; author of Judaism for Gentiles "Campbell's ambitious book critically engages Paul's own texts, the giants of twentieth-century Pauline scholarship, and the very latest research on ethnicity, diversity, and community in Paul's world. At once passionately felt and deeply irenic, The Nations in the Divine Economy champions both a nuanced historical portrait of the apostle and a morally lucid theology of his letters, bridging the religious studies/ divinity divide." --Paula Fredriksen, author of Paul: The Pagans' Apostle "This is vintage Bill Campbell. He fine-tunes and develops his long-held thesis of the positive place of Israel in Paul by emphasizing three major contexts: the historical context of Paul's epistles, the context of the history of interpretation with its inevitable impact on the interpretation of Paul, and our modern context in which Campbell demonstrates post-Holocaust sensitivities and resists anti-Judaism and supercessionism. He leaves few stones unturned in his comprehensive refutations of potential objections from other interpreters of Paul." --Robert L. Brawley, McCormick Theological Seminary