Pauline theology relates to the beliefs of the apostle Paul about God, and the world, that he expressed in his letters in the New Testament and his thoughts recorded in the Book of Acts. Many literary works cover the understanding of Paul’s lessons and opinions on various themes reflected in his epistles. Moo (2021) and Schreiner (2020) present their approaches to studying theology and letter perception, which are seen as more acceptable for students and non-professional readers. Hence, their works reveal Paul’s life, achievements, and legacy in a straightforward but meaningful manner.
Both works provide a detailed analysis of thirteen letters written by Paul, his understanding, and comments on diverse ideas. However, each book utilizes distinct methods of realizing the material. The structure of Moo’s work (2021) consists of three parts, each underlying the features essential to theological knowledge. The first part explains introductory points: what theology is as a study, the book’s methodology, and the life of Paul. The second part analyzes letters, while the author presents an exposition and meanings behind each epistle. Moreover, the book’s last section is the most significant part, directly reflecting Paul’s beliefs: the salvation history, the gospel, and Christ. The feature of this work is that Moo (2021) approaches the study with his understanding while still considering the perspectives of other scholars, which he presents in the footnotes. Therefore, exploring the book of Moo, the reader gets the whole picture with the author’s view and the opposite critiques, which helps synthesize the student’s opinion at the end.
The other book on Paul’s theology, “Paul, Apostle of God’s glory in Christ” by Schreiner, has a different structure and approach. The author’s ideas operate through the image of Paul as a missionary apostle whose suffering became crucial to the gospel’s spread. For instance, the core of his mission is emphasized in Chapter 3 (Schreiner, 2020, p.75). The goal was not ultimately the Jewish and Gentile reconciliation or fulfillment of God’s salvation promises to both nations. The mission was about seeing God glorified, and worship was one path he accomplished this (Schreiner, 2020, pp.84-87). At the same time, the focus of Chapter 4 is utilizing suffering to share the gospel (Schreiner, 2020, p.89). The messenger’s frailty in imprisonment and misery reveals God’s might and power. The whole book structure is based on moving ideas synchronically with Paul’s thoughts and letters. In contrast to Moo’s work (2021), Schreiner (2020) did not analyze the Pauline letters as separate units but studied the ideas conveyed as a whole. Therefore, the two books present different ways of understanding the same material.
Another significant issue in books is identifying the central theme in Pauline’s letters and studies. Schreiner is convinced that “each theme fails as the “center” for the same reason that every proposed center suppresses part of the Pauline gospel” (2020, p. 15). However, the theme of “God’s glory” can be defined as the core, which is seen as an attempt to de-center other ideas such as justification and sin. The purpose of de-center is to unify mentioned themes as co-dependent, which should be viewed as equal relevance in theology. Contrastingly, Moo’s fundamental idea of “unity with Christ” is thoughtfully conveyed (Moo, 2020, p. 36). Sometimes by defending theological ideas of salvation or righteousness, Jesus and the divine-human relationship he mediates may be neglected. Therefore, the two books convey different approaches to the central themes of Paul’s letter, which results in the distinctive analysis of the authors.
The analysis of letters also was done according to contrasting techniques. In Schreiner’s book, Paul is believed to be the author of all thirteen letters, the Book of Acts (2020, p.8). His writings are treated as a single union, while Schreiner rejects the notion that Paul’s theology changed throughout the missionary path. Additionally, there is a lack of debating opposing viewpoints on many subjects since the author claims his primary intention is to provide his perspective. Such a choice restricts the book’s potential applicability, for instance, as the leading work on Pauline theology. The focus remains on Schreiner’s interpretation regardless of scholars’ findings. Yet, Moo (2021) highly depends on other perspectives to explain or support his own. It may be more helpful for students to understand Pauline theology better through contrasted viewpoints of research and conversation between the author of “A theology of Paul and his letters” and current interpreters. Thus, Moo’s take on Pauline theology benefit students in providing a broader understanding of opposite opinions.
Additionally, there is another advantage in the form of the concept of the new realm. It is the term that Moo uses to describe what he believes to be the organizing unit of Paul’s theology (2020, p.107). It aims to encompass several significant concepts at once, including the new age, the gospel’s power to transform, the presence of the Spirit, and the rebirth of Christ in a society freed from the control of sin, and the forces of the anti-God. Moo’s word “realm” adds more tangible imagery to salvation history, providing a clearer perception of the book.
However, books contain well-organized information that provides lessons on Pauline theology. Schreiner (2021) examines ideas through his perception to provoke the thought about the relevance of universalism in the teaching of Paul. An excursion on universalism and the acceptance of the Gentiles at the end of Chapter 7 caught my attention (Schreiner, 2021, p.160). The author makes a point of stating that to be saved, one must repent and have faith. Nevertheless, he argues that Paul was a universalist. Schreiner notes, “All will acknowledge Jesus as Lord, but it does not follow from this that all will be saved” (2021, p.202). The evidence is several letters to Romance 5, Colossians 1:20, and Gentile; the universalism is challenged by the comparison of Adam and Christ, which leads to the conclusion by the reader that even righteousness is secured by Christ and not a spiritual gift to the humanity (Schreiner, 2021, pp.199-200). Therefore, this chapter provokes a rethinking of the concept of universalism in terms of Pauline theology.
Another lesson I conceived through the book is based on exploring the spiritual gift, particularly the understanding of tongues, as one of the gifts, a sign of judgment, and as heavenly language. Mainly, Chapter 13 explores the subject, which is a reaction to Wayne Grudem’s works on prophecy; the author concludes that in the New Testament, there were possibilities of expressing both truth and false (Schreiner, 2020, p.369). The author argues that “the tongue is a gift by which one can speak the way only God can understand” by saying that the tongue is in the language; it has to be interpreted (Schreiner, 2020, p.413). At the same time, prophecy in the tongue can be understood concerning the context of the message. Therefore, the tongue discussion of gifts with the potential interpretation broader my understanding of the spiritual language as a concept.
The first lesson gained from the work of Moo – on women and marriage – inspired disagreement and further investigation on the matter. Even though women’s roles and family are only briefly discussed by Moo (2021), he sees wifely subordination to the husband as a theological, and hence universal, imperative according to the New Testament regulations beliefs. The husband, Paul implies, has the duty of being the final authority in the partnership; however, it does not negate the fact that wives and husbands eventually submit to Christ. We should remember that Paul gives a similar command to the enslaved people – to obey their masters – despite Christ being the highest master of people. Hence, the support of claims encourages to reflect the letters of Paul not only through the prism of context but also by applying them to the cultural and social norms.
The problem of justification significantly impacted me after finishing the book. The author pays attention to explaining God’s will and righteousness in front of his eyes (Moo, 2021, pp.934-936). He shows that even though the core of Paul’s theology is union with Christ, justification is of utmost importance. If Pauline theology is centered on unity with Christ and if that relationship cannot help but transform one, the question remains how can Paul’s view of justification be unaffected by it. The relationship between justification and final judgment is another complex topic in this discussion. Moo (2021) omits to explain how Paul, whose justification is assured, could emphasize decision and the prospect of divine wrath. It gives the impression of no intended resolution on the matter. Thus, it is up to the reader to convey their own decision.
Thus, books on Pauline theology provide a consistent impression of letters and ideas. While Schreiner (2020) offers a more straightforward book based on personal opinions and thoughts, Moo (2021) gives a critically balanced work with a solid methodological base. The second book better introduces Pauline to a student, while the first is suited to expand personal perception. However, both books create ground for further research of theology and present good material for introduction to Paul’s life, mission, and legacy.
References
Moo, D. J. (2021). A theology of Paul and his letters: The gift of the new realm in Christ (Biblical theology of the New Testament series). Zondervan Academic.
Schreiner, T. R. (2020). Paul, Apostle of God’s glory in Christ: A Pauline theology. InterVarsity Press.