I remember in 1977, reading W D Davies The Setting of the Sermon on the Mount, a comprehensive examination of the background of that radical Kingdom of God manifesto.
A few years later F F Bruce published the fruit of a lifetime's study and immersion in the life and thought of Paul, his theological mentor whom he called 'Apostle of the Free Spirit'. A year or two later E P Sanders' Paul and Palestinian Judaism forced a fundamental rethink of Pauline studies.
In the mid 1980's Bishop John Robinson, of Honest to God fame, completed the draft of his Bampton Lectures which was published posthumously as The Priority of John. Seldom have I read a more theologically sensitive exposition of the passion of Jesus, even if the underlying thesis was brilliantly argued but with few lasting converts.
Early 90's and John Ashton's major study Understanding the Fourth Gospel, (which cost £65 and was paid for by books tokens!) opened another vista on the theological masterpiece attributed to John.
Then I ploughed through N T Wright's The Origins of the People of God, volume 1, published in 1992. It was, and is, a hard read, but it too changed the way I read the New Testament, more fully aware of worldview and cultural norms and codes and social context.
Jesus and the Victory of God moved the discussion to a further level, and once again a massive book compelled new thinking, rewarded careful reading, and takes its place as a milestone in my personal study of the New Testament.
Sometimes commentaries have the same ground-breaking and ground-shifting effects. Ulrich Luz's three volumes on Matthew in the Hermeneia series are such. Beautifully produced, replete with learning long and slowly distilled, ranging across hermeneutical disciplines, developing a particular study of 'effective history', that is the effect of the text on readers throughout history - (different from reception history). They are a joy to use.
And now. News of another gold strike in New Testament studies! SPCK have announced N T Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Three volumes including the long awaited monograph on Pauline theology, a second volume on Paul's recent interpreters, and a third collecting Wright's most significant and seminal essays over 30 years. You can check this out for yourselves here. Me? I'm saving up!
http://www.logos.com/product/29160/paul-and-the-faithfulness-of-god?utm_source=prepublication&utm_medium=email&utm_content=4343421&utm_campaign=prepub
Comments