Winter 2007/Pasadena
NS532
Hagner

NS532: PAUL AND THE LAW. Donald A. Hagner.


DESCRIPTION: This course focuses on Paul's view of the Mosaic law and the revolutionary new reading of the question that has emerged in the last two decades, dubbed the "new perspective on Paul." We will read and discuss major contributors on both sides of the debate. We will exegete some of the key Pauline passages, and finally come to a theological assessment that attempts to balance Paul's positive and negative statements about the law.

LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of faithful participation in this course, the student will be able to (1) understand the background, importance, and complexity of the subject of obedience to the law in the OT, NT, and early Christianity; (2) deal with the fact that biblical texts can be read differently depending on the circumstances and orientation of the reader; (3) provide an explanation of Paul's theological and soteriological priorities; and (4) appreciate how these impact his seemingly contradictory statements about the law.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: This is a topic that retains interest in today's church, both at the theological and practical level. The place of the law in the Christian life, the relation between grace and works, the doctrine of justification by faith, and the place of obedience remain in need of clarification. Furthermore, it seems increasingly important for the church to reject the caricature of Judaism as a religion of works-righteousness.

COURSE FORMAT: The course is being run in tandem with a doctoral seminar on the same subject. Students from that seminar will attend all class sessions and will be involved in making a variety of presentations to the class. Classes will regularly contain a mixture of lecture, summaries of other books and articles, exegesis of biblical texts, and discussion of assigned reading. The course will meet weekly for three-hour sessions.

REQUIRED READING:

Dunn, J. D. G. Jesus, Paul and the Law: Studies in Mark and Galatians. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1990.

Kim, Seyoon, Paul and the New Perspective: Second Thoughts on the Origin of Paul's Gospel. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Sanders, E. P. Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1983.

Stuhlmacher, P. Revisiting Paul's Doctrine of Justification: A Challenge to the New Perspective, with an essay by D. A. Hagner. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2001.

Westerholm, Stephen. Perspectives Old and New on Paul: The "Lutheran" Paul and His Critics. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004.

Wright, N. T. What Saint Paul Really Said: Was Paul of Tarsus the Real Founder of Christianity? Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

ASSIGNMENTS:
  1. Project, c. 5-7 pp. (25% of grade)

  2. Exegesis, c. 5-7 pp. (25%)

  3. Term paper on some pertinent topic of the course, c. 10-15 pp. (50%)

PREREQUISITES: NS501 or equivalent.

RELATIONSHIP TO CURRICULUM: Meets MDiv core requirement in New Testament Theology (NTT).

FINAL EXAMINATION: No.