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Obeying the Truth: A Study of Paul's Ethics in Galatians
Book by Barclay, John M.
- GenresBiblical Studies
298 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 1988
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About the author
John M.G. Barclay
36 books37 followersJohn Barclay has been Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University since 2003. He has served as President of the British New Testament Society, TRS-UK,the umbrella organisation for Subject Associations and Departments of Theology and Religious Studies in the UK), and shortly, the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas.
His research is in the history and thought of early Christianity and early Judaism, with special interest in the ancient Jewish Diaspora and in the letters and theology of Paul. Using tools from the social sciences, he has explored the social formation of early Christianity, the ‘postcolonial’ identity of the Jewish historian Josephus, and the practice and theology of gift (‘grace’) in the work of Paul.
His research is in the history and thought of early Christianity and early Judaism, with special interest in the ancient Jewish Diaspora and in the letters and theology of Paul. Using tools from the social sciences, he has explored the social formation of early Christianity, the ‘postcolonial’ identity of the Jewish historian Josephus, and the practice and theology of gift (‘grace’) in the work of Paul.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 3, 2017
Fascinating!
June 14, 2013
It was frankly hard to choose between three and four stars for this. On the one hand, Barclay's somewhat critical stance (e.g. he assumes that Paul did not write Ephesians, Colossians, or the Pastorals, and appears to think there may be minor contradictions between the letters that Paul "really" wrote) made him less useful than he may otherwise have been.
On the other hand, because the focus of the book is on one letter specifically, Barclay is able to focus on details, and I was able to find a couple of nuggets that were useful for my own thinking.
Perhaps more importantly, Barclay is one of the early writers who recognized both the insights of the NPP (viz that the principal matter in Paul is not an opposition to a "merit theology" in Judaism) while at the same time recognizing that the apostle does make more general statements that cannot simply be reduced to "Jewish nationalism" or a sort of spiritual-cultural imperialism, and some of his thoughts in this regard are genuinely helpful, even if requiring much further attention and development than he gives.
This book is quite valuable for Pauline scholars, and it is not intended for the layman or even the pastor.
On the other hand, because the focus of the book is on one letter specifically, Barclay is able to focus on details, and I was able to find a couple of nuggets that were useful for my own thinking.
Perhaps more importantly, Barclay is one of the early writers who recognized both the insights of the NPP (viz that the principal matter in Paul is not an opposition to a "merit theology" in Judaism) while at the same time recognizing that the apostle does make more general statements that cannot simply be reduced to "Jewish nationalism" or a sort of spiritual-cultural imperialism, and some of his thoughts in this regard are genuinely helpful, even if requiring much further attention and development than he gives.
This book is quite valuable for Pauline scholars, and it is not intended for the layman or even the pastor.
December 14, 2022
I didn't make it the whole way through this book but will definitely reference it more in the future. It's a scholarly work so a little tedious at points but Barclay's work is very insightful.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews