John M. G. Barclay is Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University. His previous books include Pauline Churches and Diaspora Jews and Obeying the Truth: Paul’s Ethics in Galatians.
Bible Study Magazine
"Significant. . . . An essential read for scholars interested in
the original meaning of Paul." Exegetical Tools Quarterly
"Formidable. . . . This book should be required reading for anyone
studying the new and old perspectives on Paul." Books at a
Glance
"Monumental. . . . A welcome addition to Pauline scholarship that
should not be overlooked." Themelios
"One of the most important books on Paul's theology in years. . . .
Truly a gift." Journal for the Study of The New Testament
Booklist
"Offers a wealth of material, but, more importantly, it changes the
perspective in a virtually gridlocked area of scholarship. . . .
Barclay has managed in a masterly way to introduce a new paradigm,
from within the ancient world, which makes a fresh reading of Paul
possible." Beverly Roberts Gaventa
-- Baylor University
"What else can possibly be said about `grace' in the letters of
Paul? Quite a lot, as it turns out. John Barclay reveals just how
little we have grasped the multitude of ways in which grace -- `the
gift' -- was parsed among Paul's contemporaries, including
questions of reciprocity and the worth of recipients. The resulting
bold proposal for reorienting Pauline theology is a landmark in New
Testament scholarship. A must-have, must-read, must-ponder book!"
Francis Watson
-- Durham University
"In this exceptional book, John Barclay places Paul in the context
of Jewish and Greco-Roman ideas about divine and human giving,
arguing that -- contrary to popular belief -- Paul does not teach
that grace is `free' or `unconditional.' Rather, divine grace is
incongruous, given without regard for conventional criteria of
status and worth, thereby questioning the legitimacy of those
criteria. This hermeneutically sophisticated work opens up a range
of new perspectives on key themes of Pauline theology, beyond the
entrenched positions that so often characterize the debate in this
area." Douglas A. Campbell
-- Duke Divinity School
"This brilliant book is a substantial and methodological tour de
force. Barclay's fascinating study complicates the notion of
`grace' in Paul's thinking in terms of `gift' primarily by
threading together insights drawn from anthropological, ancient
Jewish and Greco-Roman, and exegetical realms of analysis. Subtle
engagements with classic theological figures and key modern Pauline
interpreters further enrich the discussion. . . . A deeply
impressive study by a superb scholar from whom all will learn a
great deal. Indeed, future Pauline scholars are now significantly
indebted to Barclay for this superabundant scholarly gift." David
G. Horrell
-- University of Exeter
"We have come to expect superb work from John Barclay, but that
should not lessen our appreciation when it appears! . . . Barclay's
magisterial analysis results in a powerful and compelling new
understanding of Paul's theology of grace that cuts across
traditional debates and disciplinary categorizations, remaps Paul's
location among his fellow Jews, and manages to be both historically
sensitive and theologically rich. This major work should -- and no
doubt will -- be very widely discussed." Michael Wolter
-- University of Bonn
"Barclay has provided New Testament scholarship with a gift whose
impact can hardly be overestimated. . . . You need not be a prophet
to predict that this study will serve the efforts of understanding
Paul's theology as a bright and far-shining lighthouse for many
years." Stephen Westerholm
-- McMaster University
"John Barclay's Paul and the Gift has the singular virtue of making
seem self-evident a point missed in the extensive literature
spawned by Sanders's Paul and Palestinian Judaism: modern
understandings of grace -- shaped by Paul -- have prevented us from
seeing aright the real but diverse ways in which grace functioned
in Jewish literature of the Second Temple period. . . . This book
as a whole represents a watershed in Pauline studies." Simon
Gathercole
-- University of Cambridge
"Reading Barclay's Paul and the Gift is a gripping and humbling
experience. Gripping because it has a clear, original thesis that
is pursued lucidly and tenaciously. Humbling because Barclay shows
such a remarkable range of expertise across anthropology, Jewish
literature, and the Pauline epistles, and exudes here both
theoretical sophistication and sound exegetical good sense. If you
are at all interested in Paul, block out two days, switch off your
electronic devices, and digest this book." Spirit & Life
"Barclay's well-written and readable exegesis will prove useful for
students and teachers, as well as for all Christians who wish to
learn more about the roots and history of our faith." Wesley
Hill
-- Books and Culture
"What emerges from Barclay's book is a new story that disrupts the
normal telling of the progress of Pauline scholarship. . . . Grace
excludes working because that is the shape of the Christ-event, the
Christ-gift, itself. It was an even that blossomed unbidden. . . .
After such an interruption, after such a seismic occurrence,
definitions would have to change, patterns of religion would have
to be rethought. Grace itself would have to be understood afresh.
It is the unique gift of this book to show us how that happened in
and through the 1st-century apostle to the Gentiles -- and to give
us hope that it might happen through his letters once again." Scot
McKnight
--Books and Culture
"Pauline studies and the church will be indebted to Barclay's Paul
and the Gift for decades, and those who read and ponder will never
be the same again." First Things
"Paul and the Gift is one of the more important books on Paul to
appear in many years. It reopens the question of the theology of
grace in the Judaism of Paul's time and carefully redescribes his
construal of the God of Israel's gift in Jesus Christ."
Ask a Question About this Product More... |