Simon J. Gathercole is lecturer in New Testament at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Journal of Biblical Literature
"Gathercole has offered a stimulating study that makes an important
contribution to an ongoing debate that may perhaps, with the aid of
commendable efforts like his own, enter into new and more fruitful
stages of discussion." Evangelical Quarterly
"The volume is important for our understanding of the theology of
early Judaism, for Pauline exegesis and theology and for New
Testament theology in general. . . . Well written and persuasive."
Bibliotheca Sacra
"Lucid, evenhanded, and helpful for any student of Jewish and
Pauline soteriology." Peter Stuhlmacher
"Simon Gathercole's new book is well worth reading. A solid piece
of work, it enriches Pauline scholarship in at least three ways.
First, the book offers the first monographic investigation of
Paul's use of kauchēsis/kauchasthai ('boasting') in Romans 1-5 in
more than three decades, thereby filling a real gap in the research
of the opening chapters of Romans. Second, by taking issue in a
fair-minded way with the chief representatives of the 'New
Perspective' on Paul (E. P. Sanders, James D. G. Dunn, and N. T.
Wright), Gathercole demonstrates that already before the rabbis, a
long succession of early Jewish authors advocated a soteriology
resting on two principles -- the principle of election and
redemption on the one hand, and the principle of recognizing
righteous deeds according to the measure of the law on the other.
Paul takes critical issue with this view. Finally, Gathercole's
book stimulates one to rethink, on the basis of the original texts,
the anthropological bases of the Pauline and early Jewish
expectations of salvation and the question of the assurance of
salvation." Seyoon Kim
"Against E. P. Sanders's notion of 'covenantal nomism, ' Simon
Gathercole clearly demonstrates from various Jewish sources that
many Jews of the New Testament period thought that eschatological
salvation depended on obedience to the Torah as well as on God's
election. Then, against James D. G. Dunn's and N. T. Wright's
notion of 'national righteousness, ' Gathercole convincingly
demonstrates that in Romans 1-5 Paul argues for justification of
the ungodly by faith in contrast to the Jewish notion of
justification on the basis of obedience to the Torah. The result is
an important book marked by the author's firm grounding in the
sources, convincing exegesis, and clear argumentation. Gathercole
thus drives a big nail into the coffin of the 'New Perspective' on
Paul." George J. Brooke
"In this important book Simon Gathercole breaks free from the
overly polarized discussion of the relative positions of grace and
works in the writings of early Judaism, including the New
Testament. By placing consideration of final judgment alongside the
value of what Jews inherited from the past and experienced in the
present, he presents a reading of the Jewish texts that form the
matrix of Paul's concerns in a more balanced and nuanced form than
is common in the 'New Perspective' on Paul. Sweeping
generalizations are avoided through the frequent citation of
primary sources, and a wealth of scholarship is presented in a
highly readable manner. This work will become compulsory reading
for all involved in reconstructing the variegated Judaism of the
turn of the era." John M. G. Barclay
"This is a well-researched and highly significant book that will
reignite many debates about Paul and Judaism. Correcting several
one-sided features of the 'New Perspective, ' Simon Gathercole also
avoids the mistakes in traditional approaches to this topic;
indeed, he takes the debate forward into new terrain in which
Paul's theology regains its capacity to startle and surprise. This
is a very important contribution to the new wave of 'post-Sanders'
scholarship. "
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