The Theology of Paul's Letter to the Galatians

by James D. G. Dunn

• ISBN13: 9780521359535
• ISBN10: 0521359538
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1993-09-24
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Recent research into the character of Judaism in the first century has given scholars a new perspective on Paul. Nowhere is this new perspective more important than in the case of Paul's letter to the Galatians, a letter that shaped the character of the Christian religion in its early years and that remains a foundation document of Christianity. This study, the first to benefit from the new perspective on Paul, explains more clearly than ever the issues that confronted Paul and the powerful theological arguments he brought to bear in response.

Table of Contents

Editor's preface	xi
Preface	xiii
List of abbreviations	xvii
Introduction	1	(17)
Setting the letter in context	3	(4)
The occasion of the letter	7	(11)
The make or break issues	18	(16)
Introduction	19	(9)
Conclusion	28	(6)
The fundamental agreements	34	(30)
The shared convictions	36	(16)
The shared experience	52	(12)
The heritage of Abraham	64	(37)
The significance of Paul's conversion	66	(6)
The significance of the Antioch incident	72	(9)
The sufficiency of faith	81	(6)
The role of the law	87	(5)
The relation of believers to Israel	92	(6)
The conclusion -- freedom!	98	(3)
How should the heirs of Abraham live?	101	(20)
Be led by the Spirit	104	(10)
Christ as the pattern	114	(7)
Lesser issues	121	(12)
Paul's use of the Old Testament	121	(3)
Ecclesiological issues	124	(9)
The influence of Galatians in Christian thought	133	(13)
The early church	133	(7)
The modern period	140	(6)
List of further reading	146	(3)
Index of references	149	(9)
Index of names	158	(2)
Index of subjects	160