The New Perspective on Paul by NT Wright

New Perspective on Paul

What is the "New Perspective on Paul?"  The New Perspective (NPP) is a shift in Christian scholarship in the interpreting of the writing of the apostle Paul in a more judaic and historical context.  The argument is that in the past, a "Lutheran" view has influenced how Christians have primarily understood the writings of the apostle Paul and as such has misinterpreted Paul.  The old focus only on an individual justification has led the church further away from an understanding of Paul's teaching. 

NPP argues that Paul was not debating against legalism in Judaism that sought salvation in the law.  Instead, it was understood that the works of the law were done in order to express covenant membership.  In Galatians, then, the problem for Paul is not legalism (not about how someone becomes a Christian) but about sabbath keeping, dietary laws and circumcision for new pagan and gentile converts.  Circumcision, Wright points out, is not a moral issue, it is a mark of the covenant.  The justification debate was not so much about salvation as about who now comprised the "people of God".  The question could be poised as "who is accepted into the body of Christ?" In Christ, social, economic and racial barriers have been torn down and a new community of believers instituted and entrance is through faith in Jesus as the Messiah.  

In fact, this is underscored by the Pauline teaching on the early confession of the church that Jesus Christ is Lord.  Justification is not the center of Paul's theology instead, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ and his ascension as Lord over all is a much stronger focus. 

The below video is a link to a project (Video Timeline Project) an Christian multimedia educational project.  This video however, gives a good introduction to the new perspectives from two sources, N.T.Wright and James Dunn.  

Lectionary Reading in Acts for the Season of Easter 3C

ACTS 16:9-15

⁹During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." ¹⁰When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.

¹¹We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, ¹²and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. ¹³On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. ¹⁴A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home." And she prevailed upon us.

The Acts 16 passage is one that presents an opening call to Paul and as an extension to the church.  "come over to Macedonia and help us".  The church is called to be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit and to places where the message of the Gospel of the good news of Jesus Christ has to be lived and preached.  this is too often associated only with 'foreign missions'.  As of late the church has grown in an awareness of its need to see established congregations as places of mission.  This is not just understood as places of service, or charity, although as we have seen with Tabitha this is included, but places where in our daily interactions with others we look for opportunity to speak of our faith with others.  This account simply describes the interactions of Paul with Lydia as a conversation.  We "spoke to the women who were gathered there."  Sometimes these divine conversation can occur quite naturally and sharing our faith with others does not necessarily have to be something that is scripted.  Often we can grow in this area simply by being aware of the people we engage and time the time to allow conversations to grow with people.  Notice that it wasn't some snazzy presentation or convincing argument that leads to Lydia's conversion but "the Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul."

ACTS 11:1-18

¹Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. ²So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, ³saying, "Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?" ⁴Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying, ⁵"I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. ⁶As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. ⁷I also heard a voice saying to me, 'Get up, Peter; kill and eat.' ⁸But I replied, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' ⁹But a second time the voice answered from heaven, 'What God has made clean, you must not call profane.' ¹⁰This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven. ¹¹At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. ¹²The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house.¹³He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; ¹⁴he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.' ¹⁵And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. ¹⁶And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' ¹⁷If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?" ¹⁸When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, "Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life."

The conversion of Cornelius the Roman officer and his household creates a controversy for  Jewish Christians.  While recognizing that Jesus is the Messiah, many do not know what to do with the influx of gentile converts who do not follow many of the dietary restrictions connected with the Old Testament covenant.  Yet it is obvious that many are turning to faith in Jesus and receiving the message as did Cornelius.  The emphasis on God's grace and the place of faith is a challenge to many, like Peter who are not accustomed to open fellowship with the non Jewish.  The message of the church however is clear, it is not possible to hinder what God is doing in bringing the message to a wider audience.  As more and more converts the are non Jewish believe in Jesus, baptism introduced by John the Forerunner becomes the sign of the new covenant, as one of universal inclusion. 

Lectionary Reading in Acts for the Season of Easter 3C

The following three reading in the book of Acts include Peter and the apostles encounter with the religious authorities (Easter 2), Saul of Tarsus divine call (Easter 3), and Peter's healing of Tabitha (Easter 4).

ACTS 9:36-43

³⁶Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. ³⁷At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. ³⁸Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, "Please come to us without delay." ³⁹So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. ⁴⁰Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, "Tabitha, get up." Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. ⁴¹He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. ⁴²This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. ⁴³Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

The reading for Easter 4 picks up with Peter's healing of Tabitha (Dorcas) who was a devout Christian devoted to works of charity.  This demonstrates the long held Christian tradition of connecting our faith with our works.  This has been a long controversy between Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians about the place of faith/works in our salvation.  What cannot be denied however, is that Christians are called to live out their faith as an essential part of our salvation.   Salvation comes as a gift of grace from God, but it is out of a heart of gratitude that we turn to love and serve in the power of the Holy Spirit.  This story illustrates this truth.  Tabitha had a ministry it appears possibly making clothes and tunics.  We hear little of either Peter or Tabitha, (except Peter's command "Get up") but what do we hear is that after the miracle "it became known throughout Joppa and many believed in the Lord."

ACTS 9:1-6 (7-20)

¹Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ²and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. ³Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" ⁵He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. ⁶But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."⁷The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. ⁸Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. ⁹For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

¹⁰Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord." ¹¹The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, ¹²and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight." ¹³But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; ¹⁴and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name." ¹⁵But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; ¹⁶I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." ¹⁷So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." ¹⁸And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, ¹⁹and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, ²⁰and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

There is no question that Saul of Tarsus is a significant leader in the early church.  Easter 3C brings his call as the focus of the reading.  Saul was committed to following God and God's law.  However, in his own haste to keep God's law, he failed to understand one of the most important aspects, to love God with all our heart and soul and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Raging against tie new start of group known as "The Way", Saul of Tarsus is determined to stamp out the fledging Jesus movement.  He was likely very aware of the implications of the teaching that was proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and Christ.  However, Saul's persecution of the church is cut short by a heavenly vision in which Paul is not so much converted as converted and called to take the very message he detests to the world.

ACTS 5:27-32

²⁷When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, ²⁸saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us." ²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. ³⁰The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³²And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

It is easy for Christians today as a modern or post-modern audience to forget that the Easter message does not come to us as individual Christians being asked to believe or accept Jesus into our hearts and lives.  Although this is certainly part of the message, as stated in the above reading repentance and forgiveness of sins, one word is often missed; Israel.  The message of the Good News is that the gates have been opened to God's covenant that has allowed all the world to enter into the family of God.  This is not to say that gentiles have in the past not been converted or demonstrated faith in the God of Israel.  The Acts of the Apostles is a continuation of the Gospel of Luke, and a theme in Luke has been the inclusion of the gentiles in the kingdom of God.  That salvation has come to the gentiles is a common theme in Luke's gospel, Acts continues the story.  This message is now being decimated at such a rate that the religious authorities complain that "you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching!"  This will have enormous implications, tensions will rise and questions regarding the relationship of the law for new gentile converts will tear the church into factions.  The questions that is raised will revolve around the requirements for being the people of God.  For Christians, one question is centered around faith in Jesus as the central question and the place of dietary laws and circumcision?  For now, the apostles having been commissioned by Jesus continue the proclamation of God's grace and mercy in Jesus Christ as the entrance into the covenant community of the people of God, baptism as the sign of the covenant which is universal in its application, the communion meal as instituted by Christ.

Acts Reading in Easter Year 3C

Peter and John Healing the Lame Man, 1655 Poussin

ACTS 10:34-43

³⁴Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, ³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ — he is Lord of all. ³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. ³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Beginning with Easter, the First Reading in the Lectionary cycle focuses on the Acts of the Apostles.  This tradition goes back to Cyril of Jerusalem (313 AD).  With the Easter Vigil reading focusing heavily on the Old Testament salvation story, the reading progress with a focus to the church's mission in the apostolic age. 

The Acts 10:34-43 passage listed on Easter is taken from the Cornelius and Peter story which takes up two chapter in Acts, 10 and 11.  This reading focuses on the sermon or message preached by Peter to the household of Cornelius.  This "Easter message" demonstrates again the core creedal belief of the church.  These passages will be again dealt with on the Fifth Sunday of Easter (Acts 11:1-18) and the story of Peter's resistance to visiting the house of Cornelius, a gentile proselyte.

One theme that is set at the outset of these lectionary readings comes from the first verse of Acts 10, "God shows no partiality."  The Easter message for the whole world, opening up the family of God and the People of Israel to all who come in faith to God through Jesus Christ.  Jesus as the judge of the earth (Jesus is Lord) is the one that comes to put things right between God and humanity and the one who brings forgiveness of sins and reconciliation.   The following readings will illustrate this with the stories of Cornelius, Saul of Tarsus, Lydia, and Tabitha.