The Interpretation of Freedom in the Letters of Paul: With Special Reference to the 'German' Tradition (Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen Zum Neuen Testament 2.Reihe)

Wayne Coppins investigates the interpretation of freedom in Paul's letters with special reference to Martin Luther and twentieth-century "German" New Testament scholarship. He focuses on three key issues, namely the importance of freedom in Paul's letters and theology, the centrality and meaning of "freedom from the law," and the relationship between freedom and service. In addition to providing a detailed exegesis of the key Pauline texts, the monograph also offers a synthesis of the aforementioned issues and concludes with a retrospective assessment of the promise and pitfalls of 'German' scholarship on freedom in Paul. While critical of the assumption that Paul himself had already developed a unified concept of freedom, the author suggests that it may nevertheless be appropriate to employ freedom as a category for depicting Paul's thought Cover Dedication Preface Table of Contents Citations and Abbreviations Part I: Approaching the Topic Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Topic and Purpose 1.2 Freedom and the ‘German’ Tradition 1.3 Martin Luther and The Freedom of a Christian Chapter 2: Twentieth-Century ‘German’ Scholarship on Freedom in Paul 2.1 The Importance of Freedom in Paul 2.2 ‘Freedom from the Law’ in Paul 2.3 The Relationship between Freedom and Service in Paul Chapter 3: Task and Methodology 3.1 Method of Approach 3.2 Outline of Methodological Scope and Limits 3.3 The Relationship between the Respective Chapters Part II: Exegesis Chapter 4: The έλευθερ- Texts of 1–2 Corinthians 4.1 Introduction 4.2 1 Cor 7.21–22 4.3 1 Cor 7.39 4.4 1 Cor 9.1, 19 4.5 1 Cor 10.29 4.6 1 Cor 12.13 4.7 2 Cor 3.17 4.8 Conclusion Chapter 5: The έλευθερ- Texts of Galatians 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Preliminary Discussion 5.3 Gal 2.4 5.4 Gal 3.28 5.5 Gal 4.21-31 5.6 Gal 5.1 5.7 Gal 5.13 5.8 Conclusion Chapter 6: The έλευθερ- Texts of Romans 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Rom 6.18, 20, 22 6.3 Rom 7.3 6.4 Rom 8.2 6.5 Rom 8.21 6.6 Conclusion Part III: Conclusion Chapter 7: Paul’s Freedom Texts and Luther’s Emphases 7.1 The Importance of Freedom in Paul’s Letters and Theology 7.2 The Centrality and Meaning of ‘Freedom from the Law' 7.3 The Relationship between Freedom and Service Chapter 8: The Promise and Pitfalls of ‘German’ Scholarship on Freedom in Paul Bibliography Index of Ancient Sources Index of Modern Authors Index of Selected Topics Hauptbeschreibung Wayne Coppins investigates the interpretation of freedom in Paul's letters with special reference to Martin Luther and twentieth-century ""German"" New Testament scholarship. He focuses on three key issues, namely the importance of freedom in Paul's letters and theology, the centrality and meaning of ""freedom from the law,"" and the relationship between freedom and service. In addition to providing a detailed exegesis of the key Pauline texts, the monograph also offers a synthesis of the aforementioned issues and concludes with a retrospective assessment of the pr