A Companion to the New Testament: Paul and the Pauline Letters by Matthew L. Skinner

Abstract

Reviewed by: A Companion to the New Testament: Paul and the Pauline Letters by Matthew L. Skinner Mary Sylvia Nwachukwu and Thinker's Corner matthew l. skinner, A Companion to the New Testament: Paul and the Pauline Letters (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2018). Pp. x + 305. $39.95. This impressive volume by Matthew Skinner on Paul and the Pauline letters is the second of a three-volume series. The first volume treats the Gospels and Acts, and the third presents the other letters and Book of Revelation. This volume on Paul has fourteen chapters, with an introduction and concluding recommendations for ongoing exploration of the NT. As a companion, the book actually fulfills its aim to guide readers in the reading of the letters of Paul and to furnish them with background knowledge that enhances reader participation in the theological conversations of the letters of Paul. In presenting Paul and his letters, S. recognizes the importance of social influences, historical backgrounds, and other contexts that connect the documents to their original setting to highlight how they once contributed to larger conversations. In the introductory section, S. draws attention to three important contexts: Paul ministered among people of different settings; he addressed his letters to churches shaped by different circumstances; and he adopted diverse strategies to influence his addressees. The letters must be understood as surviving witnesses that are mirrors for viewing these contexts and influences. The first chapter features the apostle Paul—his background, ministry, legacy, and theology. The chapter discusses backgrounds and currents that influenced Paul, including the OT, Jewish apocalypticism, Greco-Roman influences, and the sociopolitical background of the churches. Another important influence is Paul's particular experience of Jesus Christ, the major influence that changed Paul's understanding of the role of Torah and how God brings the world into a new relationship with Christ. As to how the other backgrounds influenced Paul's theological rhetoric, S. says that, while Jewish apocalyptic themes gave Paul an explanatory framework for his understanding of God's character and the human condition, those ideas were expressed in Greco-Roman thought patterns. In the second chapter, S. explains what to expect from the form of each letter in order to show how Paul pursued his purpose to influence his audiences through a system of communication familiar to them. The seventh chapter complements chap. 2 by presenting the points of contact and divergence between the authentic and disputed letters of Paul. S. defends the integrity of the disputed letters in a manner I have never seen elsewhere. He represents the debates about their authorship and difference in literary style and theological perspective, but he encourages interpreters to focus on each letter as a specific document with specific tendencies and claims. The receptive status of the disputed letters might change if interpreters focus attention on how these letters represent attempts to perpetuate Paul's ideas and legacy. In the subsequent chapters of the book, S. examines the thirteen letters of Paul and the basic insights they offer into Paul's thoughts and experiences. The letters are discussed in [End Page 556] their traditional canonical order, but the chapters are designed to allow readers alternatively to follow the discussion in the chronological order of the letters. The exposition of the letters follows a consistent pattern. After a presentation of the letter's origin, audience, and overview, S. presents theological backgrounds that emerge from Paul's efforts to offer pastoral guidance to the churches in their different circumstances. A discussion of authorship is found only in the presentation of the disputed letters. In reading the author's exposition of the themes of each letter, the reader will also encounter S.'s painstaking effort to show how each letter relates to and/or diverges from other letters. According to S., no single letter gives the entire picture of Paul's exposition of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is a point to consider in the debate about the center of Paul's theology. I recommend this volume to students and interpreters of Paul. It uses simple, nontechnical language, with explanations that aid easy understanding. Of the many interpretations of Paul and his letters that exist...