Pauline Hermeneutics: Exploring the "Power of the Gospel." by Eve-Marie Becker and Kenneth Mtata

Abstract

Reviewed by: Pauline Hermeneutics: Exploring the "Power of the Gospel." by Eve-Marie Becker and Kenneth Mtata Troy M. Troftgruben Pauline Hermeneutics: Exploring the "Power of the Gospel." Edited by Eve-Marie Becker and Kenneth Mtata. Lutheran World Federation Studies 2016/3. Leipzig: Evangelische Verlangsanstalt, 2017. 182 pp. This collection of essays originated in a 2015 consultation in Aarhus, Denmark, sponsored by the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The book is the final volume of a four-part LWF biblical hermeneutics series, all of which have included Lutheran scholars from across the globe addressing topics of biblical interpretation in light of the Reformation. This book raises relevant questions regarding Lutheran interpretation of Paul, addressing them with different [End Page 120] hermeneutical insights, approaches, and reflections from seasoned Lutheran scholars. After the Preface and Introduction, the book includes thirteen essays organized into three sections: (1) Exploring Paul and Pauline Hermeneutics, (2) Reading Pauline Texts and Contexts, and (3) Applying Paul's Theology and Hermeneutics to Church and Society. The essay by Kenneth Mtata (Zimbabwe) characterizes Paul's Gospel as a message of freedom from shame and of new identity, both of which are of increased relevance today. Eve-Marie Becker (Denmark) explores the selective yet "connective" ways Paul engages sacred traditions, showing him to be an intentional but complex transmitter, motivated by his apostolic call as much as anything else. The next two essays propose Paul's legacy calls for ongoing rethinking of conventional Pauline hermeneutics: Oda Wischmeyer (Germany) suggests Paul's focus on the Spirit and freedom justifies a more expansive notion of divine communication, and Magnus Zetterholm (Sweden) uses Paul's positive evaluation of slavery to advocate the "newness" proclaimed by his gospel calls for ongoing reinterpretations of scripture for new circumstances. The next four essays center on interpretation for contemporary contexts. Rospita Deliana Siahaan (Indonesia) explores 1 Corinthians 12–14 and Luther to argue churches should not judge one another's practices (especially charismatic practices), and Roger Marcel Wanke (Brazil) shows the interconnectedness of God's creating and reconciling—as divine works and as calls for human responses today. Marianne Bjelland Kartzow (Norway) uses "intersectional hermeneutics" to encourage further dialogue between Galatians 3–4 and marginalized voices and experiences, and Lubomir Batka (Slovakia) lifts up Paul's notion of "citizenship" in Philippians as a hermeneutical instrument for modern interpretation. The final section features five essays that apply Pauline theological principles to modern issues in church and society. Faustin Mahali (Tanzania) argues further integration of Luther's notion of justification by faith among African Lutherans should foster more holistic practices of inclusion and challenges to injustice. Urmas Nõmmik [End Page 121] entertains questions from an Estonian context regarding Scripture and sexuality, Mercedes L. García Bachmann (Argentina-Uruguay) explores nuances of "holiness" in Paul's Letters, and Hans-Peter Grosshans (Germany) investigates Paul's thinking in Philippians 3:20 in conversation with Luther's notion of vocation in larger society. Bernd Oberdorfer (Germany), finally, shows how Luther creatively rearranged Paul's ethical principles for Luther's cultural context, suggesting we do likewise under Paul's notion of "test everything" to discern the good. The book's most distinctive gifts are the global range of its contributors and their critical reflections on Lutheran interpretation of Paul. Given not only Paul's influence on Luther, but vice-versa (Luther's influence on historic interpretation of Paul), this book raises relevant questions 500 years after the Reformation's birth. The essays are brief, raising questions and reflecting generally more than striving to shift the fulcrum of New Testament scholarship. Still, the authors speak with gravitas from extensive careers of theological research. The finest essays are those that name real quandaries in Lutheran interpretation of Paul (for example, Oberdorfer), propose non-traditional hermeneutics as Pauline (Wischmeyer, Zetterholm), or spotlight some very distinctive contextual challenges today (Mahali, Nõmmik). As this summary shows, the book is more representative than new, more diverse than narrow, and emphasizes more questions than conclusions. Still, for teachers and students engaged in cross-cultural Lutheran dialogue, these essays offer a lovely snapshot of the interpretive questions and challenges most pressing for global Lutheranism today. Troy M. Troftgruben Wartburg Theological...