Paul's Message And Ministry In Covenant Perspective [Hardcover]

The essays presented here represent over twenty-five years of thinking about the theology and life of the Apostle Paul who, as a slave of Jesus Christ (Rom 1:1), was a servant of the new covenant with a ministry of the Spirit (2 Cor 3:6, 8). Taking the questions raised by the history of scholarship since F. C. Baur as their starting point, Hafemann's exegetical studies focus on how Paul's self-understanding shaped his message, the motivations of his ministry, and his consequent call to suffer for the sake of his churches. Hafemann's work reveals that Paul's views of redemption, of his own redemptive mission, and of the life of the redeemed derived from his eschatological conviction that the purpose of the new covenant realities inaugurated by the Christ is to prepare for their promised consummation when Christ returns to judge the world. What an important contribution Scott Hafemann has made through these penetrating essays, working together to demonstrate the cross-centered nature of Paul's life and proclamation of the gospel, demonstrating in concrete terms the power of God reflected in the weakness of the cross and in ministry marked by such 'foolishness' and 'weakness.' By making these essays more accessible to a wider readership this volume makes its own contribution to understanding this crucial aspect of Paul's message and ministry. --Roy E. Ciampa, Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship, New York, NY It is excellent to have Hafemann's essays collected together here, and updated to include the latest scholarship. This book encapsulates Hafemann's combination of exegetical skill and theological interest, which are all too rare in Pauline studies. --Simon Gathercole, Senior Lecturer in New Testament, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK The essays in this collection demonstrate Scott Hafemann's unwavering commitment, not only to interacting with difficult Pauline texts, but wrestling with them until they yield to his considerable exel#+