It is no longer chic to be a scholar who advocates the New Perspective on Paul (NPP). Its advocates have backtracked somewhat from its audacious claims that the Reformation has misread Paul. Furthermore, the New Testament guild has since moved on to new fashions like studies on social identity, and the gospel and empire. Indeed, the latest flavor in town is on the ‘Apocalyptic Paul’.
On the other hand, that the NPP is no longer chic does not mean that it is no longer interesting or relevant. After all, the NPP touches on crucial methodological issues like early Judaism and historical hermeneutics, and central elements of salvation concerning covenant and justification. Indeed, since the NPP claims that the Reformation has misread Paul, it would be good to polish up one’s understanding of Paul’s teaching on covenant and justification in preparation for the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
Many new seminary students are also wondering what the sound and fury signify? A good place to begin catching up would be to listen to the three lectures on the NPP given by D.A. Carson. Carson deftly unpacks (or dismantles) the questionable historical revisionism and faulty exegesis of the movement. You will also enjoy Carson’s sharp critique and wit.
The three lectures on The New Perspectives on Paul are accessible at,
https://www.monergism.com/topics/mp3-audio-multimedia/all-north-american-speakers-messages/donald-carson/new-perspective-paul
Click on the link to listen to the talk now, or right-click and “Save Link As” to save on your computer for leisurely listening.