Contemporary Authors

• The Secretary in the Letters of Paul J.C.B. Mohr (Tübingen, Germany), 1991

1. A little book for new Bible scholars LCCN 2017000161 Type of material Book Personal name Richards, E. Randolph (Ernest Randolph), author. Main title A little book for new Bible scholars / E. Randolph Richards and Joseph R. Dodson. Published/Produced Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 2017. Projected pub date 1704 Description pages cm. ISBN 9780830851706 (pbk. : alk. paper) Library of Congress Holdings Information not available. 2. Paul behaving badly : was the apostle a racist, chauvinist jerk? LCCN 2016039590 Type of material Book Personal name Richards, E. Randolph (Ernest Randolph), author. Main title Paul behaving badly : was the apostle a racist, chauvinist jerk? / E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien. Published/Produced Downers Grove : InterVarsity Press, 2016. Description 223 pages ; 20 cm ISBN 9780830844722 (pbk. : alk. paper) CALL NUMBER BS2651 .R45 2016 CABIN BRANCH Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE 3. Rediscovering Jesus : an introduction to biblical, religious, and cultural perspectives on Christ LCCN 2015014882 Type of material Book Personal name Capes, David B. Main title Rediscovering Jesus : an introduction to biblical, religious, and cultural perspectives on Christ / David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves and E. Randolph Richards. Published/Produced Downers Grove, Illinois : IVP Academic, an imprint of InterVarsity Press, [2015] Description 272 pages ; 24 cm ISBN 9780830824724 (casebound : alk. paper) Shelf Location FLM2015 227584 CALL NUMBER BT203 .C35 2015 OVERFLOWJ34 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms (FLM2) 4. Misreading Scripture with Western eyes : removing cultural blinders to better understand the Bible LCCN 2012027652 Type of material Book Personal name Richards, E. Randolph (Ernest Randolph) Main title Misreading Scripture with Western eyes : removing cultural blinders to better understand the Bible / E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien. Published/Created Downers Grove, Ill. : IVP Books, c2012. Description 240 p. ; 21 cm. ISBN 9780830837823 (pbk. : alk. paper) Shelf Location FLS2013 021390 CALL NUMBER BS511.3 .R523 2012 OVERFLOWA5S Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms (FLS1) CALL NUMBER BS511.3 .R523 2012 LANDOVR Copy 2 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE 5. Rediscovering Paul : an introduction to his world, letters, and theology LCCN 2007026760 Type of material Book Personal name Capes, David B. Main title Rediscovering Paul : an introduction to his world, letters, and theology / David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves and E. Randolph Richards. Published/Created Downers Grove, Ill. : IVP Academic, c2007. Description 350 p. : maps ; 24 cm. ISBN 9780830825981 (cloth : alk. paper) 0830825983 (cloth : alk. paper) Links Table of contents only http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0721/2007026760.html CALL NUMBER BS2506.3 .C37 2007 CABIN BRANCH Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE 6. Paul and first-century letter writing : secretaries, composition, and collection LCCN 2004017267 Type of material Book Personal name Richards, E. Randolph (Ernest Randolph) Main title Paul and first-century letter writing : secretaries, composition, and collection / E. Randolph Richards. Published/Created Downers Grove, Ill. : InterVarsity Press, c2004. Description 252 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. ISBN 0830827889 (pbk. : alk. paper) Links Table of contents http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0420/2004017267.html CALL NUMBER BS2650.52 .R53 2004 Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms CALL NUMBER BS2650.52 .R53 2004 FT MEADE Copy 2 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE 7. The secretary in the letters of Paul LCCN 92214283 Type of material Book Personal name Richards, E. Randolph (Ernest Randolph) Main title The secretary in the letters of Paul / by E. Randolph Richards. Published/Created Tübingen : J.C.B. Mohr, c1991. Description x, 251 p. ; 24 cm. ISBN 3161455754 CALL NUMBER BS2650.5 .R53 1991 Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms

• From Publisher -

  . Randolph Richards (PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is provost and professor of biblical studies in the School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He is a popular speaker and has authored and coauthored dozens of books and articles, including Paul Behaving Badly, A Little Book for New Bible Scholars, Rediscovering Jesus, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, Rediscovering Paul, The Story of Israel, and Paul and First-Century Letter Writing.

  Early on in their ministry he and his wife Stacia were appointed as missionaries to east Indonesia, where he taught for eight years at an Indonesian seminary. Missions remain on the hearts of Randy and Stacia. Randy leads mission trips and conducts missionary training workshops and regularly leads tours of the Holy Land, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. He has served as interim pastor of numerous churches and is currently a teaching pastor. He and Stacia reside in Palm Beach, Florida.

• Bible Gateway - https://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2017/01/paul-behaving-badly-an-interview-with-e-randolph-richards-and-brandon-obrien/

  Jonathan Petersen
  January 9, 2017
  Paul Behaving Badly: An Interview with E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien
  Jonathan Petersen
  Manager of marketing for Bible Gateway.

  E. Randolph RichardsThe apostle Paul was kind of a jerk. He was arrogant and stubborn. He called his opponents derogatory, racist names. He legitimized slavery and silenced women. He was a moralistic, homophobic killjoy who imposed his narrow religious views on others. Or was he?

  Bible Gateway interviewed E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien (@brandonjobrien) about their book, Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk? (IVP Books, 2016).

  Brandon J. O'Brien

  [Browse the Pauline Studies section in the Bible Gateway Store]

  Who was the Apostle Paul and why is he important?

  Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien: When we first meet Paul in the New Testament, he’s approving the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 8:1). He’s a zealous, ambitious Pharisee and, by his own estimation, “blameless” in his adherence to the Law (Phil. 3:6Acts 9). From that day on, God channels Paul’s zeal, ambition, and hardheadedness for the glory of Christ and his Kingdom.

  Ultimately Paul is significant for being the “apostle to the Gentiles” (Rom 1:5). He was the first to translate the gospel, which Jesus and the other apostles preached to fellow Jews, to a hostile Gentile audience. In some respects, Paul is the first cross-cultural missionary.

  Buy your copy of Paul Behaving Badly in the Bible Gateway Store where you'll enjoy low prices every day

  What does it mean that Paul’s books are “occasional writings” and why is that an interpretation challenge?

  Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien: In this case, “occasional” doesn’t mean that Paul only wrote periodically. It means that when he wrote, it was with a specific audience and situation in mind. His writings were specific to a particular occasion (hence “occasional”).

  The occasional nature of Paul’s writings poses a challenge because we don’t always know what questions, debates, or circumstances Paul is responding to in his letters.

  Paul’s letters are half a correspondence. In some cases, they’re Paul’s responses to letters he received from others. But we don’t have their letters with their questions and concerns, so we’re listening in on only one side of a private conversation. Just like listening in when your spouse is talking on the phone, you can usually figure out who they’re talking to and what they’re talking about, but we can’t always be absolutely certain. This doesn’t give us less confidence in the Bible. It remains the infallible Word of God. But it should give us a little humility about how we’re interpreting it.

  How difficult was it to write this book?

  Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien: At first we thought, This should be easy. There are already two great books out there similar to this one: God Behaving Badly by David Lamb and Jesus Behaving Badly by Mark Strauss. What could go wrong? The road has been mapped for us.

  Then it occurred to us that Paul isn’t God or Jesus. Jesus was perfect and God is, well, God. But Paul was a mortal human. He’s the one who wrote: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Rom 7:15). So, before you even begin reading the book about God behaving badly or Jesus behaving badly, you feel somehow that everything is going to be okay. Surely neither God nor Jesus ever really behaved badly, right? But it’s very possible that Paul did. After all, he’s only human. On the other hand, we believe that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God.

  Explain what you mean when you write, “Paul has the dubious distinction among the earliest Christians of irritating everyone at some point.”

  Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien: Paul was frequently guilty of behaving badly in the eyes of his Jewish contemporaries. He offended their sensibilities. He likewise behaved badly according to Roman culture. He challenged their assumptions and exposed their misperceptions. He had the audacity to tell a Roman man how to treat people in his own house. We say a man’s home is his castle, but in first-century Rome they really meant it. It was off limits. He told the Jews that their Law and their Temple had been replaced by the Spirit of God. That’s a real no-no. Not even his fellow Christians were or are always sure what to make of Paul.

  What are a few examples of what some people consider Paul’s “bad behavior” and how do you explain them?

  Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien: Among the charges against Paul are that his opinions are misogynistic, racist, homophobic, and generally on the wrong side of history. And that’s just the modern cultural critics. He’s also charged with being hypocritical and a bully. Space here doesn’t allow a fair treatment of any of those charges. But here’s how we handle it in the book. We refused to harrumph the criticisms of Paul or sweep them under the rug. We allow his critics to build the best case they can that Paul is a racist or a chauvinist or whatever. Then we weigh the biblical evidence in light of Paul’s first-century context. Knowing Paul, we think he’d appreciate the scrutiny!

  Would you want to invite Paul to your neighborhood backyard barbeque?

  Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien: Maybe if we gave him a list of things first that he wasn’t allowed to talk about!

  What are your thoughts about Bible Gateway and the Bible Gateway App?

  Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien: We both use Bible Gateway all the time, including the app. It gives us quick access to biblical texts, different translations, and also allows us to put the Greek text next to whichever translations we want. It’s our go-to tool, especially on the go.

  Bio: E. Randolph Richards (PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean and professor of biblical studies in the School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He’s a popular speaker and has authored and coauthored dozens of books and articles including Rediscovering Jesus, Rediscovering Paul, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing, and The Story of Israel.

  Early in their ministry he and his wife, Stacia, were appointed as missionaries to east Indonesia, where he taught for eight years at an Indonesian seminary. Missions remain on the hearts of Randy and Stacia. Randy leads mission trips and conducts missionary training workshops and regularly leads tours of the Holy Land, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. He’s served as interim pastor of numerous churches and is currently a teaching pastor. He and Stacia reside in Palm Beach, Florida.

  Brandon J. O’Brien (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is assistant professor of Christian theology at Ouachita Baptist University and director of OBU at New Life Church in Conway, Arkansas. He’s the author of The Strategically Small Church and coauthor, with E. Randolph Richards, of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes and Paul Behaving Badly.

  O’Brien has published in Christianity Today, Relevant, Leadership Journal, and the Out of Ur blog, and has been interviewed by and quoted in USA TODAY and other national newspapers.

• Amazon -

  E. Randolph Richards, PhD, is dean and professor of biblical studies in the School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University. He has authored and coauthored dozens of books and articles including Paul Behaving Badly, Rediscovering Jesus, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, Rediscovering Paul, and Paul and First-Century Letter Writing. He is a popular speaker and a former missionary-teacher in Indonesia. He and Stacia reside in Palm Beach, Florida.

Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?
263.37 (Sept. 12, 2016): p50.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/

Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?

E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O'Brien. InterVarsity, $16 trade paper (224p) ISBN 9780-8308-4472-2

Responding to examinations of the apostle Paul that paint him as racist and sexist, Richards and O'Brien (Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes) admit Paul's writings can be hard to take, especially those letters ordering slaves to obey masters and women to remain silent. But the authors maintain that Paul's actions must be understood through the prism of his intended audience: the letters were addressed certain groups of people on singular, particular occasions. Richards and O'Brien place Paul under an admirable amount of scrutiny, but point out that Paul, a Jewish Roman citizen, guided churches through complicated problems during the first century and "we certainly shouldn't expect him to act like a twenty-first century American." On chauvinism, for example, the authors argue Paul's writings are pro-women because he instructed rabbis to educate female students--radical views back then. In one of the most provocative chapters, the authors compare Paul's approach to biblical interpretation to today's standard interpretations and conclude that Paul wouldn't be allowed to teach a seminary class on methodology. Well-versed scholars may not be surprised by the material, but lay readers taking a closer look at Paul will find this book illuminating and learn a lot about a man who played an integral role in shaping Christianity. (Nov.)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?" Publishers Weekly, 12 Sept. 2016, p. 50. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA464046301&it=r&asid=eb431bfaff6cdac5e6708c27d49be3e4. Accessed 3 June 2017.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A464046301
Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters, and Theology
Zeba A. Crook
38.4 (Winter 2008): p185.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2008 Biblical Theology Bulletin, Inc
http://academic.shu.edu/btb/

Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters, and Theology. By David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves, and E. Randolph Richards. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2007. Pp. 350. Cloth, $27.00.

Capes, Reeves, and Richards have aimed this book at the undergraduate audience, and that is a worthy goal. The outline of the book--Greco-Roman environment, letter-writing practices, conversion/career, the setting and content of the letters, collection and canonization of the letters--is perfect for the undergraduate student. The chapters are also peppered with insert boxes with observations designed to encourage the student to ask questions about Paul's social gospel. I suspect that the authors had more than the Baptist seminary in view, but the fact is, this is a Baptist textbook designed for Baptist students. Gone, it seems, are the days when historical-critical scholarship informed seminary and university students alike. There is now a thriving industry generating orthodox 'corrections' to decades of misguided (liberal) historical critical work on the Bibles. There have been enough of these sorts of 'corrections' in monograph form that now we can get introductory textbooks based solely on the work of those books. This book contains little to no scholarly work that challenges the traditional Christian view of Paul, Acts, and the development of "the Church." A list of the most commonly cited authors illustrates this: J. D. G. Dunn, Jerome Murphy O'Connor, Michael Gorman, Stanley Porter, Ben Witherington, and N.T. Wright. One searches in vain for the influence of scholars such as Elizabeth Castelli, Daniel Boyarin, Elaine Pagels, Stanley Stowers, Antoinette Clark Wire, and John Knox.

The opening chapters have much to recommend them. Their presentation of the Greco-Roman environment is good, and they are especially to be commended for stressing the cultural gap that sits between Paul's world and ours. Also, the coverage of ancient letter-writing practices is very good, with one caveat. Unlike in most introductory treatments of Paul, the chapter on letter-writing does not simply provide interesting information to students and open a conversation of 'what if's: in this case, the chapter is the foundation for the entirety of what follows. Where most scholars suggest that Paul may have used secretaries, since their use was common, Capes, Reeves and Richards assume that Paul must have used them, and building from there they argue that this would introduce quite a variety of vocabulary, writing styles, topics, and even theology. These of course are the reasons scholars question the authorship of the deutero-Pauline letters. So, not surprisingly, Capes, Reeves and Richards accept the authorship of all thirteen Pauline letters, claiming that secretarial differences explain adequately all the differences among the letters. They also accept that Luke had totally reliable information on Paul. The career and itinerary of Paul presented here is an example of what you get when you take all thirteen letters and force them into the Acts timeline.

It has been common for many decades now to distinguish between liberal and conservative brands of biblical scholarship. 'Conservative' has been taken to refer to scholarship that seeks to uphold traditional notions of the Bibles and how they came to be written; 'liberal' has described scholarship more willing to interrogate and sometimes jettison church traditions. Reading this introduction to Paul, and much other so-called 'conservative' work, makes me question that dichotomy. For example, I simply do not feel comfortable assuming the total historical reliability of Acts. I have seen what Luke does to the story of Jesus! I do not feel comfortable assuming that first-century Christians were the only people in the Mediterranean not creating pseudepigraphal works. I do not feel comfortable assuming Paul made extensive use of secretaries. I feel it is a double standard to accept the authenticity of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus on the grounds of secretarial difference, but reject Laodiceans and 3 Corinthians which both claim Pauline authorship. The authors fairly claim that differences in style are not enough to discredit Pauline authorship, but then they use the presence of "Pauline features" as proof of Pauline authorship. In contrast to the authors of this book, I feel profoundly conservative in my sober judgments, in my unwillingness to make grand assumptions and to fill in the blanks creatively where the record goes quiet. From my perspective, claiming that Paul preached in Spain for two years between Roman imprisonments is not a conservative conclusion; it is a wildly creative one.

And finally, I must draw attention to a few highly idiosyncratic statements that appear in this book: that Jesus was crucified by "Jewish authorities" (p. 16); that the Jews are a "race" (p. 16); that Paul was "a trained rabbi" (p. 55); and somewhat humorously, that the point of the book was to rediscover Paul "within his or her world" (p. 308).

Zeba A. Crook

Carleton University

Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1S 5B6

Crook, Zeba A.
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Crook, Zeba A. "Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters, and Theology." Biblical Theology Bulletin, vol. 38, no. 4, 2008, p. 185+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA190099659&it=r&asid=db30ef9b123b5de9c9715849fdb405b4. Accessed 3 June 2017.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A190099659

"Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk?" Publishers Weekly, 12 Sept. 2016, p. 50. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA464046301&asid=eb431bfaff6cdac5e6708c27d49be3e4. Accessed 3 June 2017. Crook, Zeba A. "Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters, and Theology." Biblical Theology Bulletin, vol. 38, no. 4, 2008, p. 185+. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CA190099659&asid=db30ef9b123b5de9c9715849fdb405b4. Accessed 3 June 2017.

• Dallas Theological Seminary Website
  http://www.dts.edu/reviews/misreading-scripture-western-eyes
  Word count: 757

  Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible
  E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien IVP Books, Downers Grove, IL November 4, 2012
  Send to Kindle
  Purchase

  Richards is dean and professor of biblical studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University, and O’Brien is a part-time instructor of religion at College of DuPage and editor-at-large for Leadership journal. O’Brien was a student of Richards. Foundational is their conviction that “all Bible reading is necessarily contextual. There is no purely objective biblical interpretation. This is not postmodern relativism. We believe truth is truth. But there’s no way around the fact that our cultural and historical contexts supply us with habits of mind that lead us to read the Bible differently than Christians in other cultural and historical contexts” (p. 12). “The core conviction that drives this book is that some of the habits that we readers from the West (the United States, Canada, and Western Europe) bring to the Bible can blind us to interpretations that the original audience and readers in other cultures see quite naturally” (p. 15). They identify nine differences between Western and non-Western cultures in order to meet the primary goal of the book, “to help us learn to read ourselves. . . . Before we can be confident we are reading the Bible accurately, we need to understand what assumptions and values we project onto the Bible: those things that go without being said and that make us assume that some interpretations are self-evident and others are impossible” (p. 16).

  Each chapter addresses an issue; social mores, race and ethnicity, theories of language, individualism and collectivism, honor and shame, theories of time, human relationships, virtue and vice, and finding God’s will. Illustrations from Scripture, ministry experiences in the Western world, and Richards’s life in Indonesia help the reader see the practical implications of the themes in the book. Each chapter concludes with several “questions to ponder.”

  A final chapter provides a negative answer to the question, “Three Easy Steps for Removing Our Cultural Blinders?” Instead of “three easy steps,” they provide some excellent advice: Biblical interpretation is complex and requires hard work. Avoid overcorrection and overgeneralization. Remain teachable; hold assumptions loosely. Do not fear being wrong; “Fear only failing to learn from your mistakes” (p. 216). Then the book concludes with this admonition: “If we want to know when we’re reading ourselves into the Bible, rather than allowing the Bible to speak in its own terms, we need to commit ourselves to reading together. The worldwide church needs to learn to study Scripture together as a global community. Paying attention to our brothers and sisters abroad can open the echo chamber and allow new voices in. . . . May we seek to read Scripture with ‘persons from every tribe and language and people and nation’ (Rev. 5:9)” (pp. 216–17). In short, if the goal of “the study of Scriptures, to paraphrase Paul, [is] so that the ‘word of Christ may dwell in us richly as we teach and admonish one another with all wisdom’ (Col 3:11,16),” that cannot happen, given a solitary Bible reader (p. 217). In short, one cannot “admonish one another” alone.

  This is an outstanding treatment of a complex and important topic. Humans are cultural beings, deeply immersed in the world in which they live. It could hardly be otherwise. One of the consequences of cultural immersion is that understanding the impact of environment and culture on the readers of Scripture does not come easily. One can easily forget that the biblical texts were not written directly to this culture, but were written to other people in other cultures. Yet since the Bible is the Word of God and it is true and inerrant, it needs to be read and applied in every culture. This book is an aid to those who want to learn to do that well.

  No reader will agree with everything in the book. Every reader will disagree with the authors’ use of some illustrative texts and the implications they draw. But every reader will learn something from this book that will make him or her a better Bible reader. This would make a good textbook for courses in hermeneutics or biblical interpretation, cultural studies, prolegomena, or theological method, as well as small-group studies in a local church. The book is written at a level that educated laypeople as well as pastors, teachers, and scholars will find helpful.

  —Glenn R. Kreider
  October 1, 2013

• Fellowship for Biblical Studies Website
  http://www.fbs.org.au/reviews/richards54.html
  Word count: 738

  AUSTRALIAN BIBLICAL REVIEW

  ISSN 0045-0308

  BOOK REVIEW Published in Volume 54, 2006

  E. RANDOLPH RICHARDS, Paul and First-Century Letter Writing, Secretaries, Composition and Collection (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004). Pp. 252. $US19.00.

  This book is designed to help us to see Paul in the real world and in his world. Richards is concerned with “the nuts and bolts of Paul’s letter writing” (p. 17). Many reconstructions of Paul as a letter writer are built upon a modern and western framework, but “the more we can see a flesh-and-blood Paul scribbling notes under a shade tree during an afternoon rest stop or huddled with a colleague and a secretary in the living room of a third-story apartment on a cold, blustery winter’s day, the more we have a real person whose life we can strive to emulate” (p. 230).

  Richards provides us with a mass of useful information. He reminds us, for example, that modern copyright and plagiarism laws did not exist in Paul’s time. Knowledge was not “owned” by anyone but by everyone. This explains why ancient authors had no compunctions about using the words of another. Again, people of New Testament times did not share our love for speedy travel. Seasons, Sabbaths, swamps and stopovers were all perils for the foot traveller, hence, the preference of many travellers to venture on to the sea. The number of ships required to supply Rome with grain alone must have run into the thousands. Richards also argues convincingly that Paul probably kept copies of most of his letters and that the reason why “the previous letter” and “the severe letter” have not survived may well be that he didn’t make copies of them.

  One of the author’s central contentions is that the people named in some of Paul’s letters as co-senders should also be regarded, to some extent, as co-authors. The “Paul” who authored 1 Corinthians, for example, was not the solitary, modern, western writer we often envisage. Furthermore, we should not think of the letters being dictated by Paul at a single sitting. We should rather think of a protracted process, in which Paul and his team were constantly preparing notes and polishing drafts of material. Friends would stop by, listen to the latest draft being read aloud and make comments and suggestions. The latest draft would be read aloud at a dinner party, and the resulting discussion would prompt revision and clarification of what had been written. Recognition of this process has an impact on our understanding of inspiration. An inspired letter is the result of Paul and his team members being divinely prepared and responding to a divinely prepared situation.

  So far, so good, but Richards then uses this model of an authorial team to try to account for passages in the letters which seem so out of kilter with the main thrust of the argument as to lead many scholars to postulate interpolations by another hand. 1 Cor 14:33b–35 is perhaps the best-known example. Rather than leaping to the conclusion that such verses have been interpolated, however, Richards argues that we should allow for the possibility that they have been inserted by a co-author like Timothy or Sosthenes during the process of composition. Such material would not have been part of Paul’s original plan and could be described as non-Pauline but not as un-Pauline or post-Pauline. “The material was inserted during the letter’s composition and thus had Paul’s ultimate authorization” (p. 108; cf. pp. 120f). In the same way, he argues that many of the arguments used to support the view that some of the letters attributed to Paul were written by disciples of his after his death fail to convince, once we take into account the possibility of shared authorship. For my part, I can only regard these suggestions as desperate attempts to claim the imprimatur of Paul, at one remove, for material demonstrably at variance with his thought. The differences between 1 Cor 14:33b–35 and the rest of 1 Corinthians or between the Pastoral Epistles and the acknowledged letters of Paul are too great to be explained away in this manner. However, one does not need to agree with all of the author’s suggestions to derive considerable benefit and enjoyment from reading this book.

  Review by
  Nigel Watson
  10 Chatham Street
  Flemington VIC 3031, Australia

• Christianity Today
  http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/november/removing-our-blinders.html
  Word count: 1463

  How to Remove Our Bible-Reading Blinders
  Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien help us see through different cultural lenses.
  Christopher Hall| November 29, 2012
  How to Remove Our Bible-Reading Blinders
  Image: Keith Negley
  How to Remove Our Bible-Reading Blinders
  Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible
  Our Rating
  4 Stars - Excellent
  Book Title
  Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible
  Author
  E. Randolph Richards
  Publisher
  IVP Books
  Release Date
  December 4, 2012
  Pages
  240
  Price
  $11.79
  Buy Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible from Amazon

  The cover of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible (InterVarsity) is striking. Authors E. Randolph Richards (dean of the School of Christian Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University) and Brandon J. O'Brien (an editor at large for Leadership Journal) have us look at a white, male face, gazing outward from behind a printed page, eyes covered by blue-tinted glasses. The message is clear, as is the overarching message of the book: North American evangelicals "read" the Bible—and the world—through Western eyes. This insight is now commonplace in discussions about biblical interpretation in popular and academic circles, as Richards and O'Brien readily admit. Indeed, all human beings come to the Bible with cultural "habits," deeply ingrained patterns of interpreting the world that inevitably shape—and sometimes warp—our interpretation and understanding of Scripture.

  Richards and O'Brien want to help Western readers recognize more fully how the eyeglasses through which we view and interpret everything in our environment—Western culture—often influence our understanding of specific biblical texts and themes. To read Scripture well, we must read ourselves and our culture well. Picture an iceberg looming in the distance as a metaphor for our worldview, a key illustration Richards and O'Brien employ throughout their book. How much of an iceberg do we actually see? Well, as the captain of the Titanic sadly experienced, very little. The tip pokes up through the water, announcing its presence to all with eyes to see, but the iceberg's immensity lurks undetected in the depths. Similarly, our perceptions of our own culture's patterns and pressures—"what we wear, eat, say and consciously believe"—is only the tip of the iceberg. "The majority" of our cultural patterns lurk "below the surface, out of plain sight, beyond our conscious awareness."
  Me-Centered Approach

  Richards and O'Brien help us to understand the cultural dynamics Western Christians experience and manifest as they read the Bible. Clearly, our experiences shape our reading of the Bible; we are all wearing tinted glasses, lenses that help us to see some things very clearly but distort our vision elsewhere. Think, for instance, of the parable of the Prodigal Son. When 100 North American students were asked to read the parable and retell it, only six mentioned the famine the prodigal experiences away from home. In a word, American readers tend to be "famine-forgetters," perhaps because most Americans simply have not experienced terrible famine. Compare the response of 50 Russian readers to the very same parable: 42 out of 50 mentioned the famine. Why? The cultural history of famine in World War II has deeply embedded itself in the Russian consciousness, and this cultural lens influences what Russian Christians see in a biblical text.

  How to Remove Our Bible-Reading Blinders
  Randolph Richards and Brandon O'Brien help us see through different cultural lenses.
  Christopher Hall| November 29, 2012
  Page 2 of 3

  Or consider an additional example: How often have you sat in a Bible study, looked at a passage with other group members, and then had the leader of the group ask, "What does the passage mean to you?" A minute or two passes in silence; slowly individuals begin to respond: "To me this passage is saying" this, or "to me this passage means" that.
  Clearly, our experiences shape our reading of the Bible; we are all wearing tinted glasses, lenses that help us to see some things very clearly but distort our vision elsewhere.

  Of course, to ask what a passage means is praiseworthy. But to make the individual Christian the starting point for interpretation and the center of a text's meaning—the Western pattern—is problematic. Richards and O'Brien point to at least two immediate dangers.

  First, if I make myself the center in my search for meaning in the Bible, I will naturally mine the Scripture for passages that I sense are immediately relevant to my life, and ignore swaths of texts where I don't discern immediate applicability. "This," the authors say, "leaves us basing our Christian life on less than the full counsel of God."

  Second, and perhaps more seriously, a me-centered approach to the Bible confuses application with meaning. Simply put, I am not the focus of the Bible's meaning; Christ is. Yes, as God's image-bearers, we play an important role in the Bible's story. Christ has come to save us, and much of the Bible's story explains the wonder of how he has done just that. But if the first question I ask of a biblical text is how I can apply that text to my life, I leapfrog over meaning to applicability. I place myself at the center of the universe, a tendency especially prevalent among American Christians.

  Richards and O'Brien believe this self-centered perspective leads us "to believe that we (meaning I) have a privileged status in God's salvation history. I may not be sure what God's plans are, but I am confident that at the center will be me. We read a verse and say this verse is about me or my country or my time in history." Thankfully, non-Western Christians can help us see that the Bible is not simply about me; it's about Jesus, and it's about us.
  Avoiding Icebergs

  Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes does not argue that non-Western interpretations are necessarily superior to Western ones. Asian readers are just as apt to misread the Bible as North Americans, as are Africans, Europeans, South Americans, and Australians. Sin's distorting effect skews the vision of all cultures. All human beings view the Bible through cracked, blurred lenses that blind us to biblical meanings, challenges, and beauty that God longs for us to understand and embrace.

  Since we inevitably come to the Bible loaded with cultural presuppositions about the nature of reality—some very helpful, some not so helpful—is reading the Bible well a pipedream? Not at all. The remedy for the dangers posed by cultural blinders, the radar we can employ to detect hidden icebergs in our worldview, is the church itself. As we acknowledge humbly our need for the mentoring and guidance of all members of Christ's body—the church past and present—our understanding of the Scripture will expand like a balloon, filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit. The exegetical and theological insights of different members of Christ's church—sprinkled throughout the world's cultures and histories like so many stars—provide the illumination we need to read and understand the Scripture.

  Our eyesight brightens and clarifies as we listen to one another—to past believers who have journeyed with Christ before us, and to present-day believers who initially seem so different from us. As we embrace the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in the church's journey through time and humbly receive the Spirit's enlivening of Christ's body around the world, our ability to read the Bible well significantly increases. Richards and O'Brien rightly encourage us, then, to read the Bible as a "global community." By doing so, we can "open the chamber and allow new voices in." And by consciously expanding the circle of our conversation partners, we strengthen each other where we tend to be weak, shortsighted, stunted, or blind.

  Christ continues to speak to all Christians and all cultures through the Bible—a text that always points to Jesus himself. We can't stop being North American or Asian, African or South American; our cultural identity and language, though warped by sin, is a gift from God. What we can do, though, is increase our awareness of the cultural and historical settings in which God has graciously and providentially placed us. And we can better appreciate—through immersion in the global Christian family and through books like Misreading Scripture—how these settings help and hinder our understanding of the Bible.

  Christopher Hall is chancellor of Eastern University, dean of Palmer Theological Seminary, and the author of several books.

• Reading Acts
  https://readingacts.com/2016/10/29/book-review-randolph-and-obrien-paul-behaving-badly/
  Word count: 1513

  Book Review: Randolph and O’Brien. Paul Behaving Badly

  October 29, 2016 in Book Reviews | Tags: Apologetics, Book Review, Paul, Pauline Theology, Theology

  Richards, E. Randolph and Brandon J. O’Brien. Paul Behaving Badly: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk? Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity, 2016. 224 pgs., Pb.; $16.00 Link to IVP

  This book follows Mark Strauss’s Jesus Behaving Badly (IVP 2016, I review this book here) and David Lamb’s God Behaving Badly (IVP 2011). In many ways this new book is similar to an earlier volume written by Richards and O’Brien, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes (IVP 2012). The goal of this book is to offer some explanation for some of Paul’s writings which strike the modern (and politically correct) reader as not just difficult, but impossible to apply. In the conclusion to the book, they state “Paul was a product of his time—like everyone else” (194).

  paul-behaving-badlyIn the introduction to the book, the writers set up the “problem of Paul” by describing their own misgivings about Paul. On the one hand, Paul does say some rather disturbing things. Most Christians struggle with Paul’s command for women to remain silent in church because it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church (1 Cor 14:3-35). His commands on head-coverings (1 Cor 11:2-16) are difficult to apply in a modern context. Paul can certainly be abrasive and downright rude, calling be infants or foolish (Gal 3:1). There are many Christians who prefer the kind, loving Jesus to a cranky, autocratic Paul. In the conclusion to the book the authors express their hope that this book does not “hate on Paul” (193),

  But another serious problem is that Paul is intimidating! Reading Paul can be a difficult slog in terms of both content and theology. Following the argument of Romans can be challenging, and unpacking Paul’s logic in a way which resonates with a modern reader is not always possible. For many Christians it is far easier to understand a parable of Jesus and immediately apply the parable to a situation in their life than to wade through the thick theological argument of Romans or Galatians.

  Richards and O’Brien, begin with the way Paul communicates with his readers. Sometimes he seems to be “kind of a jerk.” This is certainly true when Paul’s letters are compared to the popular image most people of Jesus. Another aspect of Paul’s letters which is hard for some to handle is arrogance. Rather than following Jesus, Paul regularly tells his readers to follow him. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, for example, Paul demands his readers follow his example as he follows Christ. Despite demanding peace in his churches, Paul occasionally bullies his opponents (24), calling them names and mocking their views. Richards and O’Brien point out that Paul makes a great deal out of his calling to be the Apostle to the Gentiles and he seems to put his own agenda ahead of the leading of the Holy Spirit (citing Acts 21:4). Richards and O’Brien conclude “there is no way around it. Paul thought he was special” (36). At least some of Paul’s bluster can put explained as Greco-Roman rhetoric, and put into the context of other Roman writers, Paul is not that much different (perhaps he is less of a bully that some!)

  Chapters 2-6 deal with specific issues in the Pauline letters which are difficult to apply in a modern context (Paul was a killjoy, racist, pro-slavery, a Chauvinist, and homophobic). In each case Richards and O’Brien set up the issue by citing several passages in Paul which imply he was in fact a racist, etc. After examining these passages within the cultural context of the first century, Roman world, they conclude Paul is not guilty as charged. At least not by the standards of the first century Roman world. This is a key observation for each of the issues Richards and O’Brien cover in chapters 2-6. If Paul is understood as a Second Temple period Jew living in the Greco-Roman world of the first century, then his “politically incorrect” sayings are perfectly understandable.

  For example, Paul did not “support slavery” in the same sense than nineteenth century Southern Americans did. Certainly Paul did not demand Christians release their slaves, and he did tell slaves they ought to obey their masters. But in the context of the Roman world, slavery was not always an abusive relationship nor would every slave desire to be free! Although Richards and O’Brien do not mention this, it is worth noting that Jesus never demanded his followers free their slaves. Many of Jesus’ parables include slaves, although it is hidden behind the softer translation “servants.” So Paul could be charged as “pro-slavery” if his words are taken out of context, but within the correct cultural context, he is neither for nor against slavery.

  With respect to chauvinism and homophobia, from a modern perspective Paul may be “guilty as charged.” But again, Richards and O’Brien work to set some of Paul’s difficult anti-women and anti-homosexual statements into their proper historical context. With respect to women, the writers conclude that Paul does come across badly, but Paul’s Jewish culture would have not been pleased with the level of freedom and responsibility Paul suggested women have in the Body of Christ (122). With respect to homosexuality, it is absolutely true that Paul considers homosexuality a sin, but his view stands on the foundation of the Jewish Law. Paul’s view was counter to the morals of the Greco-Roman world, but as Richards and O’Brien conclude, homosexual relationships acceptable in the Roman world did not include gay relationships between equals (gay marriage).

  The two final issues in the book are more difficult. First, was Paul a Hypocrite? The issue here is Paul’s ministry strategy of being “all things to all men” (1 Cor 9:20-21). Did Paul tell to live one way, while living a different way himself? In some letters, Paul refuses to take money from his churches, but in others he thanks the churches for their gifts. The issue of eating meat sacrificed to idols seems odd to us today, but it is was an important issue in the first century since Gentiles had no problem with the practice, Jewish Christians would have thought it was a sin. Richards and O’Brien offer an interesting analogy, should Christians practice yoga? Most Christians would answer like Paul, it depends. Since the origins of yoga are part of a non-Christian religious practice, could a believer do yoga as recreation without all of the pagan baggage? What if you listen to Chris Tomlin while doing yoga? For Paul, the wise answer for some practices depends on the situation (164).

  Second, did Paul twist Scripture? There are a few places in Paul’s letters where he seems to read the Old Testament in ways which the original text did not intend. The allegory of Sarah and Hagar in Galatians 4 is an example of this, since Paul uses the two women (and their children) as an analogy for a change in God’s plan from Promise to Law to Grace. I have occasionally joked that if my exegesis students turned in papers using the same methods Paul did in Galatians 4, I would probably fail them! But as Richards and O’Brien point out, Paul is reading the Old Testament as a Jewish Christian. He was a trained Pharisee who was thoroughly trained in rabbinical techniques including midrash and pesher. As with virtually every section of this book, reading Paul in the context of the Second Temple period helps us to understand what Paul is saying. They conclude Paul did not twist Scripture, “but he did squeeze every last drop out of it” (190).

  As a conclusion to the book, Richards and O’Brien offer a short reflection on whether we ought to be “following Paul” or “following Jesus.” Like most of the questions in this book, the question is set up in order to generate the discussion which follows. Of course we follow Jesus, but we imitate Paul has he followed Jesus. It is true Paul may have been a “bull in a china shop” at times, but he was called by God to suffer for the sake of Jesus.

  Conclusion. As with any book of this kind, chapter titles are set up in order to catch the reader’s attention and make the answer to the question applicable to a modern reader. So, “Was Paul a homophobe?” suggests to the reader perhaps he was, although the answer is always comes down to careful definition of terms. The cover of the book and the promotional material which will accompany the book are intentionally shocking. This book would make an excellent small group Bible study since the chapters are set up to generate discussion Paul’s views on controversial issues and how those issues ought to be addressed in the church today.

• Reading Acts
  https://readingacts.com/2016/03/28/book-review-capes-reeves-and-richards-rediscovering-jesus/
  Word count: 1643

  Book Review: Capes, Reeves and Richards, Rediscovering Jesus

  March 28, 2016 in Book Reviews | Tags: Book Review, Gospels, Historical Jesus, Intervarsity Press, Jesus

  Capes, David B., Rodney Reeves and E. Randolph Richards. Rediscovering Jesus: An Introduction to Biblical, Religious and Cultural Perspectives on Christ. Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic, 2015. 272 pp. Hb; $30.00. Link to IVP

  In Mark 2:6 Jesus tells a young man hoping to be healed that his sins are forgiven. Since only God has the authority to forgive sins, some of the teachers of the Law wonder just who Jesus thinks he is. This is exactly Jesus’ question to Peter at the turning point of the Gospel, “who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27-30). Peter’s response is mostly correct, “You are the Messiah.” He understands Jesus as Messiah, but as the rest of Mark makes clear, he did not understand what the Messiah intended to do in Jerusalem.

  Capes, Rediscovering JesusEach chapter of Rediscovering Jesus attempts to answer Jesus’ question “who do people say that I am?” Rather than limited the answer to only the four Gospels or the New Testament itself, the authors include four post-biblical views of Jesus (the Gnostic Jesus, the Muslim Jesus, the Historical Jesus, and the Mormon Jesus) as well as two contemporary views of Jesus (American Jesus and Cinematic Jesus). For each of these views, the authors hope to demonstrate the unique understanding of Jesus but also to ask the important question, “what if this was our only view of Jesus?”

  The book includes a series of text boxes entitled “What’s More…” which expand on some of the details of the chapter. For example, “Is Matthew Anti-Semitic” or “Was Jesus Married?” In addition, there are boxes labeled “So What?” in each chapter which attempt to draw out some implications of the image of Jesus described in the chapter. For example, under the heading of “I’m Saved. Now What?” there is a short challenge to the reading to think more deeply about the implications of Paul’s view of salvation. Chapters conclude with a brief additional reading section and a series of discussion questions.

  A short introductory introduces the reader to a serious problem for people who study Jesus: creating a Jesus who looks exactly like the reader. This has always been a problem for the Church and one that Albert Schweitzer pointed out in his Quest for the Historical Jesus more than a hundred years ago. Rediscovering Jesus recognizes this as unavoidable, everyone who seriously studies Jesus will see something different, therefore the book presents various images of Jesus.

  The first major section of the book concerns Jesus in the Bible, beginning with four chapters surveying each gospel writer’s understanding of Jesus. Beginning with the Gospel of Mark, the authors point out Mark’s Jesus is not a warm and fuzzy person. Rather, he is “driven by the Spirit” to fulfill his messianic calling. He is a miracle worker more than a teacher. Matthew’s Jesus, on the other hand, is the “consummate teacher, a prophet like Moses” who was deeply committed to the Old Testament (52). Luke’s Jesus is the king from very beginning of the Gospel. His birth announcement is royal and he is God’s son and Lord. Although the chapter mentions Acts briefly, the authors do not focus on a unique picture of Jesus in Acts (and there is no chapter dedicated to Acts). As is often observed, John’s Jesus is very different. The authors point to John’s view of the kingdom as “not of this world” and consider John’s gospel less interested in the ethical demands found in Matthew (86).

  In their conclusion to the chapter on Paul’s Jesus, the authors are struck by his lack of interest in the life and teaching of Jesus. Paul, they say, is “obsessed with things that we think really do not matter” (105), yet Paul’s interpretation of the cross is the “greatest contribution to our understanding of Christ (101). For Paul, Jesus is the crucified one, whom God raised from the dead and exalted to the highest place (Phil 2:6-11). They speculate that if Paul were our only view of Jesus, we would focus more on the return of Christ and perhaps even care less about social justice, thinking it would all be sorted out when Jesus returns. This is in fact a real danger for readers of the New Testament who lack a clear view of the canonical context when reading only Paul’s letters.

  In “The Priestly Jesus” (chapter 6) the authors describe Jesus according to the book of Hebrews. Hebrews is the only book describing Jesus as a priest, so the obvious focus on this chapter is the book’s comparison of the Old Testament sacrificial system and the sacrifice of Jesus. The following chapter (“The Jesus of Exiles”) covers the letters of James, Peter and Jude (The epistles of John appear to be included in the Gospel of John chapter). This chapter understands the language of exile in 1 Peter and James as a metaphor for the church akin to Paul’s “body of Christ” (131). I would rather take these references as more or less literal references to Diaspora Jews and read 1 Peter and James as a Jewish Christian interpretation of Jesus. Although I agree Lordship of Jesus is a key issue in these letters, I think an opportunity to describe a Jesus more agreeable with Second Temple period Judaism is lost by forcing “exile” into a metaphor for the (later) Gentile church. Finally, According to the book of Revelation, the work of Jesus is an accomplished fact and an irreversible force (145).
  CEO Jesus

  CEO Jesus

  Part two of Rediscovering Jesus concerns “Jesus Outside the Bible.” Following a chronological pattern in an attempt to describe how some have attempted to explain who Jesus was from an often radically different perspective from the New Testament. They begin with the “Gnostic Jesus.” This very basic introduction to Gnosticism dispels any “conspiracy theories” about the suppression of Gnosticism and shows Gnostic Jesus as revealer of hidden mysteries. The Muslim Jesus (chapter 10) a kind of “patron saint” of asceticism (184) and prophet who was not the son of God nor divine, and was not crucified. In the “Historical Jesus” (chapter 11) the authors survey various rationalist attempts to explain Jesus in the nineteenth century as a teacher, but not a miracle worker. Since reason proves there can be no miracles, many interpreters of Jesus sought to strip the husk of legend from the Gospels to discover the “real Jesus.” Next the authors describe the sometimes perplexing view of Jesus held by the Mormon Church. Although this Jesus sometimes sounds like the Jesus of the Gospels, there are significant differences in both the nature of Jesus (he is a separate God, not part of a Trinity) and in terms of his post-resurrection appearances.
  Redneck Jesus

  Redneck Jesus

  The final two chapters of the book are fascinating since they are not typically included on academic textbooks on Jesus. In “The American Jesus” the authors suggest several ways American Christians get Jesus wrong: he is a politically correct Jesus who offends no one, or a politicized Jesus supporting your favorite candidate, or a pragmatic, CEO Jesus who coaches you to greater (financial) success, or even a subversive radical hippie freak (queue the Larry Norman song, “The Outlaw”!)

  The last chapter looks at Jesus as portrayed in films, “The Cinematic Jesus.” A sidebar lists about twenty films about Jesus since 1905, and there are many more than these. From The Greatest Story Ever Told to Jesus Christ Superstar, from the Passion of the Christ to The Life of Brian, filmmakers have interpreted Jesus as almost everything covered in this book. Ultimately, the authors suggest the Cinematic Jesus is akin to the Gnostic Jesus, a pious religious man revealing some mystery about life, the universe and everything.

  Conclusion: My main criticism of the book is the speculation at the end of each chapter, “what if this was our only view of Jesus?” Perhaps this is a rhetorical device intended to provoke the reader into reading the canon of Scripture holistically, but this approach seems to read the way Paul or John are described as fairly negative. It is almost as if they are saying, “Paul did not get it quite right, you need Matthew you really understand Jesus.” I do not think it is the case the authors of the New Testament ever “got Jesus wrong,” although the encouragement to take all of the biblical pictures of Jesus seriously is an important encouragement.

  One other small concern is the last of interest in the historical development of Christology. With the exception of flipping the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, the book moves through the New Testament more or less in canonical order. This gives the impression the Gospels pre-date the Pauline letters or even the Book of Hebrews. Since the book is examining the Gospel writers are witnesses to Jesus, their perspective is later than Paul or Hebrews. It might be helpful to recognize this and perhaps use the chronological development to tease out yet another perspective on who Jesus is.

  Nevertheless, this book would serve well as a textbook for a college or seminary classroom, especially as a way to confront the tendency to recreate Jesus in our own image. The book is written for a non-academic audience, so it could be used as a small group Bible Study or for personal enrichment.

  NB: Thanks to InterVarsity Press for kindly providing me with a review copy of this book. This did not influence my thoughts regarding the work.

• Patheos
  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/takeandread/2017/01/judge-review-paul-behaving-badly/
  Word count: 531

  Who Are We to Judge? A Review of ‘Paul Behaving Badly’
  January 2, 2017 by Megan Schmidt 0 Comments

  ApostlePaul

  by Jake Raabe

  These are strange times for the apostle Paul. The contemporary resurgence of Calvinism and Reformed theology as promoted by writers like John Piper has prompted a renewed interest in the traditional Protestant interpretations of Paul. At the same time, a movement known as the “New Perspective on Paul,” launched by E.P. Sanders and popularized N.T. Wright, has questioned these traditional interpretations of Paul and has gained a significant following.

  As these two schools of thought on Paul compete, a third, arguably more influential camp has arisen within Protestantism. Though it lacks a formal name, it is best characterized as either a partial or full rejection of Paul as an authoritative figure within Christian theology. In its least radical form, it juxtaposes Paul and Jesus with the assumption that they conflict. At its most radical, it rejects Paul as a corruptor of Jesus’ simple ethical message into a dry series of oppressive doctrines.

  The rise of this third Paul-challenging group is the backdrop for Paul Behaving Badly. The book’s subtitle summarizes the charges the authors seek to address: Was the Apostle a Racist, Chauvinist Jerk? Authors E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien (cowriters of the excellent Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes) seek to defend Paul against various charges that have become commonplace in popular discussion. Each of the books nine chapters detail and answer a different accusation ranging from character issues (“Paul Was Kind of a Jerk;” “Paul Was a Hypocrite”) to social problems (“Paul Supported Slavery;” “Paul Was Homophobic”).

  Richards and O’Brien do a fine job of stating the case for all of these charges before making their case and deal with each issue fairly. They take the claims of their opponents seriously and never shy away from addressing potential objections to their arguments.

  Though each charge receives its own chapter, two claims form the basis of most of their responses. First, Paul should be read and judged according to his original cultural context, not ours. Second, they advocate for reading with a “trajectory hermeneutic,” which pays attention to both Paul’s position in relationship to the larger Roman culture and the “trajectory” which his claims set for discussion of the issue. On the issue of women, for example, Paul was more liberal than his culture; in issues relating to sexuality, he was more conservative. These two claims guide the authors throughout their defense of Paul and his theology.

  For readers who believe that the words of Paul are in some sense inspired by God, Paul Behaving Badly is a well-written guide to dealing with culturally difficult passages. For readers who don’t hold this belief but are willing to hear a reasonable defense of Paul against more modern claims, few books are more readable and sympathetic to their concerns. Thus, Paul Behaving Badly is a fantastic resource for those in any camp.

  What are your thoughts? I look forward to hearing from you!

• Good Book Reviews
  http://www.goodbookreviews.org.uk/review/9781844742424/david-bcapes-rodney-reeves-and-e-randolph-richards/rediscovering-paul/
  Word count: 300

  Rediscovering Paul
  by David B.Capes, Rodney Reeves and E. Randolph Richards
  Jacket

  Hardback
  Price: £14.99
  Publisher:
  IVP(Inter Varsity Press)

  Published:December 2007
  ISBN:978-1-844-74242-4
  Review:
  More than any other New Testament writer, St Paul is a figure who appears destined to attract controversy. The debates over the authorship of the letters, alongside the disagreements over the 'New Perspective' serve only to illustrate the widespread disagreements which rumble in the field of Pauline studies.
  Given this, it is always easy to find things with which one disagrees in any introductory volume. And Rediscovering Paul, with its conservative stance, is no exception to this rule. However, to simply dismiss the book would be a mistake since it does contain an awful lot to commend it.
  Firstly, and crucially, the book is readable. Yes, the glossary is somewhat light in some areas, but there is little here which would cause the casual reader to stumble. There are some very useful sections dealing with background issues. The chapter which deals with the productions of letters in the first century is especially interesting.
  About half of the book deals with the letters themselves, which are all here attributed to Paul. The final chapters seek to draw together strands of Pauline theology and synthesize some main themes before turning to contemporary applicability.
  In all, this is a useful book and one particularly suited to those embarking on theological study. The reader may well find within it opinions with which they disagree, but then that is true for almost any book on Paul and this should not dissuade anyone from engaging with it. At 320 pages or so, it represents a good return for the time invested.

• Gospel Coalition Website
  https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/misreading_scripture_with_western_eyes
  Word count: 1199

  E. Randolph Richards and Brandon J. O’Brien. Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes: Removing Cultural Blinders to Better Understand the Bible. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2012. 240 pp. $16.00.
  Randolph Richards, dean of the School of Ministry and professor of biblical studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University, and his former student, Brandon O’Brien, editor at large for Leadership Journal and a doctoral student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, together address the problem of cultural self-awareness in readers of Scripture. This is a common problem in reading ancient texts or interpreting the work of others. Richards brings to the task years of experience as a missionary in Indonesia, where cultural norms and mores are often radically different than in the West. The main thesis of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes is that those living in Western societies are frequently blind to the cultural nuances those living in other cultures take for granted. As a result, Westerners may often miss the point of a biblical passage, whether narrative or didactic. In its tone and contents the book is addressed largely, though not necessarily exclusively, to a lay readership living in the United States. It’s intended to enable readers to understand themselves in their cultural differences as a prelude to approaching and reading the biblical text.

  Richards and O’Brien identify nine areas where interpretive problems commonly arise. Some cultural differences are obvious, others lurk beneath the surface, while a third class is extremely difficult to detect and thus poses the greatest danger to the reader of Scripture. The point is that most of these differences go unsaid, being implicit rather than clearly expressed. The first group, explained in chapters one to three, consists of cultural mores, the copious scriptural references to race and ethnicity in Scripture—with the overtones and undertones conveyed to the original readers—and varying significance given to different literary genres. In the second group, Richards and O’Brien contrast the rampant individualism of American society with the corporate and collectivist cultures that prevail in the East. They devote a chapter to the honor-shame nature of the Oriental world in contrast to the dominance of individual conscience and guilt in the West (following Augustine). Indeed, there are radical differences between the two worlds. In the final section, attention turns to the prominence of rules in the West vis-à-vis relationships in the East, to the concepts of virtue and vice, and to a Western obsession with individual, personal relevance that assumes Scripture was written directly to and for me.

  There is much in Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes that will be of value to its intended readership, and its main purpose is both necessary and laudable. If it succeeds in convincing persons that, in order to grasp what Scripture is saying to our generation, we must first uncover what it said to its original readers, then it will have achieved a great gain. Moreover, there are a number of insights that make a valuable contribution. The chapter on race and ethnicity is a case in point; the divisions in Corinth may have arisen, it is proposed, from these factors, with Alexandrian Jews looking to Apollos, Aramaic speakers lining up behind Cephas (note: not Peter!), and others being ethnic Corinthians. Richards and O’Brien’s treatment of individualism is also likely to be of value in a culture to which the corporate categories of both the Old and New Testaments are alien. Talk of sin and salvation as a matter of being in Adam or in Christ doesn’t drip readily off American preachers’ lips, nor does the household nature of covenantal administration fit the rugged individualism of the frontier.

  At the same time, however, there are a number of significant weaknesses. I shall pinpoint four main areas.

  First, the bulk of the book’s examples are based on Richards’ experience in Indonesia; however, Indonesia is not Israel in biblical times. Moreover, much of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes is taken up with the idea of cultural distinctiveness as such. This is a necessary part of the hermeneutical process, but it’s not immediately relevant to the title of the book. As examples of cultural difference, Richards’ recollections of his Indonesian experiences serve to effectively open the question of cultural difference between the world of the Bible and that of the modern West. Nevertheless, the book contains so many that at times it seems more a manual for an intending missionary in Indonesia.

  Second, there are a number of lexicographical assertions that are at best highly questionable. In chapter six, the authors draw a fine distinction between words for time such as chronos (which they consider to represent clock time) and kairos (referring to the appropriateness or fittingness of events). Again, we’re told that in the Bible there are four kinds of love, agape love being distinctive. Such assertions were often made in the past but have been undermined by the work of scholars such as James Barr. Perhaps it is significant that Barr isn’t mentioned. That this is no isolated mistake is made clear by the claim that a culture’s thought patterns are reflected in its lexical stock (138-145), a key point also challenged by Barr.

  Third, there appears to be a theological deficit. The lack of a coherent covenantal framework leads to a certain relativizing of the law of God, seen in a polarity between law and relationships, with Scripture focusing on the latter rather than the former. This, however, is a false conflict. Adam’s disobedience to the law of God was simultaneously a breach of his covenantal relation to him, a breach demonstrated by his violation of the law God had given. This unfortunate dichotomy repeats itself in a similar polarity between the individual and the collective. Certainly, the West has lost its grasp of the corporate element so vital in understanding Scripture. Nevertheless, the biblical revelation of the corporate—Israel, the church, in Christ—is where the individual flourishes, and non-Western cultures where the individual is submerged by the group are no nearer to biblical balance than is the West.

  Finally, Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes is influenced by Krister Stendahl’s thesis on the introspective conscience of the West, influenced (so the story goes) by Augustine. In contrast, Richards and O’Brien argue that the biblical authors had no problems with guilty consciences. David had no pangs of guilt about having Uriah effectively eliminated due to his adultery. His actions were culturally acceptable for a king. It was only when confronted by Nathan the prophet that he was brought to realize the gravity of his sin. Perhaps the authors should read carefully Psalm 32 and kindred passages. Since, as seems probable, the psalms were widely used in Israel’s liturgy, it would appear the effects of suppressed and unconfessed sin aren't peculiar to the post-Augustinian Western world at all.

  Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes is useful if used wisely by knowledgeable readers.

  Robert Letham is a lecturer in systematic and historical theology at Wales Evangelical School of Theology in Bridgend, Wales.

• University of Edinburgh Centre for the Study of Christian Origins
  http://www.christianorigins.div.ed.ac.uk/2017/04/27/paul-the-letter-writer-recent-studies/
  Word count: 428

  Paul the Letter-Writer: Recent Studies

  One resource that all students of Christian Origins should know about is the Bryn Mawr Classical Review, the wonderful online review journal that covers scholarly works across a very wide spectrum of the ancient world: http://bmcr.brynmawr.edu/index. A review of a very recent book illustrates two of the advantages of this review service: Steve Reece, Paul’s Large Letters: Paul’s Autographic Subscriptions in the Light of Ancient Epistolary Conventions. Library of New Testament studies, 561 (London; New York: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2017). The review can be accessed here: http://www.bmcreview.org/2017/04/20170430.html.

  First, reviews appear much earlier than in most paper-print journals (in this case, within weeks of the publication of the book). Second, reviewers have the space to provide more extended discussions than allowed in most print journals. As in this case, reviews can include further reflections by the reviewer, and endnotes to other publications.

  Obviously, the book under review in this instance happens to be directly related to the field of New Testament and Christian Origins. The very broad scope of BMCR, however, means that the books reviewed will serve more typically to enhance our knowledge of the historical context of early Christianity. But in these times of scholarly specialization and the consequent difficulty of acquiring and maintaining much breadth of knowledge, BMCR is a God-send.

  To turn to the book reviewed, I should emphasize that it is an important contribution to studies of Paul and his letters, especially Paul’s writing of letters. There have been earlier studies as well, not mentioned by the reviewer. E. Randolph Richards, The Secretary in the Letters of Paul WUNT, 2/42 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1991) focuses on how ancient authors in general, and Paul in particular, used “secretaries” in writing literary texts. More recently, Richards produced a work aimed at a wider readership: Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2004), which (as the sub-title indicates) addresses the several component-activities that eventuated in Paul’s letters being composed, sent, and preserved.

  These books by Richards and the very recent study by Reece help us to grasp a bit better what was actually involved in the physical tasks of composing a work and preparing a fair copy to be sent to readers. The rich comparative data in these works help us to see Paul’s letters more clearly in the context of the culture in which he wrote them.

  Written by Larry Hurtado

• As It Is Written
  http://ahabhuman.blogspot.com/2011/07/paul-and-ancient-letter-writing.html
  Word count: 1526

  Friday, July 8, 2011
  Paul and Ancient Letter Writing

  Letters have had a huge impact on my life. At the beginning of the summer of 2004 I met a girl in Texas. Though I had recently sworn off relationships, I was enchanted. Unfortunately for our blooming romance, my summer was committed to traveling around the country. For the next eight weeks I moved every Saturday shuffling from one summer camp to another. These camps lacked the technologies of modern communication. I had no cell service or wireless internet. In fact, I didn’t own a cell phone and high speed internet was still a novelty, certainly not available in the rural areas where I worked. Landlines charged exorbitant rates for long distance calls and I was a poor college student. Still, I could not risk having no contact for two months. So, I wrote letters . . . lots of letters. She wrote me letters too. It turned into quite a collection. It also built the foundation for a relationship that would eventually become a marriage.

  That summer was probably the only time in my life I worried about the aesthetics of my handwriting. As I reflect on that process, it seems like ancient technology. Since then, I have not penned a single letter. Anymore, I never write anything by hand except the occasional illegible signature. Contemporary literate communication is now conducted through almost entirely electronic means. It is fascinating to think about how drastically different communication is today than it was just seven years ago. To consider the literary communication of the early Christians is to step back almost 2,000 years. As one would expect, the technologies and conventions involved were even more unlike today.

  Unfortunately, we often pay no attention to letter writing practices in the ancient world. How did people communicate across vast distances without phones or telegraphs? Letters of course! But how did most people communicate with letters when the vast majority of the population was illiterate? Interpreters usually give no thought to the technology and conventions involved in ancient letter writing. As a result, we mistakenly import our cultural and technological assumptions into Paul’s letters. We picture the Apostle sitting at a desk scratching on paper in silence, deep in theological thought. Then, Paul rushes the letter to the nearby post-office and the process is complete. E. Randolph Richards in Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection provides a fascinating analysis of the historical processes involved in ancient letter writing. Throughout his analysis Richard illuminates Paul’s letter writing practices. The result is a uniquely insightful picture of Paul’s letters were written and thus ought to be interpreted.

  After a brief introduction to the topic of ancient letter writing, Richards spends his first chapter showing how modern portraits of Paul, both popular and academic, are rife with anachronistic assumptions. Paul’s letters were not lone productions scratched out in silence as Paul conjured them in his head, only to be mailed the next day. The rest of the book is spent analyzing ancient letter production from the evidence of Cicero, papyrus letter collections and occasionally Seneca. Richards’ book is thoroughly documented and provides explanations that are based on historical precedent rather than modern assumptions.

  Summary of Chapters:

  Chapter 2: Richards places Paul in the larger context of the first century letter writing. Most uniquely, he suggests that Paul’s “coauthors” must be taken into account as active participants in producing the letters.
  Chapter 3: How does one write without pens? Here Richards provides an overview of the nuts and bolts of letter composition describing the writing materials, rough drafts and final products.
  Chapter 4: Richards describes the involvement of secretaries (paid letter writers) who were an almost universal part of ancient letter writing process. Here Richards shows that there was a spectrum of influence the secretary would wield ranging from little more than transcriber to full blown composer. “The role played by the secretary depended on how much control the author exercised at that particular moment in that particular letter, even shifting roles with the same letter” (80).
  Chapter 5: Here Richards explores Paul’s use of secretaries. The letters explicitly mention secretaries six times (Rom 16.22; 1 Cor 16.21; Gal 6.11; Col 4.18; 2 Thess 3.17; Phlm 19). For the most part, Richards considers Paul’s use secretaries to be in the middle of the spectrum of influence as more than a transcribers but ultimately submissive to Paul’s literary will.
  Chapter 6: Richards outlines criteria for identifying “interpolations” or preformed material in Paul’s letters. He concludes, “Even though this material was non-Pauline, it was not un-Pauline or post-Pauline. The material was inserted during the letter’s composition and thus had Paul’s ultimate authorization” (108).
  Chapter 7: Having identified interpolations, Richards provides explanations for how various preformed material was woven into Paul’s letters to produce a complete letter. “The arguments went were [Paul] intended them to go; the conclusions were what Paul intended to reach. Nevertheless, the smaller, quieter voices of others can still be heard in his letters” (120).
  Chapter 8: Richards suggests that Paul’s letters reflect neither the top nor bottom of the literary scale of ancient letters. Rather, “Paul’s fall closer to the middle of the spectrum and reflect a Jewish subculture” (140).
  Chapter 9: Any description of Paul’s epistolary style must recognize the length of time involved in letter composition, the use of secretaries and the presence of coauthors. Richards even suggests that stylistic statistical analysis indicates the kind of diversity one would expect in thirteen letters written in these circumstances.
  Chapter 10: Describes the process (in terms of time and cost) by which letters were prepared to be dispatched. Richards argues that at least two final copies of each letter were made. One was sent to the recipients and the other kept for Paul’s personal records. There is an interesting chart calculating the comparative cost of producing these letters (169). As a conservative estimate, Richards thinks Paul’s longest letter (Romans) would have costs upwards of $ 2,200 and his shortest (Philemon) around $ 100. “Weeks, if not months, of work likely went into a letter” in addition to “considerable expense” (169).
  Chapter 11: Once completed, ancient letters had to be sent. Unfortunately, there was no publicly accessible postal system in the Roman Empire. As a result, letters were sent through happenstance travelers who were already going to the intended destination or were sent privately at the expense of the sender.
  Chapter 12: Travel in the ancient world was far from convenient by modern standards. Still, letters were carried. Depending on the time of year and difficulties of the journey a letter could take just a few days or multiple weeks to be delivered.
  Chapter 13: Turning to Paul’s specific practices with letter carriers, Richards thinks, “Paul most likely used happenstance carriers to deliver his early letters, Galatians and 1-2 Thessalonians” (200), but then smartened up and began using members of his team as private letter carriers to ensure safe delivery as well as serve as interpretive guides (cf. 209).
  Chapter 14: The question of how Paul’s letters came together into a collection is something of a mystery. Richards suggests, based on the common practice of authors keeping records of their letters, that Paul himself was responsible for collecting all his letters in a notebook format. These notebooks were posthumously circulated as a collection and eventually canonized.
  Chapter 15: After explaining the complexity of the ancient letter writing process, and the multiple stages of human activity, Richards probes the question of inspiration. He wonders, at what stage(s) of the process was Paul “inspired” by the Spirit?

  This is a book that deserves much attention, but I fear it will not gain the notoriety it deserves. Paul and First-Century Letter Writing is notable for at least three reasons. First and foremost, Richards’ arguments are historically grounded at every turn. With the disciplined imagination of a historian Richards allows the historical context to fill in the picture of Paul’s letter writing rather than pontificate based on modern assumptions. Whether you agree with his conclusions or not, Richards provides a well-researched argument.

  Second, and this is all too rare in much of contemporary Pauline studies, Richards appreciates Paul’s role as a missionary-pastor working with a team. Richards brings years of personal missionary experience in a culture more similar to Paul’s world than the contemporary West. He provides numerous illustrations that help make sense of cultural differences and missionary dynamics.

  Third, this book is actually readable to people who are not consumed with NT studies. Often when I talk about my reading with my wife she can’t wait to change the subject. With this book, however, she was keenly interested to hear about Richards’ insights. Why might such a triumph of scholarship wallow in obscurity? It lacks a widely published name or a weighty endorsement. Also, the title seems boring. Please don’t let this fine book be ignored. Take and read.
  Posted by Tyler Stewart at 8:52 AM Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest

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