The New Perspective on Paul

The New Perspective on Paul is, in my opinion, a very difficult issue to get a handle on. To study this issue it is necessary to become familiar with the alien world of academic New Testament studies, which can be like learning a foreign language. To understand where the New Perspective came from, it is necessary also to gain some understanding of the history of New Testament studies over the last century. Moreover, there is not just one New Perspective, but there are various schools of thought under the umbrella of the term "New Perspective."

 

Below are links to some articles that I feel provide a fairly decent, basic understanding of the New Perspective, first in its own terms, and then from a Reformed Perspective.

 

Mark Mattison, a proponent of the New Perspective on Paul, has written an essay summarizing the New Perspective, which can be found at http://www.thepaulpage.com/Summary.html. It is helpful to read the position of a proponent in their own words, instead of merely learning about a position as you read a criticism of it. Mattison runs "The Paul Page" where the summary is found. It is a very helpful website that is something of a clearinghouse for any and all items related to the New Perspective, both for and against. Indeed, if you find an article somewhere that is not listed on the website, e-mail Mattison, and he'll add a link.

 

Kim Riddlebarger's essay "Reformed Confessionalism and the New Perspective on Paul" is helpful. Riddlebarger is a professor of Theology at Westminster Seminary in California, and he also helps pastor the church which Michael Horton serves at:

http://kimriddlebarger.squarespace.com/theological-essays/New%20Perspective%20on%20Paul%20revised%202006.pdf.

 

Doug Green, an Old Testament professor at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, wrote a balanced essay that discusses both pros and cons of the New Perspective as articulated by N.T. Wright: http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Green_Westminster_Seminary_Perspective.pdf.

 

There is, of course, the PCA Study Committee report on the Federal Vision controversy and the New Perspective, which can be found at www.pcahistory.org/pca/07-fvreport.pdf. Unfortunately, the simple fact that this report covers both the Federal Vision controversy and the New Perspective may make it seem that the two are related, which I don't think is true at all. Nevertheless, this report gives the guidelines for how these issues are to be understood in the PCA.