The Triumph of God: The Essence of Paul's Thought

This book posits two pillars as the foundations of Pauls thought: 1) the interaction between coherence and contingency in Pauls interpretation of the gospel and 2) the apocalyptic character of his gospel. The author ventures to demonstrate how Pauls interpretation of the gospel as coherent is integral with Pauls communication of the gospel as situationally contingent. These ostensibly opposing perspectives actually combine to form a fluid Pauline hermeneutic. The centrality of Christological apocalyptic in Pauls interpretation is posited and involves a radical shift in traditional conceptions of Pauls theology. The author is recasting Pauls theology as a theocentric theology of hope rather than as a Christocentric salvation-history (O. Cullmann) or as an existentialist theology of the cross (R. Bultmann). A theology of hope views the present as the dawn of the future and the future as the full actualization of the present. Examining the implications of this approachthe ultimacy of Gods sovereignty and triumph beside the Christ-event the formation of a biblical-theology a rethinking of traditional concepts of salvation and ethicsthe author intends to reveal a fresh and most enlightening view of Pauls theology.