Overview
This work offers an exhaustive study of Pauline Christology by noted Pauline scholar Gordon Fee. The author provides a detailed analysis of the letters of Paul (including those whose authorship is questioned) individually, exploring the Christology of each one, and then attempts a synthesis of the exegetical work into a biblical Christology of Paul.
The author's synthesis covers the following themes: Christ's roles as divine Savior and as preexistent and incarnate Savior; Jesus as the Second Adam, the Jewish Messiah, and Son of God; and as the Messiah and exalted Lord. Fee also explores the relationship between Christ and the Spirit and considers the Person and role of the Spirit in Paul's thought. Appendices cover the theme of Christ and Personified Wisdom, and Paul's use of Kurios (Lord) in citations and echoes of the Septuagint.
"Anyone who has read even a smattering of Paul's writings recognizes early on that his devotion to Christ was the foremost reality and passion of his life. What he said in one of his later letters serves as a kind of motto for his entire Christian life: 'For me to live is Christ; to die is [to] gain [Christ]' (Phil. 1:21). Christ is the beginning and goal of everything for Paul, and thus is the single great reality along the way."--From the Introduction
The author's synthesis covers the following themes: Christ's roles as divine Savior and as preexistent and incarnate Savior; Jesus as the Second Adam, the Jewish Messiah, and Son of God; and as the Messiah and exalted Lord. Fee also explores the relationship between Christ and the Spirit and considers the Person and role of the Spirit in Paul's thought. Appendices cover the theme of Christ and Personified Wisdom, and Paul's use of Kurios (Lord) in citations and echoes of the Septuagint.
"Anyone who has read even a smattering of Paul's writings recognizes early on that his devotion to Christ was the foremost reality and passion of his life. What he said in one of his later letters serves as a kind of motto for his entire Christian life: 'For me to live is Christ; to die is [to] gain [Christ]' (Phil. 1:21). Christ is the beginning and goal of everything for Paul, and thus is the single great reality along the way."--From the Introduction
Endorsements
"Gordon Fee has done it again! Having given us the standard work on Paul's understanding of the Holy Spirit, he has now filled a surprising gap in Pauline studies by writing a remarkably comprehensive and detailed account of Pauline Christology. His work helpfully (and rightly) covers all the letters in the Pauline corpus. He draws on his close, lifetime study of the material to present a clear and gripping account of Paul's high Christology in constant reasoned debate with scholars who interpret the material in other ways. It will at once take its place as the major study of this crucial topic, and its innovative proposals regarding some of the texts will stimulate a lively ongoing debate."
I. Howard Marshall, emeritus professor of New Testament exegesis and honorary research professor, University of Aberdeen
"Thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and wide-ranging, this solid study is arranged in such a way that it is useful not only for its total impact, pointing as it does to the coherence of Paul's christological thought, but also for its careful exegetical studies of individual passages. The book also includes such helpful features as a careful consideration of Paul's use of the Septuagint, an equally careful study of Paul's own linguistic characteristics, and a series of appendices listing christological references found in each of the Pauline letters. Use of this clearly written and persuasively argued study will put the reader deeply in Fee's debt. It is a volume to be highly recommended."
Paul J. Achtemeier, author of Inspiration and Authority: Nature and Function of Christian Scripture
"Paul told the Corinthians that he 'decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified' (1 Cor 2:2), yet no books dedicated solely to illuminating Paul's Christology existed until now. This big book by a masterful Pauline scholar fills that void. In a magisterial way, Gordon Fee corrals the evidence in the letters, each having their own christological emphases, and provides exegetical gems along a delightful tour that unfolds Paul's high Christology. This extraordinary book is itself a tour de force."
David E. Garland, dean and holder of the Charles J. and Eleanor McLerran Delancey Chair of the Dean and professor of Christian Scriptures, George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University
"Gordon Fee's Pauline Christology is the only truly comprehensive study of Paul's teaching about the person of Christ, and for this reason alone it is well worth reading. But more importantly, Pauline Christology is Fee at his best. His exegetical work is fresh, engaging, and independent. He is not afraid to challenge some current academic 'assured results,' and whether one finally agrees with him or not, his arguments need to be seriously considered. Particularly noteworthy is Fee's sustained and generally convincing argument for what some are calling 'christological monotheism,' according to which Christ is included by Paul and other NT authors within the definition of 'God.' The book is therefore fundamentally important not only for both Pauline and NT theology but also for countless specific exegetical analyses."
Douglas J. Moo, Kenneth T. Wessner Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College Graduate School
Author
Gordon D. Fee
Gordon D. Fee (1934-2022; PhD, University of Southern California) served as professor of New Testament studies at Regent College, Vancouver. Prior to Regent, he taught at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He coauthored the bestselling How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth and wrote numerous books, including Pauline Christology, God's Empowering Presence, Jesus the Lord according to Paul the Apostle, and commentaries on 1 Corinthians, Philippians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, and Revelation.