The new perspective challenge to Luther

dc.contributor.authorEriksson, Bart Anders
dc.contributor.authorVan Eck, Ernest
dc.contributor.emailernest.vaneck@up.ac.zaen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2020-09-04T11:57:07Z
dc.date.available2020-09-04T11:57:07Z
dc.date.issued2019-04-23
dc.descriptionHTS 75th Anniversary Maake Masango Dedication.en_ZA
dc.descriptionDr Eriksson is participating in the research project ‘Hermeneutics and Exegesis’ directed by Prof. Dr Ernest van Eck, Department of New Testament and Related Literature, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, South Africa.en_ZA
dc.descriptionThis article represents a reworked version of aspects from the PhD-thesis of Bart Eriksson, titled ‘The new Perspective critique of Luther: A response’, in the Department of New Testament and Related Literature, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, with Prof. Dr. Ernest van Eck as supervisor. (http://hdl.handle.net/2263/71769)en_ZA
dc.description.abstractNew Perspective scholars challenge Protestant interpretations of Paul. It used to be the case, they state, that Protestants assumed that Paul was to Judaism as Luther was to Medieval Catholicism. Both men supposedly reacted against legalistic religions and championed gracebased faiths. However, in 1977, E.P. Sanders wrote Paul and Palestinian Judaism, arguing that Judaism is not a legalistic but a grace-based faith. Assuming that Sanders is correct, New Perspectivists claim that Paul’s and Luther’s theologies and experiences were thus not parallel. Hence, Luther misunderstood Paul. Additionally, New Perspectivists challenge Protestant understandings of ‘justification’. In New Perspective thought, Paul uses the term ‘justification’ primarily to describe how people, particularly Gentiles, join the church Christians without following Jewish ritual laws. ‘Justification’, then, does not describe how people ‘stay in’ the covenant and receive salvation, as Protestants think. However, this article maintains that while New Perspectivists have some knowledge of Paul and Judaism, they are much less knowledgeable regarding Luther, Medieval Catholicism and Luther’s reaction to it. Greater scrutiny of these latter areas reveals large difficulties with New Perspective arguments. In addition, a review of relevant passages from Paul’s letters demonstrates that Protestants have not misunderstood Paul’s use of the term ‘justification’. Many Pauline passages show that when Paul discusses justification he is also thinking about ‘staying in’, not just ‘getting in’ the covenant.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentNew Testament Studiesen_ZA
dc.description.librarianam2020en_ZA
dc.description.urihttp://www.hts.org.zaen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationEriksson, B. & Van Eck, E., 2019, ‘The New Perspective challenge to Luther’, HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 75(4), a5244. https://DOI.org/10.4102/hts.v75i4.5244.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0259-9422 (print)
dc.identifier.issn2072-8050 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.4102/hts.v75i4.5244
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/76051
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherAOSIS Open Journalsen_ZA
dc.rights© 2019. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.en_ZA
dc.subjectOld perspectiveen_ZA
dc.subjectEthnicityen_ZA
dc.subjectNew perspective on Paulen_ZA
dc.subjectPaulen_ZA
dc.subjectAuthentic letters of Paulen_ZA
dc.subjectMartin Luther (1483–1546)en_ZA
dc.subject.otherTheology articles SDG-04
dc.subject.otherSDG-04: Quality education
dc.subject.otherTheology articles SDG-10
dc.subject.otherSDG-10: Reduced inequalities
dc.titleThe new perspective challenge to Lutheren_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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