Understanding Paul : The Existential Perspective

Peter Frick argues hermeneutically that the key issue to which the apostle Paul correlates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the power of sin. Understood in the tradition of Heidegger, sin (singular) is an ontological-existential category and distinct from sins (plural). For the death of Jesus to be effective in overcoming the death sentence of the power of sin, salvation is established strictly in the resurrection of Jesus. The correlation between plight and solution lies on the ontological level. Just as sin is an ontological structure unto death, so the resurrection provides a new ontological structure towards life. In the resurrection, death itself died. If so, an ontological foundation of salvation raises the question of the meaning of Jesus' life, suffering, and violent death. The questions discussed in the second part of the book include the significance of Christ/Messiah vis-a-vis sin, sins, and Torah, how faith is related to salvation, how a Christian ethic must be conceived on the basis of an ontological understanding of sin, and what life in view of a new creation might look like. These questions will be examined from an existential perspective in view of our contemporary existence. Cover Title Preface Contents Abbreviations Understanding Paul Chapter 1: The Questions of Pauline Hermeneutics 1.1 Thesis of the Book 1.2 Hermeneutical Construction 1.3 Hermeneutics of Understanding 1.4 Hermeneutic Prejudice 1.5 The Historical Paul 1.6 The Hermeneutical Paul 1.7 Biblical Scholarship, Theology and Philosophy 1.8 My Hermeneutical Assumptions and Prejudices 1.9 Perspectives and Outlook Chapter 2: The Starting Points: Existence, Truth and Word 2.1 Human Existence 2.2 The Structures of Dasein 2.3 Paul’s Existence – Our Dasein 2.4 Dasein and Meaning 2.5 Truth 2.6 The Word of Truth 2.7 Truth and Revelation 2.8 Existential Hermeneutics Existence Unbound Chapter 3: The Human Predicament: Sin as Existential Category 3.1 The Art of the Question 3.2 The Human Predicament 3.3 In the Beginning 3.4 The Great Disruption 3.5 Sin and Sins in Biblical and Post-Biblical Judaism 3.6 Sins in Paul 3.7 Sin in Paul 3.8 Sin and Sins in Romans 7 3.9 The Distinction between Sin and Sins 3.10 Sin as Ontological-Existential Category (Existenzial) 3.11 Sins as Action 3.12 Conclusion Chapter 4: Messiah, Sin and Torah 4.1 Jesus the Messiah 4.2 Paul: Apostle of the Messiah 4.3 The Messiah and Forgiveness of Sins Gospels and Acts Other New Testament Writings 4.4 Interpreting the Death of Jesus Atonement: Yes or No? What Does the Messiah Atone? 4.5 Sin and Torah 1. Paul affirms Torah 2. Sin precedes Torah 3. Sin is Dead apart from Torah? 4. Torah marks Sins 5. Torah Cannot give Life 6. The Works of Torah 7. The End of Torah is the Messiah 8. The Law of the Messiah 4.6 Conclusion Chapter 5: Soteriology 1: The Means of Salvation 5.1 The Requirement of Correlation 5.2 The Means of Salvation 5.3 Cause in Philo of Alexandria 5.4 The Means of Salvation in Paul 5.5 Death 5.6 Resurrection 5.7 The Meaning of Salvation Grace Justification and Righteousness Righteousness, Justice, Fairness 5.8 Reading Paul Philosophically Chapter 6: Soteriology 2: The Mode of Salvation 6.1 The Mode of Salvation 6.2 The Nature of Faith 6.3 Faith and Epistemology 6.4 Faith and the Forgiveness of Sins Understanding Existence Chapter 7: Two Endpoints: New Existence 7.1 Endpoint One: A New Lordship 7.2 Endpoint Two: A New Creation 7.3 The Church 7.4 Baptism and the Lord’s Supper Baptism The Lord’s Supper 7.5 Repairing Sins 7.6 Authentic but Fragmentary Existence Chapter 8: The Redemptive Life 8.1 Ontology and Ethics 8.2 No Moral Perfectionism 8.3 The Law of the Messiah 8.4 The Other 8.5 Eros 8.6 In the World 8.7 The World to Come Conclusion Chapter 9: Summary and Inferences 9.1 Ontology 9.2 Understanding 9.3 Correlation 9.4 Plight 9.5 Solution 9.6 Existence 9.7 Alterity 9.8 Conversation 9.9 Ending Postscript Chapter 10: Notes on Perspectives 10.1 Perspectives – So What? 10.2 All Perspectives are Culturally Biased 10.3 The Beginning of the New Perspective 10.4 Sin in the New Perspective 10.5 The Messiah in the New Perspective 10.6 Existential Muddle and New Perspective Fantasy Chapter 11: The Way of Paul: Fragmentary Existence 11.1 Unresolved Questions 11.2 The Beginning of the Journey 11.3 The First Station on the Way: Discoveries 11.4 The Second Station on the Way: Clarification 11.5 Third Station on the Way: Understanding Paul 11.6 The Penultimate Station: Understanding Existence Bibliography Index of Biblical References Index of Names Index of Subjects Normal 0 21 false false false EN-GB X-NONE AR-SA