Jesus the Lord according to Paul the Apostle
A Concise Introduction
About
Representing the fruit of a lifetime of study, this work from renowned scholar Gordon Fee offers a concise summary of Paul's teaching about Jesus.
In the course of his extensive teaching and writing career in New Testament studies, Fee noticed a considerable gap in the scholarly literature regarding Paul's understanding of the person of Christ. His comprehensive Pauline Christology has been very useful for scholars, but it did not fulfill Fee's ultimate aim of the project--to make the results accessible to any interested reader of Scripture. This concise volume offers a theological synthesis of the exegetical work found in Fee's Pauline Christology, making it more accessible to a wider readership. The book includes a foreword by Cherith Fee Nordling.
Contents
Foreword by Cherith Fee Nordling
Part 1: The Savior
1. The Divine Savior
2. The Preexistent and Incarnate Savior
Part 2: The Second Adam
3. Paul and New Creation Theology
4. The Pauline Emphasis: A Truly Human Divine Savior
Part 3: The Jewish Messiah and Son of God
5. The Anticipation of Jesus in the Story of Israel
6. Jesus as the Son of David
7. Jesus as the Eternal Son of God
Part 4: The Jewish Messiah and Exalted Lord
8. Paul's Use of the "Name" of the Lord
9. Paul's Understanding of the Role of Jesus as Lord
10. Jesus the Lord: Sharer of Other Divine Prerogatives
Conclusion: Paul as a Proto-trinitarian
Glossary
Index
Endorsements
"Gordon Fee is among the most respected New Testament scholars of our time. With this focus on Jesus as Lord he offers the church a practical, compelling, and even eye-opening demonstration of Paul's high Christology. He gives sound treatment of crucial texts and of the relation of the Father, Son, and Spirit in Paul's letters. This book deserves your attention."
Klyne Snodgrass, Paul W. Brandel Professor of New Testament Studies, North Park Theological Seminary
"Exegetically grounded and theologically synthetic, academic and devotionally reverent, grounded in research but practical and simple to follow, Fee's Jesus the Lord according to Paul the Apostle makes the fruits of his years of careful work on Paul's letters and Christology more widely available. Intertextually rich and theologically provocative, this book invites us to rethink traditional academic constructions of Paul's theology in light of the primary data provided rather conspicuously by Paul's own letters."
Craig S. Keener, F. M. and Ada Thompson Professor of Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
"In Jesus the Lord according to Paul the Apostle, Gordon Fee distills his lifetime of careful exegesis and sensitive theological reflection (not to mention the substance of his Pauline Christology) to provide a wide readership with a clear, concise, and engaging summary of Paul's understanding of Christ. In the process, he demonstrates how paying careful attention to the scriptural backgrounds of Paul's statements about Jesus provides key insights for understanding Paul's Christology. This book would serve perfectly as a textbook for undergraduate or seminary courses on Pauline theology or Christology."
Roy E. Ciampa, Nida Institute for Biblical Scholarship
"I cut my intellectual teeth on Gordon Fee's 1 Corinthians commentary as an undergraduate student. Again and again his academic insight astounded me, and his pastoral wisdom and overt Pentecostal spirituality encouraged me. Almost twenty years later my respect for him has not diminished; I routinely check his works in my own research and teaching. So many of his areas of scholarly and practical passion combine in Jesus the Lord according to Paul the Apostle, including his careful reading of texts, his emphasis on Christian behavior (as opposed to 'works'), his interest in the Spirit, and his bridge work between biblical studies and systematic theology. This is a classic Fee feast. Chew on this. Chew well."
Holly Beers, assistant professor of religious studies, Westmont College
"An accessible, clear, and concise edition of Fee's much larger Pauline Christology. This book represents the rich harvest of long years in Paul by a seasoned scholar who unashamedly shares the Apostle's profound love for and devotion to the Lord Jesus."
Rikk Watts, dean of the faculty of theology, Alphacrucis College; research professor of New Testament, Regent College
"All of Gordon Fee's students, colleagues, friends, and family know his heart and tears. His profound love for Jesus overflows in lectures, conversations, prayers--and in this book. Fee also writes with love for his friend Paul and presents the Apostle's devotion to Christ with crisp clarity and accessible language. Jesus the Lord according to Paul the Apostle is likely Gordon's last work, written for the church and students he loved. Read the words, know the heart, and come to love Jesus Christ with wonder and joy."
Gene L. Green, professor of New Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School
"One of the signal biblical scholars of our day, Gordon Fee has scaled down his magisterial Pauline Christology into a more modest size to be accessible to serious students and busy clergy. The immense scope of Fee's learning is still evident in this edition, but here is a four-part synthesis of the most important and constructive themes of Paul's witness to the risen Christ. Especially important is Fee's well-regarded defense of Paul's incarnational Christology and its strategic role in his messianic conception of God's salvation. Readers of Scripture will appreciate Fee's discussion of Paul's running dialogue with his Bible, the Greek translation of the synagogue's Hebrew Scripture, to lend biblical support to his core theological claim that Messiah Jesus is God's Son. Fee records Paul's dynamic struggle of relating his new belief in a divine Jesus to his own Judaism's monotheism. An excellent resource for the seminary classroom and parish library."
Robert W. Wall, Paul T. Walls Professor of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies, Seattle Pacific University and Seminary
The Author
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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...
Continue reading about Gordon D. Fee
Reviews
"[Fee has] provided a significant overview to the conclusions that he has reached over a lifetime acquaintance with the writings of Paul. . . . This summary of Fee's work reflects a judicious examination of Pauline Christology, which is the result of a lifetime of Fee's engagement with Pauline thought. This book is accessible for both scholars and laypeople."
James W. Thompson,
Restoration Quarterly
"A useful and refreshingly concise distillation of [Fee's] magisterial tome Pauline Christology. . . . Fee does a tremendous job guiding the reader through the nuanced nature of Paul's adoration for Christ. Moreover, as a distillation of a larger work, Fee does an excellent job presenting the balance of detail and accessibility that the target audience will appreciate. . . . This book is a goldmine of distilled, exegetical application. The reader will get a clear sense that Fee knows Paul intimately, and it is from that place of deep familiarity that has birthed this fountain of rich reflection. . . . [This book] is a fantastic read. From beginning to end, readers will encounter a portrait of Paul's Jesus that is too often overlooked in contemporary conversation. . . . I am extremely grateful for the life and legacy of Gordon Fee and the works that he has produced, and I am equally enthusiastic to recommend Jesus the Lord according to Paul the Apostle. It comes highly recommended!"
Sojo Theo blog
"This study offers a careful analysis of the apostle Paul's understanding of the person of Christ . . . approaching this through Paul's understanding of the work of Christ."
New Testament Abstracts