Counterpoints: Four Views on the Apostle Paul

Counterpoints: Four Views on the Apostle Paul

Taught by Thomas R. Schreiner , Michael F. Bird, Luke Timothy Johnson, Douglas A. Campbell, Mark D. Nanos

The Four Views on the Apostle Paul online course, featuring leading Pauline scholars, presents four views on the best framework for describing Paul's theological perspective, including a Reformed view, a Catholic view, a Post-New Perspective view, and a Jewish view.

Course Details

  • 6 Units

  • Self-paced

  • 3 hours of video

  • Intermediate

  • Counterpoints: Four Views on the Apostle Paul

12 Month Access
$179.99 USD

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Course Description

The apostle Paul was a vital force in the development of Christianity. Paul's historical and religious context affects the theological interpretation of Paul's writings, no small issue in the whole of Christian theology.

Recent years have seen much controversy about the apostle Paul, his context, and its effect on his theology. In the Four Views on the Apostle Paul course, four leading scholars present their views on the best framework for describing Paul's theological perspective, including his view of salvation, the significance of Christ, and his vision for the churches.

Views include:

  • Reformed View: Thomas R. Schreiner
  • Catholic View: Luke Timothy Johnson
  • Post-New Perspective View: Douglas Campbell
  • Jewish View: Mark D. Nanos

The Four Views on the Apostle Paul course gives students the tools they need to draw informed conclusions on debates about Paul. Students of the Bible and biblical theology will find it an indispensable introduction to ongoing debates on the apostle Paul's life and teaching.

By completing this course, you’ll gain:

  • Greater familiarity with and appreciation for varying views on the apostle Paul
  • Insight into the relationship between Paul and today’s culture
  • A deeper understanding of the debate surrounding Pauline teaching
  • Confidence in your growing knowledge through personalized review sessions and unit assessments

Meet Your Instructors

Thomas R. Schreiner

PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary

Thomas R. Schreiner is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament and associate dean of Scripture and interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. The author of numerous books, he is the preaching pastor of Clifton Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

Michael F. Bird

PhD., University of Queensland

Michael F. Bird is a lecturer in theology at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of many books, including Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission, The Saving Righteousness of God: Studies on Paul, Justification, and the New Perspective, and Evangelical Theology, and editor of The Apostle Paul: Four Views. He blogs at the New Testament blog Euangelion.

Luke Timothy Johnson

Ph.D., Yale University

Luke Timothy Johnson is Candler School of Theology’s Robert W. Woodruff Professor Emeritus at Emory University. His research concerns the literary, moral and religious dimensions of the New Testament, including the Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts of early Christianity (particularly moral discourse), Luke-Acts, the Pastoral Letters, and the Letter of James. Johnson has penned 31 books, more than 70 scholarly articles, 100 popular articles and nearly 200 book reviews.

Douglas A. Campbell

Ph.D., University of Toronto

Douglas A. Campbell is professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School. His main research interest is the life and theology of the apostle Paul, with particular reference to an understanding of salvation informed by apocalyptic as against justification or salvation-history. He has made a name for himself as one of Paul’s most insightful and provocative interpreters.

Mark D. Nanos

Ph.D., University of St. Andrews

Mark D. Nanos is lecturer at the University of Kansas and author of several books and articles on Paul. His main focus is on the implications for Jewish-Christian relations of his reading of Paul as a Torah-observant Jew founding Jewish subgroup communities.

Course Outline

  • Introduction

  • Paul: A Reformed Reading

  • The Paul of the Letters: A Catholic Perspective

  • Christ and the Church in Paul: A “Post-New Perspective” Account

  • A Jewish View

  • Conclusion

    FINAL EXAM


BibleMesh is now offering an integrated reading experience for our new book-based courses. As before, students will be guided through their reading with book excerpts embedded within the course. This allows for an improved reading experience within the course. Students will also be able to pop out the book reader into a full-screen, fully-featured web-based reading platform where they will be able to see the wider context of each excerpt and access the complete book.

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