James D.G. Dunn and the New Perspective on Paul

Abstract

"The discussion arises out of one small, but certainly complex, question: "What was it that Paul was reacting against in his letters with regard to the law?" This is the question that launched a thousand articles, as it were. The socalled "New Perspective on Paul" (NPP) is a "new" response to this very old question. Or, at least it was "new" in 1982 when James D.G. Dunn coined the phrase "New Perspective on Paul" in the Manson Memorial Lecture at the University of Manchester. Almost a quarter of a century later we have a reflection on the discussion and a collection of the work of Professor Dunn in this New Perspective on Paul volume, though he is still publishing new research prolifically. This review essay endeavors to summarize the book, as most book reviews do, but also to reflect on how the NPP has progressed, what the reactions of others have been, and to get a sense for the persistent impact it will have on scholarship. Of course the work of James Dunn on this topic, almost all of which usefully appears in this book, will be at the center of the discussion"