End of the Age Has Come, The
This articulate primer in Pauline theology, read against a background of Jewish apocalypticism, divides time into two periods, "this age" and "the age to come." The key to Paul's theology, Pate argues, lies in the overlapping of those two ages initiated by the coming of Christ. Pate joins a venerable tradition in articulating a tension between the "already" and the "not yet" as characteristic of Paul. He begins with a concise history of Pauline interpretation, highlighting differences among major schools that have emerged since the mid-nineteenth century. Because he is so forthcoming about his own position, readers will find that the history provokes critical reflection even where Pate applies it polemically. Among the crucial questions highlighted are the relative importance of Hellenistic and Jewish influences in the development of Paul's thought, the relationship between "theological" and "social scientific" methods of biblical interpretation, and the scope of the Pauline corpus. The clarity with which Pate poses the questions and articulates his argument will make this a useful work for general readers as well as scholars.Steve Schroeder