There may be
some who read Apostle of the Last Days: the Life, Letters, and Theology of Paul and find to their surprise that it
is not their father’s eschatology. C. Marvin Pate describes the content of Paul’s
letters in the context of the contemporary views of the parousia held by Jews, Judaizers,
Greeks, and Romans. Although there are charts that compare and contrast these
views with Paul’s teaching, there are no timelines or prophecy charts so
beloved by evangelical Christians.
According to
Pate, Paul’s consistent premise in his epistles is that the last days began
with the advent of Christ. This is termed “inaugurated eschatology.” Simply
put, Paul does not teach that the last days are past, or that they are yet to
come, but that they have begun.
As a recovering
dispensationalist, I was interested to read how Pate treated the famous “Rapture
passage” in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He writes,
Though
the concept of a secret rapture of the church before the advent of the great
tribulation followed by the visible second coming of Christ is enormously
popular in American religion, there is no basis for such in 1 Thessalonians
4:13-18, the key passage in the debate. This is because Paul equates the “rapture”
(1 Thess. 4:13-18) with the parousia/second coming of Christ (98).
At times it
seems as though the author gave too much attention to trying to find cultic religious
themes as targets of Paul’s theology. However, it should be noted that the
appearance of this may be more a reflection of this reviewer’s ignorance than a
reflection on the author. Certainly modern interpreters are often guilty of
failing to consider these cultural motifs in their study. Pate’s discussion of
the background of Artemis worship in Ephesus was extremely valuable.
I was surprised
to find several printing errors in the book. The outline of Paul’s theology in
the introduction on page 31-32 is repeated on page 33-34. On page 131, a
Scripture reference is given as 1 Cor.20. On page 261, Philo is quoted, “Therefore,
if any desire comes upon the O soul…” (thee?). This is not indicative of Kregel’s
usually excellent work.
Apostle of the Last Days is a valuable addition to one’s library
on Pauline theology.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from
Kregel Publications as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required
to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am
disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part
255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
