Paul and the Gift

In this book esteemed Pauline scholar John Barclay presents a strikingly fresh reading of grace in Paul’s theology, studying it in view of ancient notions of “gift” and shining new light on Paul’s relationship to Second Temple Judaism. Paul and the Gift centers on divine gift-giving, which for Paul, Barclay says, is focused and fulfilled in the gift of Christ. He offers a new appraisal of Paul’s theology of the Christ-event as gift expressed in Galatians and Romans, and he presents a nuanced and detailed discussion of the history of reception of Paul. This theologically-informed and hermeneutically-useful book shows that a respectful, though not uncritical, reading of Paul contains resources that remain important for Christians today.