A Theology of the Cross: The Death of Jesus in the Pauline Letters

by Charles B. Cousar

Publisher:

Fortress Press

, 1990

Overview

In Paul’s epistles the crucifixion story reveals a God who is free and in no way bound by human categories or expectations. Yet God in Christ chooses to be engaged in the very depths of the human predicament. The message of the crucifixion is that God’s power is manifested in weakness, not in strength. The author believes that this “weakness as strength” should be the focal point of the church’s identity. However, a celebration of weakness is in complete opposition to traditional American beliefs in personal strength and a powerful church.

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Key Features

• Shows that the cross can not be contained by a single definition
• Examines the obedient act of striving to understand the cross in its entirety
• Addresses the resistance of American culture to embrace the theology of the cross

Contents

• Editor’s Foreword
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
  • “Theology of the Cross”
  • Ernst Läsemann on the Death of Jesus
  • Plan of the Book
  • Excursus: The Language of Crucifixion
• Jesus’ Death and God
• Jesus’ Death and Human Sinfulness
• Jesus’ Death and Resurrection
• Jesus’ Death and the People of God
• Jesus’s Death and the Christian Life
• Conclusion
  • Theology and the Cross
  • The God Revealed in the Cross
  • The Cross as the Church’s Norm
  • The Cross and God’s Grace
  • The Cross and God’s Victory

Top Highlights

“Paul constantly reminds his readers that the risen Christ is none other than the crucified one, whose wounds cannot be removed by exegetical surgery. The crucifixion of Jesus is not only a past, datable, verifiable fact in the church’s memory, but also an ever-present reality to guide and determine the church’s life. It is precisely this dimension in Paul’s letters that makes them hard to read and accept.” (Page 4)

“The word of the cross reveals God as a free, sovereign God, not bound by human categories and expectations” (Page 35)

“First, the ‘theology of the cross’ is from beginning to end a polemical theology.” (Page 11)

“Throughout the section it has become clear that God stands as the hidden figure behind the vivid drama of the cross. As horrifying a means of death as it was, the crucifixion is not blamed on a human source. Instead, the preaching of it is the occasion of God’s self-revelation. Here God’s intentions and purposes are made known.” (Page 35)

“Paul’s ministry is an example of what living under the shadow of the cross entails. He mentions afflictions, perplexities, persecutions, and the like not as a special badge he wears as an apostle, but as evidence of what the church continually discovers when taking seriously the crucified Jesus.” (Page 11)

Praise for the Print Edition

Charles Cousar’s A Theology of the Cross moves gracefully between critical exegesis and theological reflection. Deftly expositing Paul’s interpretation of the cross and resurrection, Cousar corrects the polemical imbalance of Kasemann’s treatment while updating its insights about the urgency of the word of the cross for the church today. Cousar’s discerning work is a splendid achievement: at once deeply conversant with cutting-edge technical scholarship and written with great lucidity for the nonspecialist, it illumines Paul’s message in a way that will prove especially valuable for pastors and students. I know of no other work that so helpfully synthesizes important recent developments in the study of Pauline theology.

—Richard B. Hays, George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament, Suke Divinity School

Product Details

• Title: A Theology of the Cross: The Death of Jesus in the Pauline Letters
• Author: Charles B. Cousar
• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Publication Date: 1990
• Pages: 208

About Charles B. Cousar

Charles B. Cousar is the Samuel A. Cartledge Professor of New Testament Emeritus at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. Cousar, who has made significant contributions to biblical studies, retired from his position at Columbia Theological Seminary where he received the Distinguished Service Award. He is the author of Theology of the Cross, An Introduction to the New Testament and The Letters of Paul.