Paul’s Conversion/Call, a Session of the British New Testament Conference

As the BNTC programme is announced (see ntgateway.com/bntc), I am pleased to announce that yet another interesting session has appeared; the Paul seminar and the Acts seminar are joining together in the second session to discuss ‘Paul’s Damascus Road Experience’:

Barry Matlock (Sheffield) will be treating the issue from the perspective of Paul’s letters

Tim Churchill (London School of Theology) will be handling Luke’s portrait in Acts.

Loveday Alexander will be responding to the papers.

I am deeply saddened that I will be missing this very interesting session because it conflicts with the Hermeneutics session that I am giving a paper in.  So, for those of you who would rather hear me over Loveday Alexander (…anyone?…anyone?…), my paper is entitled:

‘Worship and Phronesis: Paul’s Questioning of his Jewish Privileges and the Promise of a Cultic Hermeneutic (Phil. 3.2-11)’.

Well, I will tell you that I was chatting with Jimmy Dunn over coffee and I asked him why no ‘New Perspective’ proponent has written a good commentary on Philippians.  Even those that have some sympathies for aspects of the NPP (e.g., Bockmuehl and Hooker) seem to slip into a Lutheran reading at Phil. 3.2-11.  Dunn replied, ‘Read my new book [The New Perspective on Paul] which treats that very pericope as a final ‘newly published’ chapter!’  Well, I read the whole thing and I think Dunn does a very admirable job within the system of reading the NPP proposes.  I also admire what elements the NPP has brought to Pauline interpretation, but I think there is much left unexplored in Phil. 3.2-11.  I think….well, I guess you’ll just have to sign up for the British New Testament conference to find out what I think… 🙂  But, if you end of going to Loveday’s session, record it for me, will won’t you? 🙂