Cruciform Scripture: Interviews With Contributors—Steve Fowl On Paul And Gift

This is a blog series featuring contributors to the new book, Cruciform Scripture. Today we have Steve Fowl. Cruciform Scripture is a book in the field of New Testament theology, the work is written in honor of the scholarship of Dr. Michael J. Gorman.

Stephen E. Fowl

Tell us about your connection to the honoree, Michael Gorman.

I’ve known Mike for over 25 years. Our two institutions are only a couple miles apart. I’ve taught many times at the Ecumenical Institute when Mike was the Dean. Our approaches to reading Paul’s letters and Scripture more generally overlap nicely and we have each learned from reading each other’s work and talking together over many wonderful lunches.

Your topic is gift and agency in Paul. Why did you choose this topic?

Mike and I share a longstanding love of Philippians. At the same time I felt that elements of Philippians in particular address what I took to be some gaps and tensions within John Barclay’s brilliant book, Paul and the Gift.

Can you share more about your essay?

John Barclay’s Paul and the Gift is a landmark in pauline studies, advancing, reframing and resolving a number of crucial arguments in pauline studies. Even as Barclay moves these arguments forward, there are several tensions and gaps in his account of Paul. Mike Gorman’s account of participation in Christ can address some of these gaps and tensions and I try to show this through an account of how gift and agency work in Philippians.