Wright’s Big Paul Book Makes WP’s List of 10 Most Intriguing Religion Books of 2013

One of my students brought to my attention this Washington Post article on “The Year’s Ten Most Intriguing Religion Books” (2013). Books by Reza Aslan and Gary Anderson made the list. The unique Coffee with Jesus collection. And Flannery O’Connor’s “A Prayer Journal” (newly discovered by a biographer). But also N.T. Wright’s titanic Paul and the Faithfulness of God – here is the description:

In this magnum opus, one of the most prolific Christian theologians of our time lays out his case for Paul as a thinker on par with Aristotle and Plato. Clocking in at nearly 1,700 pages, including 70 just for the footnotes, this tome has been hailed as “magisterial” and is already being held up as the standard reference work on Christianity’s first and, arguably foremost, theologian. Wright’s vigorous prose provides an engaging introduction to the Judaism and Christianity of the first century. Wright contends that Paul’s writings are to be understood as those of a devout Jew who reworks Jewish redemptive theology around the figure of Jesus in the furtherance of “getting the Creation project back on track.”

Actually, this is an accurate and superbly insightful little overview. Impressive. And congrats to Wright, well-deserving of accolades, but I am sure we will see more than one critical academic review in the coming months (and perhaps years as folks marathon-read through the work!).