When Paul appeals to Genesis, what should we do first? Before asking what Paul means, should we first ask what he has actually chosen to bring forward from Genesis? This study explores Paul’s different uses of Genesis in 1 Corinthians 11 and Ephesians 5, encouraging careful observation of the apostle’s argument before moving to interpretation.
Many interpreters rightly observe that Paul’s allusions to Genesis invite readers to think about the wider creation narrative. Cynthia Long Westfall, in Paul and Gender: Reclaiming the Apostle’s Vision for Men and Women in Christ, expresses this well when she argues that Paul’s references ‘activate’ the Genesis narrative, that Paul interprets Genesis, and that Genesis…
The New Testament does not ask Christians to choose between Jesus and his apostles. This study explains how the ascended Christ continued teaching his Church through the Holy Spirit and the apostles whom he personally appointed.
A Brief Explanation of Each of the 10 Studies.
Lexical meaning and authorial meaning are not the same. Dictionaries identify the recognised possibilities a word can bear, but only the biblical author communicates the intended meaning. This study explains why faithful interpretation begins by following the author’s own argument.
Dictionaries help us understand biblical words, but they cannot replace the biblical authors. This introductory study explains why faithful interpretation begins by following the author’s own communication rather than treating Scripture as a collection of isolated word definitions.
Paul did not write collections of isolated verses. This study explains why readers must keep reading—and rereading—until Paul has completed his argument and the connections between its parts become clear.
Paul’s appeals to Genesis arise within particular historical and pastoral situations, but they also express enduring theological convictions. This study explains why the historical occasion and the theology of Genesis must be understood together.
How does Paul’s teaching about creation relate to his vision of the new creation in Christ? This study explores how Paul’s repeated appeal to Genesis ultimately finds its fulfilment in Christ, the last Adam, and the new humanity God is creating through the gospel.
Paul does not appeal merely to creation as an abstract idea but to the developing story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2–3. This study explains why that appeal belongs to Paul’s wider theology of creation rather than functioning as a convenient illustration.