The Triumph of Abraham's God: The Transformation of Identity in Galatians

This scholarly yet accessible study explores the various aspects of Pauls theology of divine triumph in the Book of Galations. For Paul the divine invasion into "the present evil age" has resulted in the victory of God over competing suprahuman forces and establishment of a sphere of existence where Gods reputation as the cosmic sovereign is displayed. Paul envisages Christian social interaction to be the stage upon which Gods transforming power is performed and advertised. Accordingly Paul calls his Galatian hearers not simply to a life unfettered by a ritualistic practice but to a life of transformed existence through the power of the Spirit. Eschatological identity of this sort is the immediate consequence of the prior redemption of ethnic Israel which the coming of Christ occasioned. In particular Christian moral identity arises out of the "faithfulness of Christ" embodied in his loving and self-giving service. This feature is shown to be crucial to the theological and corporate enterprise that Paul envisages in Galatians having a radical impact upon his understanding of the law of suprahuman forces at odds with the will of God and of validity in Christian readings of Scripture. This book concludes by considering the place of salvation history in Galations by explaining Pauls theology in relation to the "Lutheran" and "new" perspectives on Paul and by demonstrating how Pauls theology in Galatians may provide an important resource for contemporary theology concerning Christian identity and modern society.