Written by David Horrell
Reviewed by Andrew J. Spencer
David Horrell is Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Exeter. His most important work concerns ecotheology, particularly his attempt to reread Paul’s letters through an environmentally conscious lens. Greening Paul: rereading the apostle in times of ecological crisis (Waco, Texas: Baylor University Press, 2010), and in his advocacy of revising Christian hermeneutics in light of environmental concerns in The Bible and the environment: towards a critical ecological biblical theology (London: Routledge, 2014).
The construction of Christian morality: reading Paul in ancient and modern contexts is a collection of essays, all published elsewhere or presented as conference papers. The result is a somewhat loose connection of individual entries on topics of interest to Horrell rather than a compelling argument on any particular topic. Nevertheless, the essays all tend to highlight a fundamental assumption of Horrell’s that the apostle Paul had his own version of Christianity, distinct from other versions of Christianity.
The book contains three parts, with each section focusing on a particular area of concern. The first part discusses Horrell’s interest in the sociohistorical context of Paul’s writings. His first essay begins by ignoring the possibility of continuity between the authors of Scripture, but goes on to argue against the existence of distinct “Pauline” churches. In chapter 2, Horrell debunks some popular constructions about early church architecture, largely by revealing the meager archaeological evidence on which some conclusions are based. This is the most useful essay in the volume and draws on interdisciplinary scholarship that essentially calls on Christian scholars to maintain their views until new evidence can be uncovered. The third essay argues that Philemon may have been a middle-class Christian rather than a major patron of the Church. If Horrell is correct, the financial loss of freeing a slave is much greater and the subversive anti-slavery message of Paul’s letter even stronger. Chapter 4 explores the functioning of family language in the Pauline corpus. Based on a comparison of early “authentic” Pauline epistles with later “pseudo-Pauline” epistles, Horrell argues that as Christianity evolved, the home replaced the family as the primary ecclesiological metaphor.
The second part moves on to the theme of Pauline ethics. The fifth essay emphasizes the centrality of the resurrection to Pauline ethics, but reaches a strange conclusion as Horrell considers how this view can help lead to a Rawlsian consensus on ethics, which is a part essential of the liberal order as he sees it. In chapter 6, Horrell uses Pauline ethics to argue that ethics must be culturally determined; that is, ethics concerns the application of standards that are generally socially acceptable. For Horrell, Pauline ethics therefore rejects the model of Christians as a community of contrast and promotes, instead, the idea of the Church as a community that affirms the values of culture even better than culture. The seventh chapter explores the concept of humility as a central element of Pauline ethics, arguing that there is little unique moral content in Paul’s corpus.
In part three, Horrell moves to a discussion of contemporary applications of Pauline ethics. Chapter 8, which discusses various models of ethics, is largely a call to view Scripture as an insufficient basis for ethics. Horrell writes: “Thus, while reading Paul in the context of our contemporary debates can be suggestive and fruitful, using Paul’s texts to ‘think with’ is by no means sufficient to the task of thinking about adequate models for him. Christian ethics, but only marks the beginning of the work” (p. 182). In a different context, this statement could be seen as hopeful, but Horrell’s intention is to reject the sufficiency and authority of Scripture and encourage his readers to rely on other sources to gain moral authority. Chapter 9 is close to an abridged version of Horrell’s book, Greening Paul, and constitutes another entry in the genre of revisionist scholarship that attempts to recover themes from Scripture that reinforce a particular desired outcome. This essay highlights the central emphasis of Horrell’s lifelong project as he writes: “Reconfiguring our religious and cultural traditions in light of the new challenges we face is a crucial task” (p. 207). For Horrell, Pauline studies are useful to the extent that they stimulate activism that corresponds to cultural demands on topics of particular concern. The book concludes with the tenth essay, which describes some contributions Horrell believes Paul can make to ecojustice. However, the essay and book end on a high note when Horrell concludes that Paul can be useful in “reconfiguring our view of the world around us and anchoring a revised theology that (re)integrates humanity in solidarity with all of the creative community. – critical tasks indeed – but neither he nor any of the biblical writers can give us a substantial answer to the question of what, in concrete terms, we should then do” (p. 228). According to Horrell’s own writings, perhaps the best thing for people to do would be to leave the Bible aside and start looking for answers in the ever-changing pool of scientific research, shaped by a model that is never static and rarely defined. supreme bonus.
Horrell’s work is excellent by the measures of critical biblical scholarship. His writing is clear and clear. Those who accept his assumptions will likely find this book enlightening and thought-provoking. Christian scholars who accept the authority and integrity of Scripture will find themselves continually frustrated by the basic assumptions that seem to dictate the outcome of analysis. Nevertheless, there is some significant value in this collection of essays, particularly where Horrell carefully addresses issues relating to the New Testament context. These essays make this volume a worthwhile addition to an academic library.
The construction of Christian morality illustrates the need for Christian ethicists to continue to think about Scripture, orthodox Christian theology, and how to apply the insight inspired by these sources to contemporary issues such as care for creation. Horrell makes an excellent contact for those seeking to engage in such studies.
Andrew J. Spencer
Andrew J. Spencer
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
Monroe, Michigan, United States