A. Andrew Das reviews six proposals for “grand thematic narratives” behind the logic of Galatians
Across the divide of two thousand years of time and cultural space, the letter to the Galatians is an authoritative witness to the catholic Gospel of salvation by grace alone, for all people alike.
A. Andrew Das offers new insight into Paul’s concern for the Jewish roots of the Christ movement.
Andrew Das offers the beginning Pauline student an entrance into the interesting world of Pauline studies and then presents his own conclusions to this pivotal question.
A comprehensive survey of the unity and diversity behind biblical conceptions of “God” by respecting the distinctive theology of each canonical book and by placing reflection about God in conversation with major themes of biblical theology.
For the Apostle Paul, the gracious framework of the covenant has collapsed; all that remains is the law, with its oppressive requirement of perfect obedience and ethnic exclusivism.
The most accurate and readable Bible translation on the market today. Das has been a member of the CSB Translation Oversight Committee.
Written for a popular audience, Andrew Das explores the biblical concept of baptism and its importance in the life of the believer.
Dr. Das has been listed among twenty-five leading Pauline theorists of the last century in the textbook “Perspectives Old and New on Paul.” Another recent text, “Approaches to Paul,” devotes a section to his work. He has authored several books with leading publishers in biblical studies: “Solving the Romans Debate” (Fortress, 2007), Paul and the Jews (Hendrickson, 2003), Paul, the Law, and the Covenant (Hendrickson, 2001), Galatians (808 pages, Concordia Academic, 2014), and Paul and the Stories of Israel: Grand Thematic Narratives in Galatians (Fortress, 2016).
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At a time when ‘subtexts’ and ‘implicit narratives’ are all the rage, Das insists on some core scholarly virtues: rigorous method, unforced exegesis, and the careful weighing of evidence. Although many of the hypotheses he tests come up short, Das’s argument is not simply negative. His many fruitful suggestions, alongside his wise words of caution, deserve careful attention from all readers of Galatians.
The majority of Das's book contains a careful and insightful interpretation of central Pauline texts on the law. The exegesis is lucid, well-argued, and wonderfully conversant with modern scholarship. Das is not satisfied with traditional or newer conclusions, but re-examines the textual evidence carefully to discern what Paul says. Even those who disagree with Das will have to reckon with and respond to his reading of the evidence.
By focusing on the apocalyptic dimension of Paul’s thought, Das makes Paul’s argument in Galatians accessible to a new generation of Christians by showing that the fundamental issue underlying the dispute between Paul and the rival missionaries was not works righteousness but what happened in Christ: the Christ event was not an event of the old age but the beginning of a new age that requires a corresponding change in one’s life.