«The Law of the Spirit»

Paul's explication of the relationship between the Spirit and Law in Romans 8 has been the subject of protracted scholarly debate. In Romans 7:6 Spirit and Law are set in opposition to each other. However, in Romans 8:4 they appear conjoined, operating in a more harmonious manner. With the use of cognitive dissonance theory, this book proposes that Paul perceived a state of dissonance between covenantal nomism and his post-Damascus cognitions on the Spirit. As a result, he attempts to reduce the qualitative distinction between these two clusters of cognitions by establishing cognitive overlap between them and by striving to achieve social validation for his cognitions within his own fictive family of Roman believers with whom he shared the experience of the Spirit.

Autorentext

The Author: John A. Bertone received his Ph.D. in New Testament from the University of St. Michael's College (University of Toronto). He is currently Assistant Professor of New Testament at Houghton College in Houghton, New York, and has taught in seminaries, universities, and colleges in the United States and Canada.

Zusammenfassung
"E. P. Sanders has encouraged us to see Paul as one whose solution - that God has provided for the salvation of all in Christ - preceded and precipitated whatever problems he had with the Torah. In this informed and stimulating study, however, John A. Bertone observes that when Paul brings his discussion of the Torah to a conclusion in Romans 8, the Spirit features just as prominently in his argument as does Christ. Bertone thus encourages us, in his turn, to see Paul's 'solution' as consisting not simply of his initial experience of Christ but also of his ongoing life in the Spirit. This is a helpful contribution to a continuing discussion." (Terence L. Donaldson, Lord and Lady Coggan Professor of New Testament Studies, Wycliffe College, Toronto, Ontario)