Is there a problematic tension in the Apostle Paul's Christology between the absence and presence of Christ, or does this relationship helpfully illuminate important aspects of Paul's thinking about the exalted Christ? Peter Orr develops the case that this relationship sheds important light on how Paul conceives of the exalted Christ.

In his letters, the Apostle Paul can express both the confidence that Christ dwells in the believer (Rom. 8:10) and the longing for Christ to return so that believers can finally be united with him (1 Thess. 4:17). Peter Orr develops the case that this under-explored relationship between the presence and absence of Christ sheds important light on Paul's Christology. In the first part of this book he examines how two of the 20th century's leading Pauline scholars (Albert Schweitzer and Ernst Käsemann) express almost precisely opposite views regarding the nature of this relationship. Using their polarity as an entry-point, he then turns to examine Paul's letters. Firstly, he considers Paul's expression of the absence of Christ, particularly in relationship to the body of Christ. Finally, Orr looks at different modes of Christ's presence across Paul's letters and how these relate to his absence.

Autorentext
Born 1972; 2004-07 BDiv at Moore College, Sydney; 2008-11 PhD in Theology and Religion at Durham University, UK; since 2011 New Testament Lecturer at Melbourne School of Theology.