Paul’s Adam Christology in the Post-New Perspective Reading

Pauline scholars have produced book after book attempting toreevaluate Paul’s theological concepts in light of the so-called NewPerspective on Paul and to respond to its challenges. While their effortshave greatly helped clarify various key ideas in Paul’s theologicalworld and the Judaism of his day, it is disappointing that they have notdiscussed much about the way Paul presents Jesus in Adamic motifs.
The negligence of the Adamic motifs is particularly disappointing giventhat Paul’s discussion of the issues of the law vs. the Gospel, the definitionof the people of God and the Gentile inclusion, the eschatologicalSpirit and the covenant, and Jesus as the origin of God’s new race, nowconsisted of both Jews and Gentiles, is often embedded in Jesus’ storieswith the Adamic motifs. The purpose of this article is, therefore,two-fold. First, the author will seek to demonstrate why he agrees withthe claims made by several scholars for the necessity of the post-NewPerspective reading on Paul, after having critiqued in brief the majorpoints of the so-called New Perspective on Paul. Second, the authorwill seek to show how Paul’s Adam Christology can be useful for theanalysis of a number of key Pauline concepts that have turned intobattlefields for the New Perspective reading on Paul and its criticism.