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Format: Paperback |
The Cross and the Spirit Charles Cosgrove. Charles Cosgrove challenges both classical and current interpretations of Galatians by contending that the issue of the letter is not justification, ethics, or the status of Gentile believers in Christ but whether works of the law promote charismatic life in the Spirit. His thesis is developed through a rigorous methodological argument regarding the proper place to begin interpreting Galatians. Cosgrove argues that the interpreter must enter Paul’s debate with the Galatians via Galatians 3:1-5, where the apostle first addresses the “problem” at Galatia both directly and with material specificity. “Charles Cosgrove’s densely textured exposition attends not only to matters of exegetical detail but also to the overall shape of Paul’s argument in Galatians. The result is a new reading of the letter that will compel attention from anyone who wants to join in the increasingly complex debate about the contours of Pauline theology. “Particularly noteworthy is Cosgrove’s demonstration that Paul and his Galatian readers share a charismatic experience as a necessary presupposition of the letter’s rhetoric. Starting from this insight, Cosgrove is able to offer a fresh account of the argumentative logic of Galatians and propose a nuanced reconstruction of the problem in Galatia as it appears in Paul’s ‘epistolary perspective.’ The reader who takes up the challenge of wrestling with Cosgrove’s interpretation will be led deeply into Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, as well as into the recent critical literature on the subject, which Cosgrove treats extensively in his footnotes. “Above all, The Cross and the Spirit is animated by Cosgrove’s own conviction that the exegetical issues matter for us, that our own efforts to grasp gospel, Spirit, and cross faithfully together must be guided by a careful reading of Paul’s impassioned letter to the ancient Galatians.” Call us toll free at 800-637-2378, ext. 2880 or 800-342-0841, ext. 2880 (in GA) |
