I do like Wright's approach to Paul. I especially like how he manages to plausibly explain the (narrative) structure which gives Paul's arguments fresh coherence. In this respect I think his commentary on Romans is an example of Wright at his lucid, most insightful best. That said, I find myself intuitively suspicious of the 'faith as a badge' proposal. And I get the feeling that if I pull that thread loose, quite a bit besides will potentially unravel. In a nutshell, it strikes me as an insufficiently relational understanding of faith (I have wondered if Wright's claim perhaps, in part, depends on an implicit pre-Heideggerian metaphysics of representation – but this is an underdeveloped thought).
Any of you ever had suspicious thoughts about the 'faith as a badge' business? Or do you think it makes sense, especially in light of the Dunn-Wright take on 'works of law'?
16 comments:
Totally agree, Chris. Romans 4:16 looks like nonsense if faith is a "badge", as well as a number of other passages. I wouldn't say that this mistake will loosen too many threads, let alone bring down the whole tapestry, but I do think it highlights the untenability of Wright's take (with Dunn) on "works of the law", too. If anything, it should lead to an increasing recognition that there is much of value in BOTH the NPP and traditional readings of Paul, and that they need not be so antithetically opposed to one another.
Chris, I know what you mean. Though I like the idea of badges, and I think it fits quite well with "works of the law," it's hard for me to square it with pistis Christou as the faithfulness of Christ, a reading that I'm becoming more and more confident of. However, I suppose one could argue that one's identity is found in the very person and work of Christ, viz., his faithfulness. Hmmm.... I'll have to think about it some more.
Paul did use the metaphor of clothing for Christ.
I might be able to help more if I knew what "implicit pre-Heideggerian metaphysics of representation" was all about, but probably not.
Chris: Behind this question, is there a desire lurking for a Hegelian like synthesis between the NPP & the traditional understandings?
I thought you might be interested in learning about OUR Jewish traditions which embrace the real Christ. We are the Frankist Association of America. One of our members has a new book out:
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Shalom
Beth El Jacob Frank
Israel, that is a great point. Not sure it justifies the importance Wright puts on the language of "badges" though. But it is a point to consider.
brainofdtrain "Chris: Behind this question, is there a desire lurking for a Hegelian like synthesis between the NPP & the traditional understandings?"
:-) Not consciously! But maybe in the back of my mind!
Pascale,
"I thought you might be interested in learning about OUR Jewish traditions which embrace the real Christ"
Not really.
I think that you are correct here that Wright's claim that "faith is a badge" is crucial to his construal of justification. His claim that justification is analytical on rather than constitutive of Christian salvation basically entails that with respect to justification, faith must be a badge. Thus, if faith is not viewed as having a "badge" function, the meaning of justification that supports the Dunn-Wright understanding of "works of law" has been undercut. It really is a string that can unravel a lot. Although I love Wright's work overall, I find him unconvincing here, and at times I think that his good exegetical sense even seems to get the better of his theology on this point (cf. his commentary on Rom 5:1, which I sadly do not have at my disposal to check to make sure I'm not embarrassing myself).
All I thought upon seeing the title
was "What sort of scout is Wright"?
Chuck Grantham
I have often wondered how best to understand the idea of faith as a badge too. My preferred way is to relate it to the idea of Christ's faith. Christians are marked out, not by the works of the Torah, but by the faith of Abraham and faith of Christ. The faith of Abraham and the faith of Christ are vicarious, exercised on behalf of all they represent, yet also provide prototypes for all who follow.
We are marked out as members of Abraham's family, not by circumcision and the works of the Torah, but by an Abraham-like faith (I think that this is the point of Romans 4:16). In the same way, it is Christ's faith that marks us out as Christians. Wright's approach suffers from making the connection between faith as a boundary marker and faith as the way that Christ's form is impressed upon us insufficiently clear. It is there, though.
The 'boundary markers' of Christian faith are all ways in which we are marked out by Christ's faithful death (eating Christ's flesh and drinking his blood, being baptized into and in the likeness of his death, etc.). These are the boundary markers that matter, rather than those that mark out an ethnic Israel.
The gain of Wright's approach is that his 'faith as badge' perspective makes clear that the significance of Christian faith is less in what it does, than in what it is and represents. His approach need not be understood in 'an insufficiently relational' manner. In fact, I think that its strength is that it shows that Christian faith is related to Christ, not just in its activity towards Christ as its object, or in its content, but that Christian faith finds its root in Christ's own faith and that the form of Christian faith has been determined by him. This highlights the eschatological significance of Christian faith ('now that Faith has come...') among other things.
Chris,
Most people don't get past the level of whether they are "saved" or "unsaved" and here you are Heidiggering around with multiple interpretations of Paul, a first century fanatic. Sheesh. Do you know how much history and civilization there is out there to study? How much of life, science, medicine, plumbing, history, music, architecture, all of which has affected humankind? Now compare Paul's contributions. He predicted the soon coming of the Lord, taught that God was making Christians ill and killing some because of how they miscelebrated the Lord's supper, and tied himself up in theological knots, going on about love in one chapter in 1 Cor., and then cursing people with anathemas.
Too Pascale:
I am very interested in your community and will check out the links you suggest. I would like to ask if and how the Talmud are a part of your understanding.
I reckon the quote "implicit pre-Heideggerian metaphysics of representation" might be talking about the German Idealists or neo-Kantians? anyway Heidegger's focus on language extends beyond representational models so often employed in theology. Ironically, his concept of 'Being' has more of an affinity with many Jewish (including Jesus) understandings of existence/truth/reality than much of protestant Christianity. obliged, daniel
I've always just read this bit to mean both fiducia (a loyal trust) and "the obedience of faith." Obedience ("faith," in this construct) is the badge. It outwardly shows the inward transformation.
Al,
"The gain of Wright's approach is that his 'faith as badge' perspective makes clear that the significance of Christian faith is less in what it does, than in what it is and represents"
Thanks, Al, that is helpful!
Dan, "Ironically, his concept of 'Being' has more of an affinity with many Jewish (including Jesus) understandings of existence/truth/reality than much of protestant Christianity."
Care to expand on that point? Thanks!
Thanks for all the comments, folks.
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