The Spirit and the Letter: A Tradition and a Reversal

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Pauls statement that letter kills but the spirit gives life [2 Corinthians 3.6] has had an extraordinary impact on Christian thought through the ages. It has been read both as affirming the saving power of the new covenant in comparison to the old, and as a key to hidden, spiritual meanings in the text of scripture. It is, however, an ambiguous phrase, followed by a tangled story. This book explores the Pauline distinction both in its original context and in its aftermath in the early church, the Reformation and modern Biblical Studies. It then considers a postmodern reversal, where ideas of Spirit are often seen as deadly and the openness of the letter or text as life-affirming, and draws conclusions for Spirit in the world.

Reviews

For those intrigued by Pauls evocative phrase, this works attention to the theological nuance of its implications will prove richly rewarding. -- Taylor Worley, Union University, US * Theological Book Review *
This is a work of serious and detailed scholarship, with each chapter offering a nuanced and complex interaction with the topic. -- Simon Woodman, Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church, UK * Regent's Reviews *
The letters of this interdisciplinary volume on 2 Corinthians 3.6 ("The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life") do not kill the reader, nor is there a spiritual reading that ignores these Pauline words. Instead, the vexing oppositional "but" is turned into an even more complex "and" that expresses the mutual dependency of death and life in the tension between spirit and letter. Leading theologians from Germany and the UK explore the life and after-life of this Pauline provocation, from exegesis and history to postmodern and remodern interpretations, to entangle the reader in an extraordinarily creative process whereby the letter becomes the embodied inspiration and the spirit flows not unwritten. -- Markus Vinzent, Kings College London
The extraordinarily rich theme of this book leads us through centuries of interpretation and debate. Its thorough, multi-faceted engagement with one biblical verse by a dedicated group from England and Germany, who met together over several years, inspires the reader to think and rethink core issues, from the nature of matter, language and texts to the human spirit, the Holy Spirit, power and salvation. It is itself, to use its own happy phrase, a text open to spirit. -- David Ford, University of Cambridge, UK

Author Bio

Paul S. Fiddes is Professor of Systematic Theology in the University of Oxford, and is Director of Research at Regent's Park College, Oxford, UK. Gnter Bader was until recently Professor for Systematic Theology in the Protestant Theology Faculty of the University of Bonn, Germany.