Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith, by Francis Watson. London: T&T Clark International, 2004. Pp. xii + 584. $54.95 (paper). ISBN 0567082326. In Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith, Francis Watson has produced a magisterial work that significantly challenges existing readings of Paul on all sides and will influence subsequent interpretations for decades to come. Henceforth, responsible readers of Paul will need to wrestle with Watson's provocative and nuanced arguments regarding Paul's own responsible interpretation of Scripture. The book begins by setting forth two central interlocking assertions. First, Paul is above all a reader: his construal of the gospel derives from the sacred text, particularly the Pentateuch. Second, the Pauline doctrine of righteousness by faith is the "hermeneutical key to his interpretation of Scripture," and as such is of fundamental importance to understanding Paul's thought. But the reverse is even more to the point in Watson's argument: Scripture itself is the hermeneutical key to "righteousness by faith." Watson's claims are polemical, and he argues them with meticulous passion by situating Paul as a reader of Habakkuk and the Pentateuch in conversation with other Jewish interpreters, from Wisdom of Solomon to 4 Ezra. The detail of his textual analysis is breathtaking, and the consequent discussion is fascinating and instructive on many levels. We are all in his debt.
