Receiving Back One’s Deeds

Dally's work exemplifies the best of a cross-disciplined integrative approach to biblical, historical, and theological scholarship. His elucidation of judgment according to works in relationship to a Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone is exegetically sound, historically aware, and theologically satisfying. This book is sure to resonate with biblical scholars, church historians, and pastoral theologians.--Robbie Crouse, Knox Theological Seminary A nuanced assessment of the complex dance between justification and final judgment in Paul's thought has not always been seen as a strength of Protestant biblical and theological studies. To the dance floor Ben Dally brings both a historical reconsideration of Protestant confessions of faith and an assessment of Paul's 2 Corinthians. The latter, read in light of motifs from Early Jewish Restoration Theology, contributes fresh insights on the intricate interplay between Pauline soteriology and eschatology as read within the Protestant tradition.--George H. Guthrie, Regent College, Vancouver Benjamin M. Dally provides a way forward for Protestant readings of Paul arguing, in this careful study of Second Corinthians, that a forensic view of justification by faith and a robust understanding of judgment by works can harmoniously coexist. According to Dally, a Protestant solution to the perceived tension between these two doctrines is found on the plane of Paul's narrative logic (a la, Richard B. Hays) of Early Jewish restoration theology which permeates Paul first-century Jewish context. Daily's thesis relieves the disequilibrium in Protestant studies of Paul created by the relationship between the seemingly contradictory messages of justification by faith alone, sola fide, and eschatological judgment by works.--Joel Willitts, North Park University Here Ben Dally makes a couple of contributions to ongoing discussions of justification and final judgment. He gives careful attention to oft-neglected 2 Corinthians, addressing it in the context of early Jewish restoration theology. He also gives careful attention to early Protestant soteriological traditions, addressing their subtle variations on how justification works. While it will be obvious where Reformed theology diverges from Dally's conclusions, his theologically-interested exegesis shows that Protestants can take seriously the role of works at the final judgment.--Daniel Treier, Wheaton College The relationship of justification by faith and judgment according to works in Paul and in Scripture generally has been a perennial issue since the Reformation. Benjamin M. Dally examines this issue as it surfaces in 2 Corinthians. The book offers careful and detailed exegetical work in the text but is especially notable for its robust description of, and interaction with, the broad Protestant theological tradition. Whether agreeing with the book's conclusions or not, anyone working on this topic will have to take account of Dally's arguments.--Douglas J. Moo, Wheaton College