Paul's Narrative Thought World

The Tapestry of Tragedy and Triumph. Bill Witherington shows that Paul's theology, arguments, practical advice, and social recommendations are ultimately grounded in stories from the Hebrew scriptures and from the life of Jesus and those who believed in him. Paul's thought, according to Witherington, was shaped by four interrelated narratives comprising a larger drama: Adam and Eve and a world gone wrong; the people of Israel in that world; the death and resurrection of Christ; and the movement to faith by Christians like Paul himself, which promises a world set right again. Thus to Paul, the story of Christ is the crucial turning point in the history of God and the world.