The Spirit and the Letter

Publisher Description

The statement of Paul 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 discusses the two movements - the 'letter to Spirit' and the 'Spirit to letter' - and their relevance for the understanding of Paul's thought. Overall, it grapples with the theological challenge of giving the kind of weight to material signs in the world ['letter'] that the postmodern mood urges, while affirming the presence of transcendent Spirit in the world.