Review of Dictionary of Paul and His Letters: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship

Dictionary of Paul and His Letters: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship. Edited by Scot McKnight, Lynn H. Cohick, and Nijay K. Gupta. 2nd ed. Downers Grove, IL.: IVP Academic, 2023, 1264 pp., $70.99, hardcover.

This volume is for the institution of seminary, church, and state libraries and individuals, whether pastor, student, or scholar. The DPL2 stands as equal among its peers in the IVP series. The vast entries and excellent scholarship on display, not in name only, make the DPL2 worthy of your time reading and pennies earned.

IVP Academic’s dictionary series is well known, and the first edition of the Dictionary of Paul and His Letters (DPL) is no exception. The original volume set out to be serviceable to scholars in the future, which has proven true from 1993 until the second volume’s release in 2023. With new editors and contributors, the second edition, or DPL2, has large shoes to fill. This review will provide an overview of the dictionary with exemplars, a comparison of the two volumes, a critique, and a perspective on both volumes’ respective roles in the future.

Readers will likely want first to know why one should acquire or consult DPL2 over or in addition to DPL, specifically wanting to see the difference between the two volumes. The “Preface” highlights the need for an update and the differences. First, the state of Pauline studies has changed (ix). Scholars in 2023 have other interests and popular study methods available than those in 1993. Second, the vast differences drove the editors to create what they call “truly a completely new dictionary,” “not a mere touch-up” (ix). An observer comparing the volumes will note that some entries from the first volume (fifteen) remain in some shape or form, representing timeless topics like justification. The list of contributors is over five pages long, which includes Pauline and New Testament scholars John Barclay, Timothy Gombis, Matthew Bates, Karen Jobes, David Capes, Dana Harris, and Joshua Jipp, to name a few. The entries range from “Abraham” to “Wrath, Destruction.” Readers should consult the T.O.C. or extensive subject and Scripture indices for specifics. Roughly 10% of the 210 entries contain ten or more pages of content, with the most extended entries being “Old Testament in Paul” (17 pp.) and “Law” with “Romans” tied (14 pp.). The snapshot should remind readers of those familiar with the other volumes in the series as being of similar length.

It is unfathomable to review each article, but space allows us to highlight an exemplar. The selected definition will also showcase the framework and features typical to other entries, and although it is a quality entry, this is a common feature in the dictionary. Michael Bird contributed the entry on “Righteousness.” The entry has overlapping or related material to entries in the dictionary, such as “*God, …*salvation, *ethics, and *church life” (The original asterisk notifies the reader that dictionary entries exist with the same title) (917). The article opens with a brief introduction and outline, which has six sections for Bird’s entry: “Lexical and Linguistic Issues,” Jewish Background to Paul’s ‘Righteousness of God’ language, “Patristic, Medieval, and Reformed Interpretation,” “Contemporary Scholarship,” “Key Pauline Texts,” and “Conclusion” (917). Other entries have unique subheadings, but all begin with an outline, and many end with a conclusion section. Bird first clarifies the Hebrew and Greek words and concepts associated with the Greek term dikaiosynē.The survey moves across time and cultures and includes extra-biblical texts from the first century, such as Josephus. In the second section, the author presents Paul’s understanding of righteousness as relating to salvation (920). Sections three and four contain interpretive understandings of righteousness in Paul, critiquing some of the perspectives (924). The fifth section examines key texts, i.e., Romans 1:16–17; 3:21–26; 10:3–4, 9–11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9 (924–26). The conversation is not limited to these passages throughout the article, only highlighted as key texts in Pauline literature. The previous dictionary, DPL, contained an entry titled “Righteousness,” but it differs both in author and in the scholarship available to the author. For example, both contain sections on the history of interpretation and dikaiosynē as a gift, but the DPL2 includes the landmark work of J.M.G. Barclay (Paul and the Gift, 2017). In addition to new research since the DPL, the landscape of scholarship concerning the righteousness of Paul has changed, best seen in comparing contemporary scholarship sections from the DPL and DPL2. The change in landscape influences Bird’s conclusion. Thus, Bird’s conclusion has commonalities with that of the DPL, but it is also unique. Bird finds that righteousness in Paul “broadly” references salvation, but the term “righteousness” in Paul cannot be limited to only a saving event (926).

The list of contributors is over five pages long, which includes Pauline and New Testament scholars John Barclay, Timothy Gombis, Matthew Bates, Karen Jobes, David Capes, Dana Harris, and Joshua Jipp, to name a few.

When considering the two volumes on Paul and his letters, one should ask how the resources may be employed. First, DPL2 has succeeded in functioning as a new dictionary. Thus, DPL is not to be replaced. With such little overlap, students of Paul and his letters will find great value in both volumes. Second, the reality of three decades since the authoring of DPL means that it will likely be replaced as the first dictionary one turns to. Instructors who use dictionaries would benefit their students by assigning DPL2 because it addresses more prominent discussions and incorporates thirty years of research, including an updated bibliography. Third, will DPL2 have the staying power of DPL? Without a Urim and Thummim or receiving and interpreting a dream, the DPL2 is poised to have generational staying power. The combination of the prestigious editors, like contributors, the entries, and the relevant topics all point to DPL2 assisting scholars, students, and pastors for decades to come.

Almost self-prophetically, one entry may be divisive, i.e., L. Peppiatt’s article titled “Women” (1126–36). With a broad stroke, the entry focuses on egalitarianism versus complementarianism (hierarchicalist and mutualist) and identifies that Paul supports egalitarianism. Coming to a definitive conclusion is helpful, but the essay leans egalitarianism through and through. Thus, some readers will be opposed to the conclusion and likely not appreciate the author’s anti-complementarian voice. Moreover, the author’s voice for egalitarianism may appear to guide the results, not the research. The egalitarian leaning presents possible anachronistic views, e.g., “One of the reasons that there is now more awareness of times and places in the history of the church where women’s ministry and leadership has been acknowledged is that there is a worldwide movement within the academy as a whole to turn its attention to the previously ignored and undocumented role of women in history: in literature, politics, science, medicine, philosophy, education, and so on” (1127). It is uncertain how a successful track record for women across the globe and time should be applied hermeneutically to Pauline literature. A similar anachronistic tone is in the conclusion, suggesting in some sense that modern scholars’ skills in translation and context are better equipped than those through history. Peppiatt concludes, “With the work being done on translation, context, and theological interpretation of Paul’s writings, one is now able to build a coherent picture of Paul as an apostle who acknowledged the gifting of women and promoted them to all ministries of the church” (1135). The author presents nuances and support for a complementarian (hierarchicalist) view, which is commendable. The entry will undoubtedly provide the reader with a clear articulation of the egalitarian (mutualist) position.

This volume is for the institution of seminary, church, and state libraries and individuals, whether pastor, student, or scholar. The DPL2 stands as equal among its peers in the IVP series. The vast entries and excellent scholarship on display, not in name only, make the DPL2 worthy of your time reading and pennies earned. The professor and student may benefit most from the dictionary because of the friendly format, which provides comprehensive dives into Paul and his letters. Educators and students have a resource that can be utilized for a lifetime and one that contains great entries with excellent help, e.g., bibliographies and asterisk markers for relevant entries.