THIS is an interesting and perhaps unexpected book, whose central argument is that “Paul is concerned with how Christ brings humanity to its end goal of sharing in the life of God.” This is achieved by the gift of the Spirit, which brings death to sin and the transformation of one’s own moral agency.

This way of looking at Paul’s letters invites us to pursue a particular way of life, leading us to our desired end; and Jipp understands Paul as managing this by conversation with, first, ancient philosophy (especially Aristotle and Cicero) on “the good life”, and, second, “positive psychology”.

This part of the work is a competent and rapid gallop through the ancient philosophers, culminating in the view that attaining the ultimate good, requiring virtue, good character, and self-integration. It follows from this that human beings need wisdom and guidance about living well.

Then the author looks at “Positive Psychology”, which is aiming for “a good life that is empirically sound”. It emphasises the importance of good relations, and even the importance of adversity. Then Jipp continues to examine a “Pauline Theology of the Good Life”, and argues that “The Resurrected Christ empowers humanity to achieve its supreme aim of sharing in the life of God”.

Jipp’s view is that Paul wants to offer “a robust theory of how relation to Christ is humanity’s supreme good, and is, therefore, necessary for human flourishing”, and he is right to insist on the importance of facing the inevitability of death”, as our “fundamental human predicament”, which means that in this life human flourishing is unobtainable because of the undeniable presence of sin and death (“this present evil age” — Galatians 1.4). But for Paul, of course, death is not the end; our only hope is that God has raised Jesus from the dead. Paul sees the possibility of a “transformed moral agency”, whereby we are seen to think, act, and feel in a way that is orientated towards, and therefore unified by, loving and worshipping God.

This is a very rich and powerful doctrine, in which Christ is seen as the “foundation of a new epistemology for persons-in-Christ”. Love is absolutely central here, making of us a sacred community, related to Christ and to one another, where the Church has to be a reconciling and forgiving community.

Jipp offers a very attractive vision of how “persons-in-Christ” can speak to our world. What, in your view, does it mean for any of us to flourish and live a good life in the world? I strongly recommend this book; it is not easy reading, but sheds interesting new light on the remarkable apostle Paul and his very telling use of athletic and military imagery.

Fr Nicholas King SJ is on the staff of Farm Street Church, in London.

Pauline Theology as a Way of Life: A vision of human flourishing in Christ
Joshua W. Jipp
Baker £26.99
(978-1-5409-6895-1)
Church Times Bookshop £24.29