Michael Gorman | St. Mary's Seminary and University (original) (raw)
Dr. Michael J. Gorman holds the Raymond E. Brown Chair in Biblical Studies and Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in Baltimore, where he has taught since 1991. From 1994 to 2012 he was the Dean of St. Mary’s Ecumenical Institute of Theology. He has also taught at Princeton Theological Seminary, Wesley Theological Seminary, Duke Divinity School, and Notre Dame de l’Espérance (Our Lady of Hope) Catholic Seminary in Bertoua, Cameroon (West Africa). Dr. Gorman also teaches in the deacon formation program of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore and in the course of study for local pastors in the United Methodist Church.
Dr. Gorman earned his M.Div. and his Ph.D. in New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author or editor of ten books and many articles on biblical interpretation and on ethics. Among his books are Becoming the Gospel: Paul, Participation, and Mission (2015); The Death of the Messiah and the Birth of the New Covenant: A (Not So) New Model of the Atonement (2014); Reading Revelation Responsibly: Uncivil Worship and Witness—Following the Lamb into the New Creation (2011); Inhabiting the Cruciform God: Kenosis, Justification, and Theosis in Paul’s Narrative Soteriology (2009); Reading Paul (2008); Scripture: An Ecumenical Introduction to the Bible and its Interpretation (editor; 2005; 2nd ed., 2016); Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters (2004; 2nd ed., 2016); Cruciformity: Paul’s Narrative Spirituality of the Cross (2001); Elements of Biblical Exegesis: A Basic Guide for Students and Ministers (2001; rev. ed 2009); and Abortion and the Early Church (1982). His book Abide and Go: John, Participation, and Mission will appear in 2017, and he is working on a commentary on 2 Corinthians.
Dr. Gorman's specialties are the letters, theology, and spirituality of Paul; the gospel of John; the book of Revelation; the Bible and spirituality; theological and missional hermeneutics; and early Christian ethics. In addition, he has a strong interest in the relationship between church and culture. Dr. Gorman has also led many trips to the cities of Paul and John in Greece, Turkey, and Italy.
A native of Anne Arundel County in Maryland, Dr. Gorman lives in Odenton, Maryland with his wife Nancy, a French teacher, and their beagle, Snoopy. The Gormans have three adult children, one of whom is a theologian and a part-time colleague at St. Mary’s, and five grandchildren. Dr. Gorman is an active lay member in the United Methodist church, and a frequent teacher and speaker in churches and institutions of higher education of many traditions. His passion is for high-level scholarship in the service of the church’s work of discipleship and mission.
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Fuller Theological Seminary instituted the Payton Lectures in 1948, providing for a series of div... more Fuller Theological Seminary instituted the Payton Lectures in 1948, providing for a series of divinity lectures by a notable scholar outside the regular faculty. The lectureship is named for Dr. John E. and Mrs. Eliza Payton, parents of the late Mrs. Grace Fuller, wife of seminary founder Charles E. Fuller. El Seminario Teológico de Fuller instituyó las Conferencias Payton en 1948, proveyendo una serie de conferencias en divinidades por una persona erudita de renombre fuera de la facultad regular. Las conferencias llevan el nombre del Dr. John E. y la Sra. Eliza Payton, padres de la fallecida Sra. Grace Fuller, esposa del fundador del seminario Charles E. Fuller.
Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, 2017
Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, 2011
Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, 2014
Wright's magnum opus has many admirable strengths in method and content, including its attemp... more Wright's magnum opus has many admirable strengths in method and content, including its attempt to overcome "either-ors" in describing Paul's theology, its analysis of how Paul reworked Jewish theology around the Messiah and the Spirit, its focus on both justice and the church, its consistent interpretation of Christos as "Messiah," its (cautious) embrace of "theosis," its nuanced defense of counter-imperial themes, and its response to certain persistent criticisms of Wright. However, questions arise about certain aspects of the book, including the meaning of the undefined phrase "Paul's mature thought," the descriptions of other approaches to Paul, the assessment of the role of the cross, the analysis of the ethical implications of Paul's conversion, and the claims about participation in Messiah's rule. The most significant concerns for this appreciative reviewer involve the book's treatment of justification. Although W...
Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, 2014
Wright's magnum opus has many admirable strengths in method and content, including its attemp... more Wright's magnum opus has many admirable strengths in method and content, including its attempt to overcome "either-ors" in describing Paul's theology, its analysis of how Paul reworked Jewish theology around the Messiah and the Spirit, its focus on both justice and the church, its consistent interpretation of Christos as "Messiah," its (cautious) embrace of "theosis," its nuanced defense of counter-imperial themes, and its response to certain persistent criticisms of Wright. However, questions arise about certain aspects of the book, including the meaning of the undefined phrase "Paul's mature thought," the descriptions of other approaches to Paul, the assessment of the role of the cross, the analysis of the ethical implications of Paul's conversion, and the claims about participation in Messiah's rule. The most significant concerns for this appreciative reviewer involve the book's treatment of justification. Although W...
Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, 2013
Despite ongoing contemporary efforts by such New Testament scholars as Willard Swartley in the U.... more Despite ongoing contemporary efforts by such New Testament scholars as Willard Swartley in the U.S., Pieter de Villiers in South Africa, and William Campbell in the U.K., the claim that peace is central to Pauline theology (including Christology) and ethics has not been universally acknowledged, as evidenced in even some of the most recent and most comprehensive treatments of Paul. N.T. Wright's new book, Paul and the Faithfulness of God, however, begins to correct this deficiency. This article will review a portion of the evidence in Paul for Jesus as both (1) the crucified and resurrected Messiah who inaugurated God's promised eschatological peace and (2) the present Lord who continues to form each ἐκκλησία into a peaceful, peacemaking community. In each role, Jesus is both the source and the shape of God's shalom. While this evidence demonstrates the centrality of peace and peacemaking to Pauline Christology, it also shows that Paul does not think of Christ as peacema...
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Journal of Theological Interpretation, 2007
This article explores aspects of the Christology, ethics, and especially theology (proper) of Phi... more This article explores aspects of the Christology, ethics, and especially theology (proper) of Phil 2:6–11 by focusing on the interpretation of 2:6. It contends that both the concessive ("although") and the causative ("because") interpretations of the participle hyparchōn ("being") are correct and theologically significant, the former being the surface structure of the text, the latter its deep structure. The surface structure ("although...") is significant because it is part of a linguistic pattern that Paul exploits Christologically and ethically throughout his letters ("although [x] not [y] but [z]"). At the same time, because Paul says that Christ was in the form of God and that "this [anaphoric definite article to] equality with God" was properly expressed through the kenosis of incarnation and crucifixion, we can say that the deep structure of the text is causative: "because...." Thus Paul compels us to rethi...
Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, 2016
There are aLready severaL comprehensive contemporary theologies of Paul for readers of English, e... more There are aLready severaL comprehensive contemporary theologies of Paul for readers of English, each with its own perspective and contributions: E. P. Sanders’s recent Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015); N. T. Wright’s massive Paul and the Faithfulness of God (2 vols.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013); Frank Matera’s God’s Saving Grace: A Pauline Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012); James D. G. Dunn’s now classic The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998); and my own Apostle of the Crucified Lord (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004; 2nd ed. forthcoming). Fortunately, some recent Pauline theologies by German scholars have been translated into English, such as Udo Schnelle’s Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005) and now the contribution of Michael Wolter, Professor of New Testament on the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Bonn.
Paul and the Apocalyptic Imagination, 2016
Unlike the many books that treat the apostle Paul merely as a historical figure and his letters a... more Unlike the many books that treat the apostle Paul merely as a historical figure and his letters as literary relics, this new study by Michael Gorman focuses on the theological message of Paul's writings, particularly what they have to say to the contemporary church. An innovative and comprehensive treatment of Paul, including commentary on all of the Pauline letters, Gorman's Apostle of the Crucified Lord unpacks the many dimensions of Paul's thought carefully and holistically. Six introductory chapters provide background discussion on Paul's world, his rEsumE, his letters, his gospel, his spirituality, and his theology, while the main body of the book covers in turn and in full detail each of the Pauline epistles. Gorman gives the context of each letter, offers a careful reading of the text, and colors his words with insightful quotations from earlier interpreters of Paul. Enhancing the text itself are questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapt...
The New Cambridge Companion to St Paul, 2020
Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, 2020
Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, 2018
For paul and those who read Paul as Scripture, what precisely is salvation? For many, the stock a... more For paul and those who read Paul as Scripture, what precisely is salvation? For many, the stock answer to this question will be some version of justification by faith. But is that a sufficient interpretation? This highly important book by Houston Baptist University professor Ben Blackwell— who teaches both New Testament and patristics— exemplifies three significant trends in theology: the explosion of interest in the soteriological theme of participation (including “union with Christ” in Luther, Calvin, and their theological descendants); the importance of reception history for contemporary biblical interpretation; and the growing interest in doing theology and biblical studies in an interdisciplinary manner. It also represents a trend in theological publishing: to make the most significant doctoral dissertations available to pastors and other non-specialists.
Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2018
In this tightly argued monograph, a revision of the author’s PhD thesis from McMaster University ... more In this tightly argued monograph, a revision of the author’s PhD thesis from McMaster University (2013), the model of creation-fall-restoration is shown to be an inadequate framework for understanding both sets of writings. In the Hodayot, it is inadequate because Adam’s creation from dust is itself a cause of subsequent moral failure, a theme that is largely derived from the book of Job. Paul is dealt with in two chapters. The first looks at Paul’s use of the creation stories in texts like Gal. 3.28, 1 Cor. 11.7-12, 15.20-28, 45-50, 2 Cor. 3.18, 4.4, 6 and Phil. 2.6-11, 3.20-21. The second focuses on Romans under three themes: ‘Adam and Christ’ (Rom. 5.12-21), ‘The Adamic “I” and its encounter with Divine Law’ (Rom. 7.7-12) and ‘Creation and the Children of God’ (Rom. 8.18-23). His conclusion is that ‘while Gen. 1.26-27 is drawn into the orbit of motifs of the heavenly calling and transformation of humanity, Gen. 2.6-7 becomes associated with motifs of innate corruption and problematics of human sexuality’ (p. 233). The book covers an enormous amount of ground and so, inevitably, there will be debate about particular interpretations (the ‘I’ of Rom. 7, for example). However, as a comprehensive challenge to imposing a creation-fall-restoration hermeneutic on these ancient texts it must be considered a success. The more nuanced solutions offered here will be tested in future exegesis, but the impetus to do greater justice to what is actually said is to be welcomed.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2016
The recently renewed conversations among biblical scholars, missiologists, and missional practiti... more The recently renewed conversations among biblical scholars, missiologists, and missional practitioners in various forums are to be warmly welcomed. Dean Flemming, professor of New Testament and missions at MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas, embodies this renewal in several ways, not least in his own “trinitarian” existence as New Testament specialist, missions professor, and long-term missionary educator in both Asia and Europe. Flemming’s previous publications (two monographs, a commentary, and articles) have all contributed creatively and significantly to the renewal of biblically shaped thinking about mission, and this slim but rich volume continues that tradition. The book’s title might at first confuse potential readers, but the format of the series, Reframing New Testament Theology, requires it (other volumes include Why Salvation? and Why the Cross?). Flemming’s volume is “about reading the New Testament in light of the mission of God” (xv). It is not a quest for a handful of missionary or missional texts but is rather “an intentional, self-involved, missional reading of scripture as a whole” (xvi), an example of what has come to be known as missional hermeneutics. There are various applications of this theological approach to Scripture (George Hunsberger has called them streams); Flemming focuses concretely on the text itself, rather than on, say, its significance in specific contexts. The result is a gem of theological, missional interpretation of the New Testament. After a brief introduction to definitions and method, the book’s six chapters treat parts of the New Testament following the vision laid out in the opening pages. The chapters are “Reading from the Back” (Matthew), “A Mission of Divine Embrace” (Luke-Acts), “Sent into the World” (John), “Living Out the Story” (Philippians), “Mission for Misfits” (1 Peter), and “The Triumph of the Missio Dei” (Revelation). Each chapter treats the New Testament book at hand as both a witness to and an instrument of the missio Dei, with consequent missional implications for the church. Flemming is an excellent writer, as well as a highly perceptive interpreter; this is cutting-edge missional hermeneutics. His insights will stimulate students of Scripture, ecclesiology, and missiology and will also enrich the work of seasoned practitioners 672981 IBM0010.1177/2396939316672981International Bulletin of Mission ResearchBook reviews research-article2017
Journal of Reformed Theology, 2015
Interpretation, Apr 1, 1996
Fuller Theological Seminary instituted the Payton Lectures in 1948, providing for a series of div... more Fuller Theological Seminary instituted the Payton Lectures in 1948, providing for a series of divinity lectures by a notable scholar outside the regular faculty. The lectureship is named for Dr. John E. and Mrs. Eliza Payton, parents of the late Mrs. Grace Fuller, wife of seminary founder Charles E. Fuller. El Seminario Teológico de Fuller instituyó las Conferencias Payton en 1948, proveyendo una serie de conferencias en divinidades por una persona erudita de renombre fuera de la facultad regular. Las conferencias llevan el nombre del Dr. John E. y la Sra. Eliza Payton, padres de la fallecida Sra. Grace Fuller, esposa del fundador del seminario Charles E. Fuller.
Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, 2017
Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, 2011
Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, 2014
Wright's magnum opus has many admirable strengths in method and content, including its attemp... more Wright's magnum opus has many admirable strengths in method and content, including its attempt to overcome "either-ors" in describing Paul's theology, its analysis of how Paul reworked Jewish theology around the Messiah and the Spirit, its focus on both justice and the church, its consistent interpretation of Christos as "Messiah," its (cautious) embrace of "theosis," its nuanced defense of counter-imperial themes, and its response to certain persistent criticisms of Wright. However, questions arise about certain aspects of the book, including the meaning of the undefined phrase "Paul's mature thought," the descriptions of other approaches to Paul, the assessment of the role of the cross, the analysis of the ethical implications of Paul's conversion, and the claims about participation in Messiah's rule. The most significant concerns for this appreciative reviewer involve the book's treatment of justification. Although W...
Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, 2014
Wright's magnum opus has many admirable strengths in method and content, including its attemp... more Wright's magnum opus has many admirable strengths in method and content, including its attempt to overcome "either-ors" in describing Paul's theology, its analysis of how Paul reworked Jewish theology around the Messiah and the Spirit, its focus on both justice and the church, its consistent interpretation of Christos as "Messiah," its (cautious) embrace of "theosis," its nuanced defense of counter-imperial themes, and its response to certain persistent criticisms of Wright. However, questions arise about certain aspects of the book, including the meaning of the undefined phrase "Paul's mature thought," the descriptions of other approaches to Paul, the assessment of the role of the cross, the analysis of the ethical implications of Paul's conversion, and the claims about participation in Messiah's rule. The most significant concerns for this appreciative reviewer involve the book's treatment of justification. Although W...
Journal for the Study of Paul and His Letters, 2013
Despite ongoing contemporary efforts by such New Testament scholars as Willard Swartley in the U.... more Despite ongoing contemporary efforts by such New Testament scholars as Willard Swartley in the U.S., Pieter de Villiers in South Africa, and William Campbell in the U.K., the claim that peace is central to Pauline theology (including Christology) and ethics has not been universally acknowledged, as evidenced in even some of the most recent and most comprehensive treatments of Paul. N.T. Wright's new book, Paul and the Faithfulness of God, however, begins to correct this deficiency. This article will review a portion of the evidence in Paul for Jesus as both (1) the crucified and resurrected Messiah who inaugurated God's promised eschatological peace and (2) the present Lord who continues to form each ἐκκλησία into a peaceful, peacemaking community. In each role, Jesus is both the source and the shape of God's shalom. While this evidence demonstrates the centrality of peace and peacemaking to Pauline Christology, it also shows that Paul does not think of Christ as peacema...
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
Journal of Theological Interpretation, 2007
This article explores aspects of the Christology, ethics, and especially theology (proper) of Phi... more This article explores aspects of the Christology, ethics, and especially theology (proper) of Phil 2:6–11 by focusing on the interpretation of 2:6. It contends that both the concessive ("although") and the causative ("because") interpretations of the participle hyparchōn ("being") are correct and theologically significant, the former being the surface structure of the text, the latter its deep structure. The surface structure ("although...") is significant because it is part of a linguistic pattern that Paul exploits Christologically and ethically throughout his letters ("although [x] not [y] but [z]"). At the same time, because Paul says that Christ was in the form of God and that "this [anaphoric definite article to] equality with God" was properly expressed through the kenosis of incarnation and crucifixion, we can say that the deep structure of the text is causative: "because...." Thus Paul compels us to rethi...
Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, 2016
There are aLready severaL comprehensive contemporary theologies of Paul for readers of English, e... more There are aLready severaL comprehensive contemporary theologies of Paul for readers of English, each with its own perspective and contributions: E. P. Sanders’s recent Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015); N. T. Wright’s massive Paul and the Faithfulness of God (2 vols.; Minneapolis: Fortress, 2013); Frank Matera’s God’s Saving Grace: A Pauline Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2012); James D. G. Dunn’s now classic The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998); and my own Apostle of the Crucified Lord (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004; 2nd ed. forthcoming). Fortunately, some recent Pauline theologies by German scholars have been translated into English, such as Udo Schnelle’s Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005) and now the contribution of Michael Wolter, Professor of New Testament on the Faculty of Protestant Theology at the University of Bonn.
Paul and the Apocalyptic Imagination, 2016
Unlike the many books that treat the apostle Paul merely as a historical figure and his letters a... more Unlike the many books that treat the apostle Paul merely as a historical figure and his letters as literary relics, this new study by Michael Gorman focuses on the theological message of Paul's writings, particularly what they have to say to the contemporary church. An innovative and comprehensive treatment of Paul, including commentary on all of the Pauline letters, Gorman's Apostle of the Crucified Lord unpacks the many dimensions of Paul's thought carefully and holistically. Six introductory chapters provide background discussion on Paul's world, his rEsumE, his letters, his gospel, his spirituality, and his theology, while the main body of the book covers in turn and in full detail each of the Pauline epistles. Gorman gives the context of each letter, offers a careful reading of the text, and colors his words with insightful quotations from earlier interpreters of Paul. Enhancing the text itself are questions for reflection and discussion at the end of each chapt...
The New Cambridge Companion to St Paul, 2020
Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, 2020
Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, 2018
For paul and those who read Paul as Scripture, what precisely is salvation? For many, the stock a... more For paul and those who read Paul as Scripture, what precisely is salvation? For many, the stock answer to this question will be some version of justification by faith. But is that a sufficient interpretation? This highly important book by Houston Baptist University professor Ben Blackwell— who teaches both New Testament and patristics— exemplifies three significant trends in theology: the explosion of interest in the soteriological theme of participation (including “union with Christ” in Luther, Calvin, and their theological descendants); the importance of reception history for contemporary biblical interpretation; and the growing interest in doing theology and biblical studies in an interdisciplinary manner. It also represents a trend in theological publishing: to make the most significant doctoral dissertations available to pastors and other non-specialists.
Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2018
In this tightly argued monograph, a revision of the author’s PhD thesis from McMaster University ... more In this tightly argued monograph, a revision of the author’s PhD thesis from McMaster University (2013), the model of creation-fall-restoration is shown to be an inadequate framework for understanding both sets of writings. In the Hodayot, it is inadequate because Adam’s creation from dust is itself a cause of subsequent moral failure, a theme that is largely derived from the book of Job. Paul is dealt with in two chapters. The first looks at Paul’s use of the creation stories in texts like Gal. 3.28, 1 Cor. 11.7-12, 15.20-28, 45-50, 2 Cor. 3.18, 4.4, 6 and Phil. 2.6-11, 3.20-21. The second focuses on Romans under three themes: ‘Adam and Christ’ (Rom. 5.12-21), ‘The Adamic “I” and its encounter with Divine Law’ (Rom. 7.7-12) and ‘Creation and the Children of God’ (Rom. 8.18-23). His conclusion is that ‘while Gen. 1.26-27 is drawn into the orbit of motifs of the heavenly calling and transformation of humanity, Gen. 2.6-7 becomes associated with motifs of innate corruption and problematics of human sexuality’ (p. 233). The book covers an enormous amount of ground and so, inevitably, there will be debate about particular interpretations (the ‘I’ of Rom. 7, for example). However, as a comprehensive challenge to imposing a creation-fall-restoration hermeneutic on these ancient texts it must be considered a success. The more nuanced solutions offered here will be tested in future exegesis, but the impetus to do greater justice to what is actually said is to be welcomed.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2016
The recently renewed conversations among biblical scholars, missiologists, and missional practiti... more The recently renewed conversations among biblical scholars, missiologists, and missional practitioners in various forums are to be warmly welcomed. Dean Flemming, professor of New Testament and missions at MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas, embodies this renewal in several ways, not least in his own “trinitarian” existence as New Testament specialist, missions professor, and long-term missionary educator in both Asia and Europe. Flemming’s previous publications (two monographs, a commentary, and articles) have all contributed creatively and significantly to the renewal of biblically shaped thinking about mission, and this slim but rich volume continues that tradition. The book’s title might at first confuse potential readers, but the format of the series, Reframing New Testament Theology, requires it (other volumes include Why Salvation? and Why the Cross?). Flemming’s volume is “about reading the New Testament in light of the mission of God” (xv). It is not a quest for a handful of missionary or missional texts but is rather “an intentional, self-involved, missional reading of scripture as a whole” (xvi), an example of what has come to be known as missional hermeneutics. There are various applications of this theological approach to Scripture (George Hunsberger has called them streams); Flemming focuses concretely on the text itself, rather than on, say, its significance in specific contexts. The result is a gem of theological, missional interpretation of the New Testament. After a brief introduction to definitions and method, the book’s six chapters treat parts of the New Testament following the vision laid out in the opening pages. The chapters are “Reading from the Back” (Matthew), “A Mission of Divine Embrace” (Luke-Acts), “Sent into the World” (John), “Living Out the Story” (Philippians), “Mission for Misfits” (1 Peter), and “The Triumph of the Missio Dei” (Revelation). Each chapter treats the New Testament book at hand as both a witness to and an instrument of the missio Dei, with consequent missional implications for the church. Flemming is an excellent writer, as well as a highly perceptive interpreter; this is cutting-edge missional hermeneutics. His insights will stimulate students of Scripture, ecclesiology, and missiology and will also enrich the work of seasoned practitioners 672981 IBM0010.1177/2396939316672981International Bulletin of Mission ResearchBook reviews research-article2017
Journal of Reformed Theology, 2015
Interpretation, Apr 1, 1996