Bibliographic information:
Fahim, Sherif A. “‘New Creation’ in Paul.” Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, 40.1 (Spring 2022): 41-60.
Description:
The phrase καινὴ κτίσις is used only twice in Paul’s letters, in Galatians 6:15 and in 2 Corinthians 5:17. This concept can be interpreted in a soterio-anthropological, an ecclesiological, or a cosmological sense. The main stream interpretation throughout church history has been inclined to the anthropological sense, however, this consensus dramatically shifted in the twentieth century, especially towards the cosmological aspect. This article argues that this phrase is best understood as primarily soterio-anthropological without denying that other aspects of renewal are included in the broad meaning of “new creation.” This view is defended through OT background, Jewish literature, the epistolary context of “new creation” in Paul’s letters and Paul’s autobiography in both epistles. The centrality of the Christ event and the crucial role of the Spirit in transformation are central in understanding the meaning of “new creation.”
Publisher:
Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology