This volume takes part of its inspiration from what has come to be known as the new perspective on Paul (an attempt to look again at the Jewish background out of which Paul came and his letters emerge, and so to acquire a less prejudiced view of the former and a more balanced view of the latter), but seeks to approach the issue, according to the preface at least, through an examination of the subject from so-called ancient perspectives. In broad terms this involves examining the reception of Paul in a number of ancient sources under headings connected with subjects whose discussion has been much influenced by the new perspective.

The first section is entitled ‘Paul's conversion’. Samuel Vollenweider looks at the way in which Paul's conversion as it is discussed in Philippians iii is interpreted by Augustine and Chrysostom, and Martin Meiser looks at the reception of Paul's call story as that is found in Acts ix, xxii and xxvi, pointing up the diversity of understandings. Hans-Ulrich Weidemann, in a thoughtful piece, attempts to show how, the representation of Paul in 1 Timothy i.12–17 owes much to Romans v.6–11, and how, in the former's reworking of the latter, Paul becomes an exemplification of the salvation which comes to the sinner. The section is then rounded off with a helpful summary of recent discussion of Paul's conversion by Matthias Konradt in which he argues for the view that the impasse between understanding it as a real conversion or a call is resolved by describing it as a ‘Lebenswende’, or turning point in his life.

The second section is entitled ‘Grace and works’. Dale Allison, in one of the most absorbing essays of the collection, argues that James ii.14–26 is in fact anti-Pauline (that is, James genuinely understands Paul to be antinomian, as others did and as Paul himself appears to realise, not least in Romans), and goes on to assert that the epistle is written both to Jewish-Christians and non-Christian Jews as a way of distancing the nascent Christian movement from such opinions. Allison's claim that part of the assumed audience are non-Christian Jews is implied, he argues, by the lack of a strongly Christological aspect to the letter, not least in ii.14–26. Tobias Nicklas writes about the Paulinism of the Apocalypse of Paul. While this text displays signs of a genuine Pauline influence, not least in its insistence on the sinfulness of mankind, its moralism and emphasis on a moral elite, amongst other things, as well as its concern with Paul as a hero of the past and bulwark of orthodoxy betray the concerns about its date, put by Nicklas at the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth centuries. Jürgen Wehnert reexamines the anti-Paulinism of the Pseudo-Clementine literature, noting the diverse ways in which it was expressed and its growing severity. Wehnert understands it as originating in earlier debates with Paul over the ongoing legitimacy of the Torah but sees its manifestation in the Pseudo-Clementines as only distantly related to that matter, for in broad terms this set of texts is taken up more with ritual purity, as seen through its interest in the Apostolic Decree. Judith Kovacs looks at the way in which Clement of Alexandria gives evidence of Valentinian interpretations of Paul's idea of works and grace, showing how Clement sought to oppose their elite interpretation of the categories (grace for the chosen [the spiritual], works for the members of the ecclesia [the soulish]), while at the same time being influenced by Valentinian thought on this matter. For Kovacs, it is clear that Clement has more to tell us about Valentinianism than has sometimes been thought to be the case. Giancarlo Pani provides the reader with an interesting essay on the roots of Luther's interest in Paul, tracing it, through his work on the Psalms, to Augustine. Two essays then follow which take another look at the ‘works of the law’ in Paul. Andreas Lindemann rehearses some of the objections to undermining the Lutheran view of this concept (or at least shows weaknesses in the ‘new perspective’ position on this subject), and James Dunn, partially through an interpretation of Romans xi.6, defends his well-known position that the concept refers to the so-called identity markers of the Jewish Torah, which appeared to encourage a divided view of mankind to which Paul objected.

The final section of the volume is entitled ‘Paul and the fate of Israel’. Francesca Coccini examines Origen's view of the fate of Israel as that is spelt out in his commentary on Romans, highlighting in particular Origen's endorsement of a kind of eschatological salvation for all Israel. Pierluigi Lanfranchi and Joseph Verheyden show how Paul's reference to Jacob and Esau in Romans ix.10–13 was quickly interpreted in the Church in a way which emphasised the election of the Gentiles and the rejection of the Jews, which was contrary to Paul's original intention, though there are some exceptions to that rule, not least the writer of 1 Clement. In the longest essay of the collection, running to nearly 100 pages, Michael Theobald shows how the Pastoral epistles, in their use of Romans, fail consummately to engage with the issue of Israel, presenting Paul as a hero of Gentile Christianity and never referring to his Jewish origins (what he terms ‘Israel-Vergessenheit’) or with the related subject of Jerusalem (to be expected, Theobald claims, because of the itinerary assumed in the triple work). The former is intentional and can be explained by the very different context out of which the author of the Pastorals is writing, which may no longer have been marked by direct contact with Jews or by a Church with Jewish members. The failure to mention Jerusalem may, however, have reflected the text of Romans that the author of the Pastorals was using. A final essay by Bert Jan Lietaert Perbolte looks at the way in which three philosophers (Jacob Taubes, Alain Badiou and Giorgio Agamben) interpreted Paul, arguing that in spite of their scholarly failings (they betray little sense of Paul's historical context, for instance), they still have compelling things to say about Paul.

Most of the essays in this volume derive from a conference held in Regensburg in October of 2010, and the volume as a whole demonstrates many of the strengths and weaknesses of such a genre. Its strengths lie principally in the stimulating character of some of its contributions and in the varieties of subjects covered. The weaknesses, on the other hand, lie in the lack of real connectivity between the contributions and, related to this point, the inconsistency with which the apparent concerns of the volume are addressed. In relation to the latter, it seems difficult to see how all the essays are straightforwardly ancient perspectives (Luther, Alain Badiou), or indeed essays on reception (see the essays of Konradt, Lindemann and Dunn). In relation to the former, the essays are simply too disparate in subject matter to elucidate the subjects that the editors highlight, for example the roots and background of the current debate on Paul (in fact almost no essay directly addresses this question). Moreover, whatever connectivity might exist between the essays is not enhanced by a failure to cross-reference (most obviously between the essays of Weidemann and Theobald, but others, too), or to give a clearer, more discursive, rationale for the volume than the just over one page preface.

In summary I enjoyed parts of this volume but wonder, frankly, whether it is a coherent publication, and is not a sad reflection of a modern obsession with publishing conference proceedings come what may, a tendency to which publishers, who place such volumes in profit-making series, can sometimes appear both too willing a party, possibly badgered by over-eager editors, and somewhat too easy in the criteria that they apply in accepting such volumes.