All who are interested in the meaning of pistis and of participation in Christ need to engage this stimulating work.
~Michael J. Gorman, Raymond E. Brown Professor of Biblical Studies and Theology, St. Mary’s Seminary & University
The Faithfulness of the Risen Christ offers a new way to look beyond current entrenched views, provides detailed exegesis of relevant Pauline texts, and offers a holistic reading of Pauline Christology and soteriology through the lens of the pistis Christou expression.
~Paul Foster, Professor in New Testament Language, Literature & Theology, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh
David J. Downs and Benjamin J. Lappenga’s arguments add a significant new dimension to an old problem.
~Morna D. Hooker, Lady Margaret’s Professor Emerita, University of Cambridge and Life Fellow, Robinson College
The Faithfulness of the Risen Christ is a breath of fresh air and should be read by all serious scholars of Paul.
~Susan Eastman, Associate Research Professor of New Testament, Duke Divinity School
David J. Downs and Benjamin J. Lappenga have done the unthinkable--they found a way to reinvigorate the pistis Christou debate.
~Nijay Gupta, Associate Professor of New Testament, Portland Seminary, George Fox University
The argument of this book provides a convincing response to a challenge posed by James D. G. Dunn: Why, outside of the disputed pistis Christou phrases, does one not find emphasis on the faithfulness of Christ in Paul's letters (pp. 6, 10)? Downs and Lappenga persuasively demonstrate that the pistis of the risen Christ consists in his enabling, through the Spirit, those who share in his pistis to become people 'of faith and faithfulness, trust and trustworthiness' (p. 161). By showing that, for Paul, the faithfulness of the risen Christ empowers faithful living, Downs and Lappenga open the door to further research exploring the implications of Paul's narrative soteriology for his ethics.
~Julien Smith, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly
This excellent book could not have arrived at a better time. Its publication in July 2020 coincided with waves of Confederate monument 'disruption' across the nation in the wake of George Floyd's death... Newson's book is its own form of disruption--of both Confederate monuments and the scholarly literature about them. Newson highlights the monuments' oft-obscured theological dimensions, revealing the necessity of their theological disruption.
~Karen V. Guth, Perspectives in Religious Studies
The Faithfulness of the Risen Christ is a focused, researched, and compelling study that offers a fresh approach to a topic of ongoing New Testament debate, addressing it with enough clarity and substance to be a significant player in the ensuing discussion.
~Troy M. Troftgruben, Review of Biblical Literature
Pauline scholars and students of the Bible will profit from this book’s engagement with the biblical texts as well as its innovative and helpful methodological frameworks.
~Oscar E. Jiménez Quintana, Religious Studies Review
