Fr. Mark+ Thank you for the concise and insightful overview. In regards to the first chapter, I have to grouse a bit, but this is not a serious criticism as it relates to Wright's evaluation of a modern scholar, not of St. Paul or Jesus. N. T. Wright gives extravagant praise to Albert Schweitzer as "a lonely and learned giant amidst the hordes of noisy and shallow theological pygmies" during the first half of the 20th century. Wright has made me re-think where to categorize Schweitzer, in the scheme of things, and better understand the strengths he sees in Schweitzer. While there is no doubt that Schweitzer was a genius, I have always thought since he stopped Biblical research and writing while in his mid thirties, he was a little less than mature as a Biblical scholar. He certainly exposed the emptiness of modernism, but he seems to me to have given up on the Quest for the Historical Jesus a bit too soon. Also, his later writings of a philosophic nature have a "New Age" sound, and puts him more in the line of Schliermacher than not. The emphasis at the end of Schweitzer's quest seems to me more on the individual's emotional response to a perceived call of a shadowy Christ than to a more substantial recognition of the Reign of God. N.T. Wright's in depth research and proflific writing reveals the immense amount of work that remained to be done on "the Quest" at the beginning as well as at the end of the 20th century. Also, it seems to me that his slight reference to Karl Barth (last paragraph p.16), is to overlook a major force in the same sort of work as Wright does. Barth wrote extensive replies to the challenges of Bultmann. N. T. Wright refers to the work of Kaseman on page 17. Many of the themes from Paul which Kasemannn addresses are covered extensively by Barth a generation earlier. Kasemann could hardly have worked in a German university and not been well aware of Barth. Again, not a serious criticism. I'm ready for chapter 2. Charles+ ____________________________________________________________ Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! http://login.mail.lycos.com/r/referral?aid=27005