The Cosmic Drama of Salvation: A Study of Paul’s Undisputed Writings from Anthropological and Cosmological Perspectives

Sang M. Lee studies the cosmic drama of salvation which Paul describes in his undisputed writings. Utilizing the two pillars of Paul’s theology - anthropology and cosmology - his aim is to understand how God’s salvific drama develops in Paul’s narrative world against the backdrop of the intellectual world of Judeo-Hellenistic traditions, including Greek philosophical works, Jewish wisdom and apocalyptic literature, and Philo’s writings. Paul’s salvific drama is woven from four interrelated acts: Act I (the law-less period), Act II (the law period), Act III (the age of the church) and Act IV (the Parousia). Special attention is paid to the key elements of the drama: God’s master plan as its plot, time and space as its stage, and its various characters who can be divided into three main categories (evil, double-faced and good). In particular, the author focuses on the main characters - conscience, the Mosaic law, and Christ and the Spirit - who play important roles for God’s long-range soteriological and pedagogical plan for humanity.