Im still working through this book and have really enjoyed the way it gives me tired head. Last night I was watching the snow and trying to grasp one of the ideas that the author is trying to make (I understand this may make no sense if you haven't read the book…sorry):
The language of Jesus was not privileged…Paul evidently was under no compulsion to use Jesus' "kingdom" language. The apostle John wasn't either; he turned the rhetoric of Jesus about "kingdom into rhetoric of "eternal life." The writer of Hebrews explored Jesus' redemptive work through the imagery of the temple and the priesthood, and he felt no compulsion to use Jesus' or Paul's language for the work of God. No one seemed tied to the language of Jesus. (p.89)
The book is about atonement and this comes from a discussion of whether or not Jesus understood his death to be atoning and also how Paul viewed the death of Jesus. I have been reading over and over again this passage today and all I can think is what would Jesus have to say about what Paul writes? Not that I think it is wrong or bad, but the language is different. The gospel to Paul was that Christ died for our sins and without the resurrection we are futile. Jesus has some different things to say about the kingdom and the "good news." I think it would include death and resurrection, but also life.
