Tom Wright, Paul and Empire

I've begun listening the very helpful "debate" (not so much direct interaction so far, but responding to each other with full length lectures) between John Barclay and Tom Wright on the theme "Paul and Empire".

I've not listened part two yet, but in part one some of Wright's mistakes are shown up very effectively. In fact it's one of the most comprehensive dismantlings I've ever heard in a debate since I listened to Professor Malcolm Stein utterly flummoxed in his debate on theism with Greg Bahnsen (here). Basically, Barclay explains clearly and cogently in his lecture as to why certain lines of argument are insufficient An embarassed and unprepared Tom Wright then steps up, realises what's just happened and makes a few comments about Barclay having given a "neat sidestep" and mutters a bit about "rhetoric", and then proceeds to make precisely the arguments that have just been exposed as insufficient.

I'm looking forward to see what happens in part two. You can get the links to the MP3s for download from here:

http://theologica.blogspot.com/2007/11/barclay-vs-wright-on-paul-and-empire.html