Reviews of Wright's scholarly work

Wright's work has been praised by many scholars of varying views, including James Dunn, Gordon Fee, Richard B. Hays and Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury. For instance, James Crossley described Wright's The Resurrection of the Son of God as having "much to commend" and that "Many will be persuaded that his representations of post-mortem beliefs in the Graeco-Roman world, Hebrew Bible, early Judaism and early Christianity are generally accurate." Rafael Rodriguez described Wright alongside James DG Dunn as "two behemoths of NT and historical Jesus scholarship." Wright has received praise from Catholics, such as bishop Robert Barron, who has cited Wright's historical scholarship on multiple occasions.

Critics of his work are also found across a broad range of theological camps. Some Reformed theologians such as John Piper have questioned Wright's theology, particularly over whether or not he denies the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone. Although Piper considers Wright's presentation confusing, he does not dismiss Wright's view as false. In response, Wright has stated he wishes Piper would "exegete Paul differently" and that his book "isn’t always a critique of what I’m actually saying." Wright also expressed how he has warmed to Piper and considers him a "good, beloved brother in Christ, doing a good job, building people up in the faith, teaching them how to live." In 2009, Wright has since addressed the issue in his book Justification: God’s Plan and Paul's Vision. He has sought to clarify his position further in an interview with InterVarsity Press.

Many conservative evangelicals have also questioned whether Wright denies penal substitution, but Wright has stated that he denies only its caricature but affirms this doctrine, especially within the overall framework of the Christus Victor model of atonement.

Despite criticism of some of his work by Reformed theologians, other Reformed leaders have embraced his contribution in other areas, such as Tim Keller who praised Wright's work on the resurrection.

Writing an extensive review of The Resurrection of the Son of God on The Heythrop Journal, Catholic fundamental theologian Joseph J. Smith has criticised Wright's views about the resurrection of Jesus, stating that neither the Gospel narratives of the Resurrection appearances nor Pauline texts cited by Wright support his view that the resurrected body was "robustly physical".

Public lectures

In 2019, Wright delivered the 32nd Erasmus Lecture, titled Loving to Know, organized by First Things magazine and the Institute on Religion and Public Life. In his lecture, Wright explored the relationship between love, knowledge, and truth within the Christian intellectual tradition. Drawing from Scripture, theology, and philosophy, he argued that genuine understanding arises not from detached rationality but from an engaged love for God and creation — a theme central to his broader work on faith and reason.

Honours

Wright has been awarded several honorary doctoral degrees, including from Durham University in July 2007, the John Leland Center for Theological Studies in April 2008, the University of St Andrews in 2009, Heythrop College (University of London) in 2010 and the Ecumenical Institute of Theology at St. Mary's Seminary & University in May 2012.

In 2014, he was awarded the Burkitt Medal by the British Academy "in recognition of special service to Biblical Studies". It was announced in March 2015 that he was to be made a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE).

Selected works

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  • ("Paul: Fresh Perspectives" co-edition SPCK, 2005).
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  • co-edition New York: HarperCollins, 2006.
  • ; Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2006.
  • ; Intervarsity Press, 2006.
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  • . Louisville: WestminsterJohnKnox, 2009.
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  • . Also After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters, HarperOne North America, 2010.
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  • .<br />Published in Britain the following year as: .
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Christian Origins and the Question of God series

Four volumes published, two more planned:

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For Everyone series

The For Everyone series, a commentary by Wright on the New Testament, was completed in 2011:

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  • Acts for Everyone, Part 2: Chapters 13–28. SPCK, 2008.
  • Paul for Everyone: Romans, Part 1: Chapters 1–8. 2nd ed. SPCK, 2004.
  • Paul for Everyone: Romans, Part 2: Chapters 9–16. 2nd ed. SPCK, 2004.
  • Paul for Everyone: 1 Corinthians. 2nd ed. SPCK, 2004.
  • Paul for Everyone: 2 Corinthians. 2nd ed. SPCK, 2004.
  • Paul for Everyone: Galatians and Thessalonians. 2nd ed. SPCK, 2004.
  • Paul for Everyone: the Prison Letters: Ephesians, Philipians, Colossians and Philemon. 2nd ed. SPCK and Westminster John Knox Press, 2004.
  • Paul for Everyone: the Pastoral Letters: Titus and 1 and 2 Timothy. 2nd ed. SPCK, 2004.
  • Hebrews for Everyone. 2nd ed. SPCK, 2004.
  • Early Christian Letters for Everyone: James, Peter, John and Judah. SPCK, 2011.
  • Revelation for Everyone. SPCK, 2011.
  • James for Everyone. SPCK, 2012.

See also

  • Theological critical realism

References

  • N. T. Wright page , a collection of writings.
  • N.T. Wright In-depth Interview on "Beyond Evangelical".