C. Marvin Pate wrote The End of the Age Has Come as an examination of Paul’s theology through the interpretive lens of inaugurated eschatology. Pate inspected the major systematic categories of Paul’s thought (Christology, soteriology, anthropology, pneumatology, ecclesiology, etc.), giving each branch of systematic theology a chapter’s worth of discussion. Pate drew heavily from Jewish apocalypticism as well, in order to demonstrate the two-age structure which deeply influenced Paul’s theological thought.
Pate explained that with the coming, dying, and rising of Israel’s Messiah, the long awaited “age to come” has burst on the scene, fulfilling the promises of salvation and deliverance. Yet, at the same time, “this age” (the age of sin, death, and oppression) remains basically intact. Salvation has been unveiled “already,” but salvation has “not yet” been fully consummated by God. This “overlapping of the ages” results in a dialectic tension wherein the blessings of God’s future world are manifest right now, even within our currently sin-cursed environment.
In each chapter, Pate worked through the exegesis of pertinent Pauline texts, demonstrating the reality of the “already/not yet” tension at work within Paul’s theological psyche. Pate also engaged with theologians of the past who have contributed fresh insights concerning Paul’s eschatological schema (e.g., Kasemann, Dodd, Cullmann, Beker, etc.). Theological conclusions were then drawn by Pate from the exegesis and historical interaction, always pointing toward his thesis that the age to come has in fact been inaugurated, but has yet to be consummated in its fullness.
I only had several disagreements with Pate concerning the style and content of the book. Because the chapter discussions were so exegetically based, many scripture references were given. Lots of scripture--so far, so good. Yet rarely were any of the main texts which Pate discussed written out fully for the reader to examine. From my perspective, it seems unlikely that someone will take the time to look every biblical reference they encounter. I am fairly well acquainted with my Bible, so most of the references at least rang a bell, but I am nowhere close to committing Paul’s letters to memory. Even with the added page space which would be required, I think it would greatly enhance a book of this kind to quote verbatim at least the main texts under discussion.
Secondly, Pate is a progressive dispensationalist. I would have never realized this fact, however, from the first five chapters of the book, making this disagreement an extremely minor one. Pate (I believe rightly) views the church as the eschatological temple, the kingdom as an already/not yet reality, and believes that “For Paul, [Israel’s] hope of deliverance is spiritualized and now realized in Christ” (84). Amen to that. His dispensational colors bleed through, however, in his discussion of Romans 9-11. Although his exegesis remains tight in this section, I still must humbly disagree with his overall conclusions of a future ingathering of ethnic Israelites.
In the final analysis, though, the pros of this book far out weight the cons. The format of the book lends itself to being a useful reference tool. A teacher who is studying a certain Pauline text could easily access Pate’s systematic categories, read the exegetical discussion on his particular text, and glean theological insights concerning inaugurated eschatology. Pate’s work is basically a mini-systematic theology book approached from an apocalyptic paradigm. And if you’re not sure what apocalyptic theology is, Pate will walk you through that as well.
Our churches need to know the wonderful truth that through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and the subsequent pouring out of the Spirit, God has brought his new world to birth. This is not over-realized eschatology (health-and-wealth prosperity gospel), but nor is it under-realized eschatology (pessimistic, legalistic defeatism). Pate has given the church a balanced, full-orbed presentation of Paul’s teaching that upon us, “the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor 10:11).
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