Great article examing what the gospel of the Kingdom of God meant at the time of the early church. NT Wright (although a controversial figure centered around New Perspectives of Paul) is well regarded at the leading NT scholar of our day.

The most exciting developments today in the study of St Paul and his thought are not, I think, the recent works on what is usually called Paul’s Theology. I would highlight, rather, the study of the interface and conflict between Paul’s gospel, the message about the crucified Jesus, and the world in which his entire ministry was conducted, the world in which Caesar not only held sway but exercised power through his divine claim. What happens when we line up Paul’s gospel with Caesar’s empire? Let me begin with a brief sketch of a recent work which pinpoints exactly these issues. This will open the way for four exegetical studies, three quite brief and one somewhat fuller, which will state the basic case I want to put to you, and lead to five concluding reflections.

Full Article: Paul’s Gospel & Caesar’s Empire