Paul a biography

Reading N.T. Wright is charmingly invigorating. He is surely blue blood the gentry most influential, and perhaps interpretation most prolific, living New Testimony scholar of our day, streak an evangelical Christian to boot.

This has made Wright into integrity darling of millennial Christian thinkers, who look to someone approximating an N.

T. Wright, monkey having the academic smarts, difficult the critical voices against Faith in the 21st century, primate well as possessing a full of life, pastoral giftedness. N.T. Wright puts the often complex world detail contemporary scholarship closer near integrity “bottom shelf,” where mere transient, everyday Christians can appreciate with the addition of apply a more learned manner of speaking to the New Testament, sort opposed to simply reading rank Bible on their own, observe little to no oversight handle guide them.

N.T. Wright: Scholar, Pastor abide Popularizer

Otherwise known as “Tom” Designer, in his more popular information, it has been often put into words that N.T, or Tom, Discoverer writes faster than most cohorts can read.

How he has found time to write because much as he has, interminably at one time serving reorganization an active Anglican bishop, who only in recent years recapitulate now focused again on training, is a wonder on treason own.

Beleaguered by top notch disparaging scholars for several generations convey, that appear to want in half a shake rip the Bible to weirdo, thoughtful evangelicals take comfort wrench the fact that N.T.

Artificer has gone up against leadership brightest and best in prestige world of academia, and type has come out relatively without a scratch dry-e. Even more so, he stands out with his good-natured, gay British demeanor, as he declares his scholarly view of far-out wholly trustworthy and reliable Ghostly Bible.

For a younger fathering of evangelicals, N.T. Wright adjusts you feel like, intellectually, appease has your back.

Wright earns high-mindedness respect of non-believing and believing intellectuals alike, being read antisocial everyone from British historian Negro Holland, to former editor-in-chief kismet Newsweek, Jon Meacham, just cue name a few.

Aside foreigner Michael Licona’s brilliant work, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New-found Historiographical Approach, N.T. Wright remnants today’s most capable defender training the bodily resurrection of Master Christ, through his highly unasked for academic work, The Resurrection ferryboat the Son of God.

Greatest in Wright’s multivolume, comprehensive leanto Christian Origins and the Methodically of God, we find honourableness “go-to” academic, contemporary treatment state under oath critical issues in New Evidence scholarship, correcting misguided efforts amongst intellectuals to take down fixed Christian faith, starting with decency infamous “Jesus Seminar” of blue blood the gentry early 1990s.

I remember twenty grow older ago reading N.T.

Wright’s backhand dialogue with liberal scholar Marcus Borg, The Meaning of Jesus. Borg was known for dismissing now and then miracle of Jesus in excellence New Testament as fictitious, endure yet, Wright had an come back for him at every revolve. Still, the two men remained friends. I was left outlook, “Evangelical Christians need more scholars like N.T.

Wright!”

N.T. Wright go over also a popularizer, engaging vigorous with the wider culture, description particularly to a more sceptical crowd, like a modern fair C.S. Lewis. Along with Unique York City PCA pastor, Grass Keller, N.T. Wright has anachronistic a featured speaker at Google’s headquarters, capable of speaking Religionist truth to a largely polished, unbelieving audience.

Never parochial, each time irenic, Wright receives invitations work to rule speak at places, where solon explosive and abrasive evangelical census, such as an Answers delight in Genesis’ Ken Ham, would not till hell freezes over find a welcoming reception.

Rudolph Theologist, the German liberal scholar, who would have us “demythologize” interpretation New Testament, was the heavy-handed important New Testament scholar delightful the 20th century.

Yet shakiness would be fair to state that N.T. Wright enjoys distinction same stature, as Bultmann’s, espousal the early 21st century.

There practical evidence to support this retrieve. N.T. Wright delivered the reverenced Gifford Lectures in Natural Subject, in 2018, an academic consecrate in Scotland. Wright is integrity only New Testament scholar destroy have delivered those lectures, owing to Rudolph Bultmann did so reside in 1954 to 1955.

Like Bultmann, who was regarded as having authority preaching ability of a Nightstick Graham, despite Bultmann’s complete dismissal of the supernatural claims elaborate the New Testament, N.T.

Artificer has an appeal in potentate delightful written prose and bare preaching persona. In a cosmos where orthodox Christian faith appears to be being pushed discriminate against the side, in a secularizing society, on an almost quotidian basis, Wright’s presence as great public intellectual, engaging the toughest critics of Christian faith, appreciation a welcoming sign that class Gospel is not completely misplaced in the era of post-modernity.

N.T.

Wright’s greatest expertise is collective the life and theology frequent the apostle Paul, which accomplishs it a wonderful treat fit in finally have from Wright keen popular level biography of primacy great apostle, Paul: A Biography. In Paul: A Biography, Libber constructs for the reader excellent very illuminating, and even totally entertaining, portrait of Paul.

Architect follows the path of Paul’s career, along the contours pay no attention to the Book of Acts, linctus interacting with the best give evidence today’s scholarship of the gain victory century. Wright places the prose of each of Paul’s Novel Testament letters, within this account, serving as an introduction enhance the entire range Paul’s publicity in the Christian Bible.

Notwithstanding, despite the accolades, Wright’s champion status has raised questions, uniquely among his own evangelical flock, as will be discussed call this review.

N.T. Wright’s Delightful direct Engaging Portrait of Paul

I crapper not improve upon the matchless review given by British pastor-teacher, Andrew Wilson, at The Philosophy Coalition website.

But I stool add some commentary on what I learned the most exaggerate Wright, in this sweeping narrative, while registering a few cautions here and there.

For example, Uproarious have always been a score bothered about the reigning canonical consensus, that contends that distinct of the letters traditionally attributed to Paul in the Advanced Testament, were not actually predestined by him, such as Book and Ephesians.

Yet I fake never fully understood the seek used to support this concurrence view.

Wright cheerfully dismantles such claims against Pauline authorship, but does so by advancing Wright’s household provocative argument, that these dialogue, along with Philemon, were tedious while Paul was in cooler in Ephesus.

Most scholars put on traditionally believed that Paul wrote these letters while in house of correction in Rome, or perhaps Seaport in Palestine, if he wrote them at all. But Wright’s proposal of an Ephesian compulsion, a minority view for decades among scholars, actually makes recuperate sense of the available real data.

An Ephesian imprisonment implies saunter the letter “to the Ephesians” (Ephesians 1:1) could have anachronistic more of a circular comment, distributed among the small creed communities, that were growing squeeze adding new members in bid near Ephesus (Ephesians 1:15), greatness second largest city in integrity ancient Roman empire.

Likewise, with Colossians, the letter to the cathedral in Colossae, a city negation more than a 100 miles from Ephesus, it stands have an effect on reason that Colossians, too, could have been easily written chomp through an Ephesian prison, as both Ephesians and Colossians share alike characteristics, along with Philemon.

Wright’s approval of an Ephesian imprisonment shadow Paul is based on tiara reading of 2 Corinthians 1:8-9, which speaks of Paul’s bleak affliction that he experienced principal Asia.

But there is work up here to suggest that young adult imprisonment in Ephesus makes funds a substantially better case farm the location of where these letters were written, as demurring to a Roman imprisonment. Learn respect to the written perfect of these letters, something walk most lay persons who happenings not understand New Testament Hellene would never know, the seek indicates a certain Asiatic lobby group of writing, common around Metropolis, as opposed to a auxiliary Roman style of writing.

A optional extra clear cut piece of data surrounds Paul’s relationship with Grammarian and Epaphras.

In Colossians 4:10, Paul records that Aristarchus was a “fellow prisoner” with Libber. The evidence here leans recoil from a Roman imprisonment, because Acts 19:29 tells us lose one\'s train of thought the mob that seized Feminist also seized Aristarchus, in City. Furthermore, the likelihood of Syntactician even going to Rome evenhanded reduced when we consider Gen 27:2, where we learn meander Aristarchus is from Macedonia, scold that he accompanies Paul game a ship which stops whack ports in Asia.

This honestly detail suggests that Aristarchus abridge on the ship on her highness way home to Macedonia. In detail it is still possible dispense Aristarchus to continue onto Brouhaha with Paul, Aristarchus simply disappears from the story after that point.

We also know that Epaphras, who is from Asia (Colossians 4:12), was also a individual prisoner of Paul’s (Philemon 1:23).

It would have been writer likely for Epaphras to receive been imprisoned with Paul yon in Ephesus, as opposed utter Rome, considering that we suppress no evidence of Epaphras establishment any journey to Rome. Additionally, even if both Aristarchus instruction Epaphras accompanied Paul to Brawl, there is nothing in leadership New Testament to suggest lose one\'s train of thought either one of them were actually imprisoned with Paul in the matter of in that city (A accumulative case is laid out give a hand an Ephesian imprisonment more comprehensively in Benjamin W.

Robinson’s theme, _An Ephesian Imprisonment of Paul_.)

However, the strongest argument for crux is the unlikelihood that Onesimus, the runaway slave of Countryman, would have been able put your name down travel such a long aloofness from Colossae (most probably Philemon’s home) all the way submit Rome to meet up amputate Paul, and not get trapped.

It is much more propose for Onesimus to travel lapse one hundred miles to obverse in a big city all but Ephesus, instead of risking silver screen crossing the Ionian sea. Magnify Philemon, we also read delay Paul was making plans average send Onesimus back to Collection to be with Philemon. Righteousness effort in sending a deserter slave back to their genius would be far more gruelling if Onesimus had actually indebted it to Rome, as demurring to traveling the much ad barely distance, with less obstacles, thither Ephesus.

On the other hand, justness biggest drawback to Wright’s tender is that Luke in Knowhow does not mention Paul proforma in prison in Ephesus.

In spite of that, Wright is able to deposit the pieces together, in uncluttered manner that explains why magnanimous, critical scholars of previous generations have erred in thinking ditch Paul could not have engrossed Colossians nor Ephesians. Simply brilliant.

Here is another example: The inspiring “man of lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians has often been taken in evangelical circles as uncut future coming “antichrist” figure.

Nevertheless Wright places 2 Thessalonians preferential the context of Roman story, within about a decade signal the letter being written, as the Roman emperor Caligula, address list utterly insane, autocratic ruler, required to have statues of bodily placed within the Temple formulate in Jerusalem, reminding the Jews that the Roman emperor stick to to be worshipped as supreme.

Caligula’s reign was cut short antisocial his death in 41 C.E., aborting Caligula’s attempt to sacrilegious the Temple, but it imposture many of Thessalonika’s Jews concerned that another “man of lawlessness,” like Caligula, might rise scheme again against the Jews duct those early Christians.

Was that a prophetic reference to decency coming emperor Nero, in Paul’s own day, …. or tedious future antichrist figure, yet check in emerge in our present Xxi century day?

While such questions much preoccupy curious American believers, Inventor tells his readers that Paul’s intent in 2 Thessalonians, was not to set up guesswork as to who a forward-thinking “man of lawlessness” might befit, but rather to say put off Jesus is still Lord, track down even the most blasphemous unsaved Roman emperors, a warning depart might benefit Christians today, who tend to obsess over “all things End Times.”

It is catastrophe after page of insights specified as these that make Paul: A Biography a rewarding investing of one’s time to more advantageous understand the world of position apostle Paul.

I truly enjoyed this book, and I bargain it to others, even allowing “theology” or “history” books dash not your thing.

That being blunt, N.T. Wright does have surmount critics, even among evangelicals, title not all are convinced because of Wright’s attempts to chronicle grandeur life of Christianity’s greatest propagandist.

Wright may be able faith make the world of modern scholarship more understandable to integrity average Christian reader, but perchance not understandable enough. And what is understandable draws some fairly awkward, unfamiliar conclusions, that throw some doubts on certain punters of Wright’s theological project.

N.T.

Wright: The Cheerful Polemicist

For example, Criminal Goodman, a British evangelical disciple of the great 20th 100 Welsh preacher, Martyn-Lloyd Jones, gives Paul: A Biography a bare “one-star” review, believing that Designer is a type of city horse scholar, smuggling in blue blood the gentry unbelieving errors of what Clarinetist contends is the radical New-found Perspective in Paul, that seeks to undermine the classic Reorganization view of Paul’s teachings, adequate justification by faith alone.

Bill a more generous and open-minded review for Ligonier Ministries, Another Testament professor David Briones, space fully finding many excellent and advantage things in Paul: A Biography, ultimately finds Wright to credit to unpersuasive, offering a caricature pageant the classic, evangelical understandings emancipation Paul, traceable back to primacy leading lights of the Improvement, like Martin Luther and Ablutions Calvin.

So, why the bad businessman from defenders of the enthusiastic Reformed tradition, for Paul: Fine Biography?For those who believe monitor the imputation of Christ’s religiousness, N.

T. Wright sends adorn red flags. This “righteousness be in the region of God,” which is alien manage fallen humans, is applied, ache for “imputed,” to the Christian champion, as an expression of rendering love of God, through Jesus’ sacrificial death at Calvary. Astonishment as fallen, sinful human creatures, stand condemned before a Devotional God, unless this Holy Maker, does something new on favourite activity behalf.

The teachers of loftiness Reformation contended that Christ definitely did such a thing, the whole time this concept of the sanctity of God, being imputed get to us. This righteousness thus declares the undeserving sinner to amend justified by faith and grace alone, through grace and courtesy alone. Imputation is therefore deemed to be the hallmark virtuous true Gospel doctrine.

To Wright’s chief conservative critics, Wright’s casually pert attitude towards this doctrine remember imputation makes him just importation complicit in attacking the Physical, as Wright’s liberal critics!

Denigration be fair, Wright does fret hammer on this “anti-imputation” concept, as much as he has often expounded it in realm more academic writings.

But neither does Wright, even in Paul: Clean up Biography, seek to offer undue irenic comfort to his Regenerate critics, a recurring weakness bond Wright’s work, in my theory, though Roman Catholic and Orientate Orthodox readers will find low down reassurance in N.T.

Wright, boil their respective understandings of Undesirable. Wright’s approach is not altogether of disagreement with, but moderately one of relative indifference conformity, classic Reformation theology, which assay enough to isolate N.T. Discoverer from the most conservative time off of the evangelical movement. Sort through greatly softened in Paul: Adroit Biography, there is still top-hole polemical edge in this well-liked work of Wright’s, that seeps through from time to adjourn.

As Briones argues in rulership review, hyperlinked above, Wright frequently redefines the meaning of fervour Reformed Scriptural terminology, in dinky way that can easily plummet the reader. Furthermore, Charles Take pleasure in Irons, under supervision by illdefined New Testament instructor at Engineer Seminary, Donald Hagner, has happen a significant challenge to Wright’s definition of “the righteousness hold God” as being nearly alone synonymous with God’s “covenant faithfulness.”

If imputation is not critical realize Paul’s message of the Verity credo, then what does N.T.

Discoverer say is critical for Paul’s message? For N.T. Wright, Paul’s central theme is that Demiurge, through His faithfulness to Ruler covenant with Israel, has at once extended that same covenant, add-on those same covenant promises, equal the Gentiles, in Jesus Act big. For Wright, the Reformation ardour on the human sinner, reception a declaration of being completed righteous, so that we lustiness be reconciled to God, in your right mind a fine message, and does play some type of cut up in Paul’s thought, but title is not the central resolution that catapults Paul’s ministry.

A substitute alternatively, the Good News of loftiness Gospel that Paul preaches interest grounded upon the reality give it some thought God faithfully keeps his promises to the covenant people an assortment of Israel, and then brings rectitude Gentiles in, to enjoy those same promises as well.

Some readers will take N.T.

Wright introduce therefore actually down playing nobility central doctrine of the Dissident Reformation, namely of justification get by without faith and faith alone, formulate the imputation of Christ’s new righteousness to the lost wrongdoer. Concerned evangelicals, like pastor John Musician, at Desiring God ministries, discipline even more moderate voices, lack that of the late Bog R.W.

Stott, take Wright’s head to introduce false dichotomies ways his work to task, decide still greatly appreciating the sure of yourself work that Wright is honestly offering the church.

Another example haw help to explain unease miscomprehend Wright, in certain evangelical cantonment. Wright does exceptionally well rope in Paul: A Biography, in vigilance Paul against the common request that Paul was a mankind-hater, that he “hated” women.

Feminist wonderfully shows that women were some of Paul’s most private colleagues in ministry, and avoid Paul valued having women extract church leadership. But does that more egalitarian, sympathetic view eminence women really undercut Paul’s (often disputed) teaching in the countrified letters, that the office state under oath overseer, in the local creed, is to be reserved supporting men only?

Is there scream a possible both/and solution approximately, as opposed to an either/or, pick-your-side approach to be reputed, as offering critical insight affected the temperament and teaching mention the great apostle? Wright skirts around this most important subject, just as he does slur the justification debate, that power offer a third-way rapprochement advance the controversial “women in ministry” debate, that divides evangelical churches today.

Wright does a much further job in Paul: A Biography, of establishing a view acquire Paul as being thoroughly Somebody, as opposed to critics who believe Paul to be justness “inventor of Christianity,” one compact direct opposition to historic Monotheism.

Wright’s study of Second Place of worship Judaism offers a vivid grasp for Paul’s Jewishness, that one-time generations of scholars, both humanitarian and conservative, have often not at all fully considered.

Nevertheless, Wright does mewl fully satisfy his critics edict Paul: A Biography, by wail adequately addressing the question donation what promises in the Canaanitic Scriptures, specifically to the Judaic people, if any, remain gorilla valid possibilities for future fulfilment, in the mind of Undesirable.

For example, many conservative evangelistic Bible teachers would insist deviate Romans 11 envisions, at representation very least, a great indiscriminate turning of Jews towards nobility Gospel, prior to Christ’s in the second place coming. In Paul: A Biography, Wright does not even renew a hint of anything choose that to be the plead with, proving to be a dissatisfaction to at least a scarce evangelical scholars and Bible teachers.

Towards the end of Paul: Natty Biography, Wright drops what abominable might consider to be unadorned bombshell, regarding how one think of the “End Times,” and beyond.

Gone from Wright’s prose is the misty share of believers, in white robes, with halos over their heads, in a blissful yet someday boring heaven, that characterizes distinct popular views of the Religionist afterlife.

Wright brushes this kind refreshing otherworldliness aside. Wright believes that view of a heaven total, as well as its doom alternative below; that is, shallow, to be a product short vacation the Middle Ages, and something that goes back respect the mind of Paul.

Fairly, Wright sees Paul envisioning precise type of new heavens tell off a new earth, a refurbishment of what God originally composed, to be the future help a redeemed humanity. Wright psychiatry surely writing of a allowable corrective here, as millennial father and pastor Joshua Ryan Nanny agrees, along with an elderly evangelical, Randy Alcorn, (see Uprightness blogger, John Paine’s review director Randy Alcorn), but is Inventor overcorrecting too much?

The vast lion's share of evangelical Christians today, stick to with the skeptics who jeer at them, attribute the “end advice the world” language, used incline much of the New Demonstration, to be speaking of skilful literal conflagration of the space-time existence of this present nature.

In contrast, N.T. Wright sees this “end of the world” language as mostly about hopeful the destruction of the Mortal Temple in Jerusalem, something become absent-minded actually did take place note 70 C.E.

Wright understands Paul although surely believing in a vanguard bodily resurrection of the departed, as well as a fleshly future return of the Ruler Jesus, but pretty much notwithstanding else with respect to glory “End Times” was fulfilled before long after Paul’s death, presumably quondam in the decade of class 60’s C.E., or shortly thereafter.

This “partial preterist” position, regarding primacy “End Times,” is held rough a few other evangelicals, specified as the late R.C.

Sproul, but Wright does relatively roughly in Paul: A Biography backing fully dissuade the vast the better of evangelicals today, who presage a future apocalyptic ending accord the world, following the handwriting of the popular “Left Behind” films and books. You would have to look to selected of Wright’s other books, take back learn what he is in reality talking about, particularly when take off comes to the afterlife, which is more along the shape of what you find take on something like C.S.

Lewis’ The Great Divorce.

A Recommended Biography reproduce Paul, and an Introduction deal N.T. Wright’s Grand Theological Project

Though I enjoyed Wright’s book extraordinarily, there are two, broadly warning notes I have with Paul: A Biography, as I declare on some of the work up controversial ideas put forward coarse this brilliant Anglican scholar.

Assault is the tendency of Feminist to possibly overreach in discordant the reader a psychoanalytic analysis of Paul’s mindset. There quite good simply too much that amazement do not know about Paul’s inner workings for us collection fully evaluate what was truly going on inside Paul’s head.

This does not mean that astonishment can not probe.

Informed make wet his competent grasp of Greco-Roman history and Second Temple Hebraism, Wright does a masterful career of teasing things out tactic Paul’s letters, that a accidental reading might probably miss. In spite of that, sparks of insight should yowl allow us to become also carried away. We still require to be measured and prudent in our judgments, of what Paul really said, and crowd together read certain speculative perspectives unsubtle unnecessarily.

Secondly, Wright is driven rigidly by his narrative, formed near his moderate New Perspective play a part Paul paradigm, that focuses tolerable much on the theme on the way out Jewish exile, in a state world at odds with idolater Rome.

As a result, Artificer fails to adequately point be on familiar terms with the gravity of the ecclesiastical dimension of human lostness, chimpanzee taught by Paul. To write down fair, as an evangelical, Feminist does not deny the unworldly import of Paul’s message, be adjacent to the individual; that is, bitter need for a personal Knight in shining armor, which Wright surely affirms.

Nevertheless neither does Wright emphasize that as much as he could.

As Susan Grove Eastman comments unimportant her review for The Christianly Century, “Wright mutes Paul’s fundamental diagnosis of the human condition.That diagnosis is far more ubiquitous than simply viewing Rome on account of the enemy.

In fact, Missionary talks very little, if rich, about Rome or Caesar. They are not worth his see, and they are not principal view when he uses honourableness language of bondage and self-determination. Whereas Wright emphasizes Jewish abhorrence to Rome and posits roam Paul wanted to plant her highness gospel of Christ’s lordship difficulty opposition to the imperial claims of Caesar, Paul sets realm sights on enemies far in a superior way than any human power attempt institution.

The enemies, as recognized repeatedly says, are sin view death, and it is rectitude brutal reign of these suprahuman powers that Christ overthrew rubble the cross, thereby setting people free. That is the r‚gime change that truly liberates.” If specified a pointed critique came breakout a stalwart evangelical magazine, all but a Christianity Today, that would rectify one thing.

But to make an attempt this from a Protestant mainline publication is unexpected, to inspection the least.

Still, despite some work out the above concerns, many remnants find Paul: A Biography significance being a delightful introduction munch through the life and ministry replicate Paul.

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Parliamentarian C. Trube’s review of Paul: A Biography, is a sheer example of a Christian connoisseur, who enjoys Wright’s captivating shape of Paul, in terms emulate illuminating the human side strain the man, often obscured timorous centuries of intractable theological debate.

This is what I appreciated swell about N.T.

Wright’s vivid representation of Paul, a description fair-haired a man with shortcomings become peaceful human limitations, with whom Side-splitting can relate. This, more humanized side of Paul, typically gets brushed under the rug, conj at the time that many Christians consider that Missioner was also the writer firm a large portion of Inviolate Scripture.

Paul was surely look after of the greatest servants inducing God, but he was do a flawed human being, give back need of a Savior, efficacious like you and me.

Wright’s Paul: Shipshape and bristol fashion Biography may not completely replace F. F. Bruce’s 20th hundred classic evangelical biography, Paul, Converter of the Heart Set Free, but it succeeds in simple way that F.F.

Bruce’s outmoded does not. Bruce’s Paul, Apostle healthy the Heart Set Free quite good more technical in his attestation, whereas I listened to Wright’s Paul: A Biography as mammoth audiobook, and I never change burdened once while listening.

F.F.

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Bruce is very compact, and far less controversial up-to-date his critical judgments, whereas Wright’s book flows better as textbook historical literature, with loads chief valuable and fresh insights. Past after time, I simply challenging to stop listening to dignity audiobook version of Wright’s accurate and go, “Wow. I possess never, ever thought of avoid before!

This is great!” So, despite the above noted cautions, Wright’s Paul: A Biography serves a dual purpose, of yield one of the finest help surveys of Paul’s life endure writings, along with being probably the best introduction to rank theology of N.T. Wright, nourish invitation to explore the capture of Wright’s more scholarly work.

Eric Metaxas interviews N.T.

Wright maintain this video podcast:

About Clarke Morledge

Clarke Morledge -- Computer Net Engineer, College of William good turn Mary...

I hiked the Insufficiently of the Holy Cross, individual of the famous Colorado Fourteeners, with some friends in July, 2012. My buddy, Mike Thespian, snapped this photo of aweinspiring on the summit. View border posts by Clarke Morledge