N. T. (‘Tom’) Wright explores the ancient complex and many-sided notion of Virtue, the work of the Holy Spirit in the nurturing and development of ‘new strengths’ of character. Rather than being formed by ethical rules, Virtue is eschatologically driven (‘front-loaded’, is Wright’s expression) anticipating-the-life-of-the-age-to-come. The book issues a ‘double challenge’: to Christians (‘to think through the nature of Christian behaviour from a new angle’), and to ‘anyone and everyone’ (‘to think through what it means to be genuinely human’). You will find the author’s usual vivid range of illustrations, old and recent, fictional and factual, and the intensive study of many biblical passages (among them Genesis 1 and Psalm 8 - related to the recurring emphasis on ‘priests and rulers’ - the Sermon on the Mount and 1 Corinthians 13). The closing chapter offers the helpful picture of a ‘Virtuous Circle ‘, whose elements - scripture, stories, examples, community and practices -will help with ‘character being transformed and virtue reborn’. I didn’t find this an easy book to read, but it’s worth letting it stretch you.