Paul: The Man and His Message J. Brian Tucker, Ph.D. Moody Theological Seminary

2 Paul I. Paul and Jesus Reconnected II. Paul and the Law III. Paul’s Life IV. Covenantal Nomism or Variegated Nomism?

INTRODUCTION One cannot master the content of the NT and ignore the apostle Paul. After encountering the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus became the outstanding missionary, theologian, and writer of the early church.

INTRODUCTION He wrote 13 letters that comprise almost one fourth of the NT. Approximately 16 chapters of the book of Acts (13–28) focus on his missionary labors, describing him as the most effective missionary in all of history.

FOLLOWER OF JESUS OR FOUNDER OF CHRISTIANITY? History of the Debate Evidence for Paul’s Lack of Concern for the Teachings and Life of Jesus Evidence for Paul’s Concern for the Teachings and Life of Jesus Continuity and Development

History of the Debate One of the first significant modern scholars to argue for a strong dichotomy between the teachings of Jesus and Paul was F. C. Baur, whose work first appeared in 1845. At the beginning of the twentieth century, W. Wrede, an influential German NT scholar, argued that Paul’s thought was influenced by Jewish apocalyptic messianic expectations rather than by Jesus. Bultmann saw so little historical continuity between Jesus and Paul that he stated, “Jesus’ teaching is—to all intents and purposes—irrelevant for Paul.”

History of the Debate Several scholars have made important contributions to an understanding of the relationship of Pauline thought to Jesus’ message over the last 30 years. In 1971, D. L. Dungan carefully analyzed Paul’s appeal to the sayings of Jesus in 1 Corinthians and suggested that the Corinthians were already familiar with this material. D. Wenham and D. Allison explored the possible dependency of Paul’s eschatological teaching on the eschatological discourses of Jesus. M. Thompson carefully defined the sometimes nebulous terms “quotation,” “allusion,” and “echo” to aid in discussions of Pauline dependency on the teachings of Jesus and developed reasonable criteria for identifying each category in Paul’s letters. In the last two decades of the twentieth century, scholars such as A. J. M. Wedderburn, B. Witherington, V. Furnish, and D. Wenham published important studies of the relationship of Paul to Jesus.

History of the Debate Despite the new emphasis in the late twentieth century on the consistency of Paul’s teachings with Jesus’ teachings, some scholars continue to portray Paul as the true founder of Christianity who perverted or ignored the teachings of Jesus. Many modern and especially postmodern readers were offended by perceived elements of Paul’s teachings and were reviving the slogan “back from Paul to Jesus.”

The paucity of references to Jesus’ earthly life in Paul’s letters has convinced many that Paul was unconcerned with the Jesus of history. Scholars also point to the scarcity of direct quotations of Jesus in Paul’s writings (1 Cor 7:10; 9:14). Scholars who see little connection between Paul and Jesus also point to the divergent doctrines of the two teachers. Evidence for Paul’s lack of Concern for the Teachings and Life of Jesus

There is significant evidence for Paul’s dependence on the teachings of Jesus. First, allusions to Jesus’ teachings in Paul’s letters are far more extensive and frequent than many scholars have recognized. An investigation by D. Wenham concluded that “there is massive evidence of Pauline knowledge of Jesus-traditions.” Evidence for Paul’s lack of Concern for the Teachings and Life of Jesus

Highly Probable Allusions to Jesus in Paul’s Letters

The data collected by Wenham suggest Paul’s extensive knowledge of the life of Jesus. The evidence presented by Wenham has been deemed persuasive by a number of scholars who are well versed in both Paul’s teachings and Jesus’ sayings in the Gospels. Evidence for Paul’s Concern for the Teachings and Life of Jesus

Continuity and Development The strict “founder” versus “follower” dichotomy, in which the debate over Paul’s relationship to Jesus has often been cast, unnecessarily prompts the interpreter to gravitate to one of two extremes. The most reasonable interpretation of the data suggests that Paul both respected and relied on the teachings of Jesus but felt free to develop and augment those teachings based on his own reflection on the significance of his Damascus road experience and his study of the OT.

Several important factors in the mission of Paul required him both to develop and modify the message of Jesus: Jesus’ passion, resurrection, and glorification demanded an emphasis on the exalted Christ. The death and exaltation of the Messiah and the outpouring of the Spirit introduced a new eschatological era and enacted a new covenant between God and his people. The differences between Jesus’ Jewish audience and Paul’s Gentile audience required Paul to use different idioms and thought forms in order to relate to his own cultural context. Continuity and Development

The central question is whether in essence Paul’s theology is harmonious with, and a legitimate development of, the message of Jesus There is sufficient evidence to show that, whether consciously or otherwise, Paul did develop the central insights of the teaching of Jesus and the central meaning of his life and death in a way that truly represented their dynamic and fullest significance. Continuity and Development

THE NEW PERSPECTIVE ON PAUL The Scholastic Perspective The Lutheran Perspective The New Perspective Variations of the New Perspective A Critique of the New Perspective

The Scholastic Perspective Scholasticism was a philosophical movement that was dominant in Western Christian civilization from the ninth century to the fourteenth century. One of the most important scholastics was Thomas Aquinas. Aquinas taught that human beings can receive eternal life only when God graciously transforms their nature. The OT law was incapable of producing the conduct necessary to satisfy God because it was hampered by this fallen human nature.

The Scholastic Perspective God graciously gave the new law (the gospel message and the law written on the heart) and sent the Holy Spirit to transform individuals. This transformation enabled people to do what was right and good not out of fear of punishment, but from their own desire to love and please the Lord, resulting in eternal life. Aquinas insisted, however, that once they were transformed by that grace, they truly merited eternal life for the good deeds they performed. He also taught that one person’s good works might merit eternal life for someone else.

The Lutheran Perspective Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk of the early sixteenth century, lived a miserable existence under the influence of scholastic theology. However, while Luther was lecturing on Paul’s letters at the University of Wittenberg, he became captivated by the letters to the Romans and Galatians and the concept of the “righteousness of God” portrayed there. Luther eventually concluded that an individual’s “active righteousness” was utterly incapable of saving him from eternal punishment.

The Lutheran Perspective Instead, salvation came through “passive righteousness,” a righteousness provided by God that was imputed to the sinner through faith in Jesus Christ. Luther argued that the law was never intended to be a means of salvation. The role of the law was to terrify the sinner so that he despaired of his own self-righteousness and trusted the atoning death of Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

The Lutheran Perspective Luther closely associated the dependence on good works for salvation in medieval Catholicism with an assumed works-righteousness in the Judaism of Paul’s day. He read references in Romans and Galatians as if he and Paul contended with opponents who affirmed essentially the same view of the relationship of the law to salvation.

The New Perspective Luther’s portrayal of Judaism reigned until the publication of E. P. Sanders’s Paul and Palestinian Judaism in 1977. The stated purpose of the book was to destroy the view held that first-century Judaism was based upon legalistic works-righteousness.

The New Perspective Sanders argued that the essence of ancient Judaism was what he termed “covenantal nomism.” He initially defined covenantal nomism in the following manner: Covenantal nomism is the view that one’s place in God’s plan is established on the basis of the covenant and that the covenant requires as the proper response of man his obedience to its commandments, while providing means of atonement for transgression. Sanders clearly stated that the required response to the covenant was man’s obedience to its commandments. He later clarified that the obedience required by the covenant was merely intended but not actual obedience.

The New Perspective Sanders appealed to three important evidences to argue that covenantal nomism was not legalistic but was dominated by an emphasis on divine grace. (1) God established his covenant with the Jews due to his own gracious election. (2) God required only the intention to obey his law rather than actual obedience, and Israelites need not fear a strict judgment that would evaluate individual deeds. (3) God provided means of atonement for failure to obey.

The New Perspective Sanders’s portrayal of ancient Judaism has been so widely accepted by NT scholars that it has virtually become the consensus view. In his 1982 Manson Memorial lecture, J. D. G. Dunn coined the phrase “New Perspective” to describe the view of Second Temple Judaism espoused by Sanders and his followers.

Variations of the New Perspective N. T. Wright has often remarked that “there are as many versions of the New Perspective as there are people writing in it.” Wright and J. D. G. Dunn are two important scholars who have adapted elements of Sanders’s position and added their own unique contributions.

Dunn accepted Sanders’s view that the Lutheran view which assumes first-century Judaism was a religion depending on works-righteousness for salvation is inaccurate. Dunn disputed Sanders’s theory that the view of the law that Paul attacked was his own creation and was shared by no one in ancient Judaism. According to Dunn, Paul’s real opponent was not legalism but Jewish exclusivism. Variations of the New Perspective

The Jews believed that they alone had been chosen by God as his covenant people. They further saw the law as a badge, an identity marker that distinguished them from other people and identified them as recipients of God’s grace and special blessing. These aspects included especially the law of circumcision, the law of the Sabbath, and the laws of clean and unclean. Dunn reasoned: “To affirm justification by the works of the law is to affirm that justification is for Jews only, is to require that Gentile believers take on the persona and practices of the Jewish people.” Variations of the New Perspective

N. T. Wright arrived at a view similar to Dunn’s. He acknowledged that Paul challenged Jewish exclusivism rather than a self-dependent moralism that sought to please God through good works. Wright made his own unique contribution to the New Perspective by insisting that Protestant scholars have missed the mark by identifying the “righteousness of God” as imputed righteousness. Although “the righteousness from God” refers to imputed righteousness, “the righteousness of God” is covenant faithfulness. Variations of the New Perspective

Wright argues that the believer is declared righteous by God before his judgment bar, but the NT never speaks of a transfer of God’s personal righteousness to the believer. Moreover, this “justification” is essentially an eschatological declaration that occurs in final judgment and will be based on the evaluation of the totality of one’s life, a judgment according to works. Justification is a projection of eschatological justification into the present, an anticipation of God’s final verdict. Variations of the New Perspective

A Critique of the New Perspective Sanders’s attempt to find a single “pattern of religion” in first-century Judaism sometimes led him to downplay the vast differences between various sects and theological perspectives within Judaism. NT scholars are increasingly aware that Second Temple Judaism was not theologically uniform.

Sanders argued that God established his covenant with the Jews due to his own gracious election. But Sanders’s portrayal of the pattern of religion in Second Temple Judaism still makes human effort the determining factor in eschatological judgment and easily degenerates into legalism. A Critique of the New Perspective

According to Sanders, God required only the intention to obey his law rather than actual obedience, so Israelites need not fear a strict judgment that would evaluate individual deeds. Sanders’s dismissal of a requirement of actual obedience in Second Temple Judaism is at odds with m. Avot 3:16, which is perhaps the most systematic statement of soteriology in the Mishnah. Rabbi Akiba taught that the “world is judged according to righteousness but all is according to the majority of works that be good or evil.” A Critique of the New Perspective

Although Sanders appealed at length to the apocryphal book of Jubilees to confirm that covenantal nomism was the pattern of religion for first-century Judaism, even Jubilees frequently refers to great ledgers like that of Akiba’s parable to describe the basis for final judgment. A Critique of the New Perspective

Finally, Sanders argued that Second Temple Judaism was not dependent on legalistic works-righteousness for salvation because God provided means of atonement for failure to obey. A detailed examination of Second Temple Jewish literature demonstrates that many Jews viewed legalistic works-righteousness as the means of atonement for sin. A Critique of the New Perspective

Conclusion Paul’s letters do challenge Jewish exclusivism as Dunn and Wright contend, but they also clearly confront efforts to attain salvation by keeping the law. The “works of the law” on which some Jews depended for their salvation included efforts to keep all the prescriptions of the law and not just those that distinguished Jews from Gentiles.

THE LIFE OF PAUL Early Life and Training Paul’s Conversion Paul’s Missionary Travels Paul’s Appearance Paul’s Gospel

Early Life and Training Birth and Family Background Paul was born in a Jewish family in Tarsus of Cilicia (Acts 22:3) probably early in the first decade of the first century. Paul’s family had moved to Tarsus from Gischala in Galilee. Paul’s family was of the tribe of Benjamin (Phil 3:5). His parents named him Saul in honor of the most prominent member of the tribe in Jewish history—King Saul.

Early Life and Training Paul came from a family of tentmakers or leatherworkers and, according to Jewish custom, was taught this trade by his father. Paul was a citizen of the city of Tarsus, “an important city” (Acts 21:39). According to one ancient writer, the monetary requirement for Tarsian citizenship was 500 drachmae, a year and a half’s wages.

Roman Citizenship Paul was born a Roman citizen. Early Christian tradition (preserved by Jerome) states that Paul’s parents had been carried as prisoners of war from Gischala to Tarsus, enslaved to a Roman citizen, and then freed and granted citizenship. The Roman citizen had the right of appeal after a trial, exemption from imperial service, right to choose between a local or Roman trial, and protection from degrading forms of punishment such as scourging and crucifixion. Early Life and Training

Paul might have carried a wax tablet that functioned as a birth certificate or certificate of citizenship in order to prove his Roman citizenship. Most people who claimed citizenship were trusted, since the penalty for impersonating a Roman citizen was death. Early Life and Training

Paul’s Name Ancient Romans were formally designated by a praenomen (first name), nomen (family name), father’s praenomen, Roman tribe, and cognomen (extra name like the modern middle name) in official documents. Roman citizens had to register with the government using the tria nomina consisting of the praenomen, nomen gentile, and cognomen. Early Life and Training

The NT refers to the apostle only informally as “Paul” or “Saul.” Paul was the apostle’s cognomen; Saul was his Hebrew name. The name “Paul” was common in the Roman world (Acts 13:7) and meant “small” in Latin. Early Life and Training

Rabbinic Training Acts 22:3 shows that Paul was “brought up” in Jerusalem “at the feet of Gamaliel.” Paul used this fact to prove that he was not one of the Diaspora Jews, those who were more influenced by Gentile culture than Jewish ways. Paul was trained by Rabbi Gamaliel I, the member of the Sanhedrin mentioned in Acts 5:33–39. Paul quickly excelled as a Jewish rabbinical student (Gal 1:14). Early Life and Training

Paul described himself as “circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness that is in the law, blameless” (Phil 3:5–6). Paul also identified himself with the sect of the Pharisees, which he described as the “strictest party of our religion” (Acts 26:5). Paul’s father had also been a Pharisee (Acts 23:6). Early Life and Training

Persecution of Christians As an ideal Pharisee, Paul may have been active as a Jewish missionary, winning Gentiles as proselytes to the Jewish faith. Paul, more than his mentor Gamaliel (Acts 5:34–39), recognized the serious threat that Christianity posed to the Jewish religion. Paul described his efforts to persecute the church using the language of warfare and made clear that his intention was to completely obliterate the church (Gal 1:13). Perhaps Paul’s clearest description of his activities as a persecutor is found in Acts 26:9–11. Early Life and Training

Paul’s Conversion While Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest and imprison Christians, the resurrected and glorified Christ appeared to him with blinding radiance. Christ’s words, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” (Acts 26:14), indicate that God had already begun to prompt Saul to follow Jesus as Messiah. At the appearance of Christ, Saul immediately surrendered to his authority and went into the city to await further orders from his Master.

Paul’s Conversion Ananias shared with Saul the message that the Lord had given him in a vision, “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before Gentiles, kings, and the sons of Israel. I will certainly show him how much he must suffer for my name” (Acts 9:15).

Paul’s Missionary Travels Early Travels (34–47) Soon after his conversion, Paul traveled to Arabia where he began evangelization of the Nabatean Arabs (Gal 1:17; 2 Cor 11:32–33) and probably experienced his first opposition to the gospel from political authorities. He then returned to Damascus where he began to go into the synagogues to preach the message that had been revealed to him on the Damascus road.

Paul’s Missionary Travels The governor in Damascus had the city gates guarded in order to arrest Paul, and he had to escape through a window in the wall by being lowered in a basket. Paul then traveled to Jerusalem where he spent 15 days visiting with Peter and James, the Lord’s brother, and doubtless heard them describe Jesus’ life and teachings, though Paul’s gospel was already clearly defined even before this visit.

Paul’s Missionary Travels Early Travels (34–47) Church leaders were initially suspicious of Paul, but Barnabas intervened on his behalf (Acts 9:26–30; Gal 1:18). After 15 days in Jerusalem, Paul returned to Tarsus, evangelizing Syria and Cilicia for several years. While in Syria, Barnabas contacted Paul and invited him to become involved in the outreach of the Antioch church where large numbers of Gentiles were responding to the gospel. The church at Antioch collected money to carry to the Christians who suffered in Judea during a period of famine. Barnabas and Paul were chosen by the church to carry the gift to Jerusalem (Acts 11:27–30).

First Missionary Journey (47–48) Paul and Barnabas soon began their first missionary journey, traveling through Cyprus and Anatolia probably during the years 47–48. The missionary team carried the gospel to the cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. These cities were located in the Roman province of Galatia, and it is probably these churches in South Galatia to which the letter to the Galatians is addressed. Galatians was most likely written from Antioch shortly after this journey. Paul’s Missionary Travels

Jerusalem Council (49) Paul found himself embroiled in controversy over requirements for Gentile salvation. Peter and even Barnabas were vacillating on the issue of Jew-Gentile relationships. Some false teachers from the Jerusalem church had infiltrated congregations in Antioch and were teaching, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). Paul’s Missionary Travels

Jerusalem Council (49) The church appointed Paul and Barnabas to go to Jerusalem and settle the matter. A council was convened in the year 49 that included the missionary team, those who insisted upon circumcision as a requirement for salvation, and the apostles. The apostle Peter and James the brother of Jesus spoke in defense of Paul’s law-free gospel, and a letter was sent to the Gentile churches confirming the official Christian view. Paul returned to Antioch. Paul’s Missionary Travels

Second Missionary Journey (49–51) The second missionary journey carried Paul through Anatolia, Macedonia, and Achaia in 49–51. Mark had abandoned the team on the first journey (Acts 15:38). Paul and Barnabas parted company at this point in a disagreement about the role of Barnabas’s nephew John Mark in the second missionary journey. Paul’s Missionary Travels

Second Missionary Journey (49–51) Paul took Silas on this journey and established churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. Paul also spent 18 months in Corinth strengthening a fledgling church there. Four of Paul’s letters are addressed to churches known from this second journey. Most scholars believe that 1 and 2 Thessalonians were written during this journey. Paul’s Missionary Travels

Third Missionary Journey (51–54) Paul’s third missionary journey focused on the city of Ephesus where Paul spent the better part of three years (51–54). Toward the end of this journey Paul worked hard to collect another relief offering for the Jerusalem Christians. Paul wrote 1 and 2 Corinthians and Romans during this journey. Paul’s Missionary Travels

Final Years (55–65/66) Paul carried the relief offering to Jerusalem. While in the temple performing a ritual to demonstrate his Jewish identity to some of the Jerusalem Christians, Jewish opponents incited a riot, and Paul was arrested (55). Paul was sent to Caesarea to stand trial before the procurator Felix. After two years of procrastination on the part of his detainers, Paul finally appealed to the Roman emperor for trial. After arriving in Rome, Paul spent two years under house arrest awaiting his trial. Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon during this first Roman imprisonment (c. 58–60). Paul’s Missionary Travels

Final Years (55–65/66) The record of Acts ends at this point, so information as to the outcome of the trial is sketchy. Early church tradition suggests that Paul was acquitted (c. 60) or exiled and may possibly have fulfilled the dream expressed in Rom 15:23–29 of carrying the gospel to Spain (60–66). Paul wrote 1 Timothy and Titus during the period between his acquittal and a second Roman imprisonment, and he wrote 2 Timothy during the second Roman imprisonment. According to church tradition, Paul was arrested again and subjected to a harsher imprisonment. He was condemned by the Emperor Nero and beheaded. His execution probably occurred in 66 or 67. Paul’s Missionary Travels

Paul’s Appearance No biblical record of the appearance of Paul or his physical condition exists. He must have been a hearty individual to be able to endure the abuses and trials that he suffered as an apostle (2 Cor 11:23–29). He was evidently the victim of some serious eye disease (Gal 4:12–16).

Paul’s Appearance The earliest description of Paul’s appearance appears in a book from the NT Apocrypha: “a man small of stature, with a bald head and crooked legs, in a good state of body, with eyebrows meeting and nose somewhat hooked, full of friendliness; for now he appeared like a man, and now he had the face of an angel.” (Acts of Paul 3:3)

Paul’s Gospel Paul’s gospel indicted all humanity for the crime of rejecting God and his rightful authority. Suffering the consequences of Adam’s sin, mankind plunged into the depths of depravity so that they were utterly unable to fulfill the righteous demands of God (Rom 1:18–32; 3:9–20; 9:12–19) and deserved only the wrath of God (Rom 1:18; 2:5–16). The sinner was alienated from God and at enmity with him (Rom 5:10; Col 1:21). Consequently, the sinner’s only hope was the gospel that embodied God’s power to save those who had faith in Christ (Rom 1:16).

Paul’s Gospel The focus of Paul’s gospel was Jesus Christ (Rom 1:3–4). Paul affirmed Jesus’ humanity and his deity. Christ was a physical descendent from the line of David (Rom 1:2), came in the likeness of sinful man (Rom 8:3), assuming the form of a humble, obedient servant (Phil 2:7–8). He was the visible form of the invisible God (Col 1:15), all the fullness of deity living in him in bodily form (Col 2:9), in very nature God (Phil 1:6), and possessed the title “Lord” (Greek title for the God of the OT), the name above all names (Phil 2:9–11).

Paul’s Gospel Paul believed that by virtue of his sinlessness, Jesus was qualified to be the sacrifice that made sinners right with God (2 Cor 5:21). In his death on the cross, Jesus had become the curse for sin (Gal 3:10–14), and the righteous had died for the unrighteous (Rom 5:6–8).

Paul’s Gospel Salvation is a free gift granted to believers and grounded solely in God’s grace. Salvation is not dependent on human merit, activity, or effort, but only on God’s undeserved love (Rom 6:23; Eph 2:8–10). Those who trust Jesus for their salvation, confess him as Lord, and believe that God raised him from the dead (Rom 10:9) will be saved from God’s wrath, become righteous in God’s sight (Rom 5:9), are adopted as God’s children (Rom 8:15–17; Eph 1:5), and are transformed by the Spirit’s power (Gal 5:22–24). At the coming of Christ believers will be resurrected (1 Cor 15:12–57), partake fully of the Son’s righteous character (Phil 3:20–21), and live forever with their Lord (1 Thess 4:17).

Paul’s Gospel By their union with Christ through faith, believers participate spiritually in Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension (Rom 6:1–7:6; Eph 2:4–5; Col 3:1–4). Consequently, the believer has been liberated from the power of sin, death, and the law. He is a new, though imperfect, creation that is continually being made more like Christ (2 Cor 5:17; Col 3:9–10). Although the believer is no longer under the authority of the written law, the Holy Spirit functions as a new internal law leading him to naturally and spontaneously to fulfill the law’s righteous demands (Rom 8:1–4).

Paul’s Gospel The union of believers with Christ brings them into union with other believers in the body of Christ, the church. Believers exercise their spiritual gifts in order to help each other mature, to serve Christ and glorify him, the church’s highest purpose (Eph 3:21; 4:11–13). Christ now rules over the church as its Head, its highest authority (Eph 1:22). When Christ comes again, his reign over the world will be consummated, and all that exists will be placed under his absolute authority (Eph 1:10; Phil 4:20). He will raise the dead, unbelievers for judgment and punish-ment, believers for glorification and reward (2 Thess 1:5–10).

PAULINE CHRONOLOGY

A Chronology of Paul’s Life and Letters

A Chronology of Paul’s Life and Letters

A Chronology of Paul’s Life and Letters

Covenantal Nomism or Variegated Nomism? Beyond the New Perspective on Paul

Beyond the NPP Beyond the New Perspective on Paul To whom do we refer by the phrase ‘Beyond the New Perspective on Paul’? William S. Campbell, Kathy Ehrensperger, David Rudolph, Peter Tomson, Mark Nanos, Richard Horsley, Anders Runesson, Pamela Eisenbaum, John Gager, Stanley Stowers, Lloyd Gaston, Krister Stendahl, Marcus Barth, and Robert Jewett. Caroline Johnson Hodge Gaston, Gager, and Eisenbaum

Beyond the NPP Michael Bird’s 5 areas of concurrence: (1) ‘The Jewish Context of Pauline Theology’ (2) ‘The Social Function of the Law’ (3) ‘The Unity of Jews and Gentiles in One Body’ (4) ‘Justification as Covenant Status’ (5) ‘Righteousness and Obedience’

Beyond the NPP These areas are more contested than Bird recognizes Sanders, Dunn, and Wright didn’t go far enough Sociological and soteriological aspects are dual foci. Ethnic ‘flattening-out’ is quite contested ‘Justification as Covenant Status’ and ‘Righteousness and Obedience’

Beyond the NPP Bird and the BNP and back to Lutheran Paul Paul was opposed to Judaism (central idea) Theological normativity Frank Thielman Andrew Das, Simon Gathercole, and Stephen Westerholm – Sanders not completely wrong, but not completely right.

Beyond the NPP Characteristics of BNP (1) reject universal/ethnic dichotomy in Paul (2) break from Lutheran readings of Paul (3) see Paul’s focus on the justification of gentiles and not the status of humanity in general (4) find no implicit critique of Israel or the Law (5) view Paul as one who teaches his gospel using ethnic and kinship language to articulate God’s plan of salvation in terms of these identities.

Beyond the NPP Is there any usefulness for BNP scholarship with evangelical NT studies? See Paul as thoroughly embedded within Judaism Roman imperial ideology should be given its due with regard to the formation of the Christ-movement. A particularistic approach to identity should be considered There is in Paul no explicit critique of the Law or Israel The use of ethnic and kinship terms are relevant for understanding Paul’s mission identity.

Beyond the NPP William S. Campbell: Particularistic Identity in Christ Universalistic identity is not sufficiently nuanced and that particularistic identity (previous identities continue) is more reflective of the earliest Christ-movement. Paul is not looking to eradicate ethnic distinctions. Transformation of the symbolic universe in light of the Christ-event. Campbell sees Paul as establishing community within the context of difference. He questions the scholarly consensus concerning equality and the elimination of difference in Christ.

Beyond the NPP William S. Campbell: Particularistic Identity in Christ For Campbell, Paul’s agency is vital to the formation of identity within the Christ-movement. Campbell evaluates Paul’s perspective of other missionary movements within the early Christ-movement. Paul’s challenges to be related to halakhic interpretative differences rather than theological disputes. Campbell sets out to deconstruct the scholarly image of Paul as a sectarian with regard to Judaism. Paul was a reformer seeking the renewal of his own people in the new era dawning in Christ.

Beyond the NPP William S. Campbell: Particularistic Identity in Christ Paul never confuses Israel and gentile followers of Christ: both groups remain intact (The church is not Israel). Peter and Paul not engaged in competing missions. The Roman imperial context serves as a corrective to the traditional view that the primary focal point of conflict in the early Christ-movement was between the Jews, Jewish-Christians, and Paul’s communities. Middle approach between Horsley and the view that Paul’s conflict was with Judaism.

Beyond the NPP William S. Campbell: Particularistic Identity in Christ Transformation and re-evaluation of one’s previous identity because of newness ‘in Christ’ and not its eradication and removal are central to Campbell’s approach (2 Cor. 5.17). From this perspective he develops a model of identity transformation that slightly nuances the traditional model of new creation (renewed). Paul is model for Jewish Christ-followers. First Corinthians 7:17-24 is a key passage. He rules out the view that, in Paul, Jewish identity was considered obsolete for those in Christ. Gentile Christ-followers are not to be confused with Israel nor are they the New Israel, or Israel redefined.

Beyond the NPP Kathy Ehrensperger: Paul’s Jewishness and Empire Paul’s thorough embeddedness in Judaism and its Scriptures and the all-encompassing influence of the Roman empire. OT key rather than Greek and Roman sources. Paul does not use power like the gentiles. Paul was teaching in small groups and wrote letters to tiny marginalized communities, thereby using his gospel implicitly to oppose the Roman imperial order. Paul was no revolutionary.

Beyond the NPP Kathy Ehrensperger: Paul’s Jewishness and Empire Ehrensperger follows very closely the particularistic understanding of identity evident in the work of Campbell. Paul’s and his colleagues’ perception of the gospel did not bypass or in any way obliterate Israel’s identity or future. Rejects any notion of Paul as “stealing” the identity of the Jews as God’s people and transferring it to the church. Emphasizes the importance of kinship language. Jewish family education. Point: Many of the ideas of Campbell and Ehrensperger influence my reading of Paul.

Beyond the NPP Books to read on this topic: Campbell, William S. Paul and the Creation of Christian Identity. London: T & T Clark, 2006. Ehrensperger, Kathy. Paul and the Dynamics of Power: Communication and Interaction in the Early Christ-Movement. London: T & T Clark, 2007. Tucker, J. Brian. You Belong to Christ: Paul and the Formation of Social Identity in 1 Corinthians 1-4. Eugene, Or: Pickwick Publications, 2010. Campbell, William S., Kathy Ehrensperger, and J. Brian Tucker. Reading Paul in Context: Explorations in Identity Formation : Essays in Honour of William S. Campbell. London: T & T Clark International, 2010. Tucker, J. Brian. Remain in Your Calling: Paul and the Continuation of Social Identities in 1 Corinthians. Eugene, Or: Pickwick Publications, 2011.

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