Paul the Jewish Theologian

H. Young Brad

Description

Paul the Jewish Theologian reveals Saul of Tarsus as a man who, though rejected in the synagogue, never truly left Judaism. Author Young disagrees with long held notions that Hellenism was the context which most influenced Paul's communication of the Gospel. This skewed notion has led to widely divergent interpretations of Paul's writings. Only in rightly aligning Paul as rooted in his Jewishness and training as a Pharisee can he be correctly interpreted. Young asserts that Paul's view of the Torah was always positive, and he separates Jesus' mission among the Jews from Paul's call to the Gentiles.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 1995
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441232892
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

© 1997 by Brad H. Young
Published by Baker Academic a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3289-2 Originally published in 1997 by Hendrickson Publishers. Baker Academic edition published 2011.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
This book is affectionately dedicated, with much appreciation, to my parents,
Senator John W. and Claudeen Humes Young
Table of Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Foreword Cheryl Anne Brown
Foreword Burton Visotzky
Introduction
Paul the Jewish Theologian
Pentecost, the Nations of the World, and the Apostle Paul
Judaism and Christianity: Diverse Perspectives on Torah
The Torah: Roots of Grace and Faith in Paul’s Message
Torah: The Dead Letter or the Living Word?
The Transcendence of Torah in Paul’s Teachings
Love as the Foundation of Christian Ministry: The Model of 1 Corinthians 13
The Essence of Paul’s Jewish Faith
Seven Pillars of Paul’s Jewish Theology
Bibliography and Study Aids
Index of Ancient Sources
Index of Names and Subjects
Notes
Back Cover
Acknowledgments
Paul the Jewish Theologian: A Pharisee among Christians, Jews, and Gentiles is the product not only of my own writing and research but also of numerous conversations with friends and colleagues. I highly value the insight of scholars who have contributed to my understanding of Paul.
The mysteries of Paul’s teachings are locked away in his culture and historical context. I am deeply indebted to my mentor, Professor David Flusser of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who has shaped my understanding of Paul and his theology. I treasure his friendship. His original thought and creative genius offer fresh perspective. Shmuel Safrai has also helped immensely in my research of Second Temple period Judaism. Dr. Robert L. Lindsey offered new approaches to unraveling some of the more complex issues of Pauline theology. I continue to mourn Dr. Lindsey’s untimely death on May 31, 1995.
Joseph Frankovic read and edited the entire manuscript. His work improved the style and argument. I value his editorial gifts and his outstanding scholarship. Joseph made significant suggestions, helping greatly in the process of interpreting Paul’s message and comparing his teachings to those of ancient Judaism.
My friends David Bivin and Dr. R. Steven Notley have encouraged me throughout the writing of the book. I have appreciated the opportunity to discuss Paul’s epistles with them. Dr. Notly’s doctoral dissertation at the Hebrew University has broken new ground in understanding pre-Pauline Christianity and Paul’s innovations. Dr. Marvin Wilson and Dwight Pryor have interacted with me on Paul’s view of the Torah and early Christian interpretations of Paul. I have enjoyed discussing Paul with Dr. Roy Blizzard, who has challenged me to dig deeper into the primary sources. Dr. Ron Mosley has helped me in the research effort.
I have benefited from being able to discuss Paul with my friend Rabbi Leon Klenicki. I appreciate the input I have received from friends involved in Jewish-Christian dialogue such as Rabbi Arthur Kahn, Rabbi Marc Boone Fitzermann, Rabbi Charles Sherman, and Sheila Mudd. My experiences with the Ecumenical Theological Research Fraternity in Israel assisted me in isolating the special problems of Pauline studies. My friend Malcolm Lowe has helped me define and resolve issues more decisively.
My colleagues at Oral Roberts University, Dr. Jerry Horner, Dr. Howard Ervin, Dr. Robert Mansfield, Dr. Trevor Grizzle, Dr. David Dorries, and Dr. Tom Mathew have all been sources of insight and encouragement. Founder and Chancellor Oral Roberts has encouraged building bridges of friendship and reconciliation with the Jewish community. I appreciate the emphasis on academic integrity and spiritual maturity at the School of Theology.
I have benefited greatly from friends working with me through the Gospel Research Foundation. Dr. John Swails, Barry Chambliss, Tim Eckbald, Jim White, Linda Weaver, Pat Young, John Mark Young, and Gayle Young Brazil have been of tremendous help in the process of writing the book. David Reed worked diligently in proofreading the text and preparing the indexes. My parents, Sen. John W. and Claudeen Humes Young, as well as my son, Matthew David, have given much support. It gives me great joy to be able to dedicate this volume to my parents.
I must express my gratitude to Dr. Burton Visotzky and Dr. Cheryl Brown for writing the forewords to the book. Dr. Brown’s experience in Israel and love for the Jewish people affect the students in her courses. Rabbi Visotzky has taken time from a arduous schedule to write a foreword which challenges Christians and Jews to work together for a more meaningful relationship in the future. I appreciate the authenticity of his scholarship and his effort to foster textual research. His books, like Reading the Book: Making the Bible a Timeless Text and The Genesis of Ethics , have challenged readers to embrace the study of the sacred text with a fresh awareness of its message and a spiritual perception of its meaning.
The rabbis taught that every verse possesses seventy faces. Hence there are numerous ways to interpret each text of Scripture. Surely Paul’s teachings have caused intense debate because of the rich diversity of interpretations. Paul will continue to stir up controversy. Nonetheless, placing Paul firmly within the stream of Pharisaic thought, interacting with Christians, Jews, and Gentiles, must offer much-needed fresh perspective. Here I must gladly say a heartfelt thank you to many friends who have contributed to the writing of this volume. I hope that it will be a stepping-stone for increased sensitivity and awareness of Paul’s historical situation as we explore the force of Paul’s original message.
Foreword
Rev. Dr. Cheryl Anne Brown * Professor/Consultant Theological Assistance Group European Baptist Federation
The title of Brad Young’s new book, Paul the Jewish Theologian , to many both Jews and Christians may be an oxymoron, an impossible combination of two mutually exclusive categories. Although Paul was born a Jew and trained as a Pharisee, he is viewed as the person who single-handedly transformed the provincial Palestinian Jewish Jesus movement into a worldwide church that early separated from its Jewish roots and became almost exclusively Gentile in faith and practice. In the process of this transformation, certain affirmations of Jesus himself had to be sacrificed in order to make Christianity more appealing to non-Jews. Such affirmations included Jewish nationalism and Torah observance, teachings basic to Judaism though expendable to Paul in his quest to spread his new faith throughout the known world. Consequently, Paul rather than Jesus is often referred to as the founder of Christianity. I remember the first time I heard this as a graduate student in Israel from a Jew who had a deep appreciation for Jesus as a good Jewish prophet who sought to bring renewal to the faith of his own people. That was the first of countless times I have heard and read the same idea from Jews and Christians.
Christians have been influenced to accept this view by a generation of New Testament scholars who worked from an important presupposition of form criticism: the New Testament accounts of Christian origins reveal several strata of development, one a Palestinian Jewish stratum, the “primitive church in Jerusalem,” and the other a Hellenistic stratum. Paul was regarded as the leading shaper and interpreter of the latter. Scholars have posited a linear development from the earlier to the later stratum. Current scholarship has for the most part discarded this paradigm, rightly concluding that the neat, cut-and-dried categories suggested by earlier scholars never existed. Scholars today recognize that Judaism in the Second Temple period was remarkably diverse both on Palestinian soil and in the Diaspora. So, happily, the straw house has fallen; but lamentably the conclusions have not. In many people’s minds, Paul remains the “founder” of Christianity and is cut off almost, if not entirely, from his Jewish roots.
But for me a question has persisted: Is that really true? Does this perception of Paul adequately and accurately take into account the facts in the texts about Paul or by Paul? After wrestling long and hard with these issues I have concluded, along with Brad Young, that a new look at Paul is definitely in order. For this reason, I applaud his careful, insightful analysis of the biblical passages related to the life and teachings of Paul. Too often specialists and non-specialists alike have read these texts from the perspective of later church history or Jewish-Christian relations rather than from the perspective of Second Temple Judaism and Christianity. Brad Young rightly highlights the hermeneutical issues related to such a study, advocating that we recognize the presuppositions we bring to the text and acknowledge how those affect our reading of the text. Also, for too long we have been satisfied with others’ conclusions about Paul’s doctrine. This includes influential figures such as many early church fathers, who took Paul’s teaching another