• About

The Cruciform Pen

~ toward a cross-shaped life

The Cruciform Pen

Monthly Archives: April 2016

Paul and Second Temple Judaism

09 Saturday Apr 2016

Posted by thecruciformpen in Historical Studies, Research Topics / Book Ideas

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Apocalyptic Interpretation, Christian Origins, Judaism, New Perspective on Paul, Pauline Theology, Second Temple Judaism

Second Temple Jewish Star

James H. Charlesworth has crafted 12 questions to guide his review of N.T. Wright’s Paul and the Faithfulness of God. The stated goal of the questions is to allow him “to classify the best approach to the very complex world of Second Temple Judaism in ancient Palestine and in the Diaspora, Paul’s relation to it, and Wright’s presentation of each.”¹

So here is my idea for how someone could use Charlesworth’s questions to write a book (publishers take note). The questions (or some modification of them) would serve as a great tool for comparing various contemporary presentations of Paul. Charlesworth himself should contribute the Foreword or Introduction so as to give him the proper credit for the questions. I propose that the following works on Paul could profitably be analyzed on the basis of Charlesworth’s questions:

  • F.F. Bruce. Paul Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Paternoster Press, 1977.
  • James D. G. Dunn. The Theology of the Apostle Paul. Eerdmans, 1998.
  • Thomas R. Schreiner. Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology. InterVarsity Press, 2001.
  • Michael J. Gorman. Apostle of the Crucified Lord: A Theological Introduction to Paul and His Letters. Eerdmans, 2004.
  • Anthony C. Thiselton. The Living Paul: An Introduction to the Apostle’s Life and Thought. InterVarsity Press, 2009.
  • N.T. Wright. Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Fortress Press, 2013.
  • John M.G. Barclay. Paul and the Gift. Eerdmans, 2015.
  • E.P. Sanders. Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought. Fortress Press, 2015.

So what are Charlesworth’s questions? (below I have replaced “Wright” with “our author” to make them applicable to other works)

  1. I am certain that [our author] would assiduously avoid any semblance of Anti-Judaism (Anti-Semitism), but would he agree with the stellar group of Pauline specialists who convened in Rome in 2014 to demonstrate how Paul now must be understood within Second Temple Judaism?
  2. Paul states that he is proud to be a Jew and a Pharisee, so does [our author] err and cast Paul as a “Christian,” sociological and theological category which is anachronistic to many experts for the period before 70 CE?
  3. Does [our author] avoid such misleading dichotomies as “Hellenistic Judaism” versus “Palestinian Judaism” and “Orthodox Judaism” versus “Sectarian Judaism”?
  4. In examining pre-70 CE sociological and theological contexts, does [our author] choose to use terms that are now relegated to the dust bin, according to most scholars, such as “canonical,” “canon,” “extra-canonical,” as well as “church,” “orthodoxy,” and “heresy”?
  5. Does [our author] appreciate how significantly the concepts and terms in the Dead Sea Scrolls have revolutionized scholars’ approach to Second Temple Judaism, Christian Origins, and Paul? And specifically, how dies he use the evidence of “works of law” now found in Second Temple  Judaism to clarify the same term in Galatians?
  6. If [our author] sees a unity within Second Temple Judaism, what is it and how does he obtain that insight; and if he sees only diversity, how does he explain the colossal change in 66 CE?
  7. Does [our author] appreciate the many groups and sects within Second Temple Judaism and does he do justice to the Samaritans?
  8. How does [our author] treat the “sacred writings” in the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (that is, does he find God’s Word in any of them, as did the early Jews and “Christians”?); and does he engage the authors who have claimed Paul quoted from or at least knew one or more these documents?
  9. Does [our author] perceive that Paul’s main inheritance from Judaism is apocalyptic eschatology?
  10. Would [our author] agree with those that conclude Paul broke from Jesus by rejecting the purity laws, dietary restrictions, circumcision, and taking the “good news” to Gentiles?
  11. Has [our author] found “the heart of Paul’s theology” or has he allowed Paul to be as contradictory as he seems to be in his authentic letters?
  12. Where do we find Paul’s genius and creativity and how do we know that when so many ideas we all once concluded had originated with Paul are now being discovered in early Jewish texts?

Some of the questions may need to be reformulated. Charlesworth’s own presuppositions are apparent in more than one. Nevertheless, they do serve as launch point for further discussion of how different authors handle the issues concerned. I think it would be quite revealing to consider how each of the above mentioned works on Paul deals with each of these topics. It will go a long way toward demonstrating the relative strengths and weaknesses of each work. Further, it would potentially uncover additional areas where more work is needed.

So…will someone please take this idea and run with it?


¹ See “Wright’s Paradigm of Early Jewish Thought: Avoidance of Anachronisms?” in God and the Faithfulness of Paul (Mohr Siebeck 2016) edited by Christoph Heilig, J. Thomas Hewitt, and Michael F. Bird, 207-234, 207.

Recent Articles in JSNT

07 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by thecruciformpen in Biblical Studies, Resources

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Apocalyptic Interpretation, Pauline Theology, Pistis Christou

jsnt

Journal for the Study of the New Testament has some good articles just out last month. Two in particular are worth mentioning:

What to Expect when you’re Expecting: Maternity, Salvation History, and the “Apocalyptic Paul” by J.P. Davies, JSNT 38:3 (2016) 301-315.

Here is the abstract:

This article argues, on the basis of Jewish and Christian apocalypses, that ‘apocalyptic’ in Paul should not be understood as antithetical to ‘salvation history’. It focuses on one of Paul’s key metaphors, childbirth, which has been identified as an image intrinsically connected to Paul’s apocalyptic eschatology. It will first offer a brief survey of the way the image of childbirth has been deployed in recent ‘apocalyptic’ interpretations of Paul (notably the work of Beverly Gaventa) in support of a ‘punctiliar-invasive’ theology of history over against a ‘linear-progressive’ view. It will then examine some of the evidence from the apocalyptic literature where childbirth is used as an eschatological metaphor, particularly in the book of Revelation. It will argue that an understanding of the logic of this metaphor in Second Temple Jewish and early Christian apocalyptic thought raises questions about the eschatological dichotomy at the heart of the contemporary ‘apocalyptic Paul’ movement.

 

‘Christ-Faith’ as an Eschatological Event (Galatians 3.23-26): A ‘Third View’ on Πιστις Χριστου by Benjamin Schliesser, JSNT 38:3 (2016) 277-300.

Here is the abstract:

The meaning of πιστις Χριστου in Paul (Gal. 2.16, 20; 3.22; Rom. 3.22, 26; Phil. 3.9) continues to be the subject of controversial debate in Pauline scholarship. Should the genitive construction be understood objectively as ‘faith in Christ’ or subjectively as ‘the faith(fulness) of Christ’? The prevalent either/or character of the discussion is increasingly proving to be an impediment to finding a solution to this issue. A minority view, the so-called ‘third view’, seeks to move beyond the subjective-objective dichotomy by accounting for the intrinsic complexity of the Greek genitive and pointing to the event-character of in πιστις Paul. The primary reference text for this ‘third-view’ is Gal. 3. 23–26, which exhibits an altogether remarkable language of faith and envisages πιστις as ‘coming’ (ερχεσθαι) and as ‘being revealed’ (αποκαλυπτεσθαι). This article reviews the exegetical status quaestionis and argues that Paul does not regard πιστις Χριστου as an individual disposition or character (either Christ’s or that of the believer), but rather as an eschatological event. The aim is not to offer a comprehensive analysis of the verses in question, but to advance exegetical and theological support for the ‘third view’ and to point to its considerable explanatory power in our effort for a more nuanced appreciation of Paul’s language of faith.

(click here for JSNT webpage)

Michael F. Bird Gives a Talk on the Apocalyptic Paul 

04 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by thecruciformpen in Resources

≈ Leave a comment

Bird delivered the most recent lecture over at The Lanier Theological Library. It’s a very helpful talk on the apocalyptic Paul (particularly as developed by J. L. Martyn). He provides an excellent overview of this whole debate and, as always, peppers it with his Aussie humor. 

Click here: YouTube video lecture

Here are a couple slides from the lecture to peak your interest: 

  

  
  
  

Categories

  • Biblical Studies (19)
  • Historical Studies (12)
  • People to Know (26)
  • Poetry (2)
  • Prayers (7)
  • Research Topics / Book Ideas (3)
  • Resources (51)
  • Reviews (24)

Posts

  • September 2022 (1)
  • October 2020 (1)
  • February 2020 (1)
  • December 2019 (1)
  • August 2019 (1)
  • February 2019 (3)
  • December 2018 (1)
  • June 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (6)
  • January 2018 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (1)
  • May 2016 (4)
  • April 2016 (3)
  • March 2016 (10)
  • February 2016 (1)
  • January 2016 (4)
  • December 2015 (5)
  • October 2015 (1)
  • September 2015 (6)
  • February 2015 (1)
  • January 2015 (6)
  • December 2014 (12)
  • November 2014 (8)
  • October 2014 (1)

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 181 other subscribers

Currently Reading

Blogs I Follow

  • Malcolm Guite
  • The Cruciform Pen
  • Crux Sola
  • βιβλιοσκώληξ
  • Holy Writ & Sacred Witness
  • Griffin Paul Jackson
  • Koine-Greek
  • Biblical Studies
  • Bible Design Blog
  • Theological Studies
  • καὶ τὰ λοιπά
  • Euangelion
  • Evangelical Textual Criticism
  • NT Blog

Blog at WordPress.com.

Malcolm Guite

Blog for poet and singer-songwriter Malcolm Guite

The Cruciform Pen

toward a cross-shaped life

Crux Sola

A Biblioblog with Nijay K Gupta

βιβλιοσκώληξ

βιβλιο: "book"; σκώληξ: "worm"

Holy Writ & Sacred Witness

...eyes on the Word; ears to the ground...

Griffin Paul Jackson

Word architect.

Koine-Greek

Studies in Greek Language & Linguistics

Biblical Studies

Making Biblical Scholarship Accessible

Bible Design Blog

Theological Studies

An Internet Resource for Studying Christian Theology

καὶ τὰ λοιπά

A blog by Daniel R. Streett all about Early Judaism, Biblical Studies, Koine Greek, καὶ τὰ λοιπά

Euangelion

toward a cross-shaped life

Evangelical Textual Criticism

toward a cross-shaped life

NT Blog

toward a cross-shaped life

  • Follow Following
    • The Cruciform Pen
    • Join 45 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • The Cruciform Pen
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...