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  • From: "Liz Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Gal 2:16 (Liz)
  • Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1999 19:03:47 -0400


Dear Mike,
I see what you're getting at now. You suggest that Paul was a Jew who
believed that the law was valid for a time and now with the advent of Jesus
no longer valid. By valid I guess we mean "desired by God." I suggested
that it would be unlikely to find Jews among Paul's audience who would find
such a notion acceptable. You suggested that the author of Hebrews is one
such. (I haven't really read the letter, only skimmed it. Sorry. I will try
to read it.)
Is that a correct summary?


I think it would be unliikely to find among Paul's audience Jews who
believed this. The idea that God no longer desired sacrifice may have become
more acceptable to Jews after the destruction of the temple. Tho, this is
not obvious. While the temple still stood I would find it surprising. Even
the Qumraners who refused to sacrifice at the temple in Jerusalem still
believed in the law and the sacrificial system. They prayed for the end of
days when a new *physical* temple, which was pure and acceptable to God,
would be built in Jerusalem. This is also expressed in Enoch.

The Jews who opposed Paul did not do so because they had the Greek
Aristotelian view of a god who never changed. This notion of Maimonides has
still not found acceptance in Judaism. If the Aristotelian view of God had
any influence in first century Levant, it would not be among the Palestinian
Jews. This view is completely opposed to the view of God expressed in the
OT.

The Greek notion of a god without a physical body, who was perfect, might
have influenced Paul's followers tho. In GJohn I think the view is
expressed that God is spiritual, non-corporeal. That is a Greek, non-Semitic
notion. Was this Paul's notion?

Best,
Liz


Lisbeth S. Fried
Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies
New York University
51 Washington Sq. S.
New York, NY 10012
lqf9256 AT is3.nyu.edu
lizfried AT umich.edu






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