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  • From: "Mark D. Nanos" <nanosmd AT home.com>
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: The Mystery of Romans: the theme of- -- - restoration of Israel
  • Date: Sun, 06 Jan 2002 04:34:17 -0600


on 1/6/02 3:46 AM, moon-ryul jung at moon AT sogang.ac.kr wrote:
>
> [Moon]>
>>> [clip]... what Paul says amounts to the shift of the
>>> ground. While faithfulness to the commandments of God was essential,
>>> still faith in Christ, which was the commond ground, was critical
>>> for being the remnant. It was the fulfillment, yes. But it was the
>>> shifting of the ground as well, so that Gentiles may come into the
>>> covenant with God. IF GENTILES WERE NOT REQUIRED
>>> TO PRACTICE THE WORKS OF THE LAW, the rules of the game
>>> have been changed to accomodate the Gentile believers.
>>> What do you think?
>>
> [MARK]
>> I do not wish to speak for Boyarin or anyone else. Lets just try to
>> understand the first century issue for a moment. The approach discussed in
>> the clipped section (sans comment on Boyarin) brings to the front that the
>> "historical" issue was discussed among Jews of Paul's day may be
>> represented
>> as one revolving around a difference of opinion about what time it was: the
>> present age, or the age to come (time of the Messiah and restoration of
>> Israel, not to mention of all of creation, or not). Paul and the other Jews
>> of the coalition of believers in Jesus argue that it is the dawning of the
>> age to come in the midst of the present age, and they are then a part of
>> bringing about the complete change of aeons, which role includes the
>> bringing in of the nations too, as well as the rest of Israel, who will be
>> provoked by this action to reconsider and join with them. They argue that
>> the response of the Gentiles testifies that this is what is taking place;
>> in
>> other words, that it too is a fulfillment of prophecy.
>>
>> If so, then, from their perspective this is not a shifting of the ground,
>> but a realization that God is fulfilling the promises to Israel of bringing
>> in the nations.
>
> Mark, I am convinced by the above argument of yours. The gospel concerning
> Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of prophecy; It meant the restoration of
> Israel first of all, and it also meant the "restoration" of Gentiles. Now
> to be the remnant, Jews should have believed in Jesus AND observed the
> the works of the Law. To be included into the people of God, Gentiles
> should have believed in Jesus AND maintained Law-respecting behaviors.
> The common ground for being righteoused before God was faith in Christ.
> This common ground was the fulfillment of prophecy. The common ground was
> not the replacement of the old one, but the fulfillment and expansion
> of the old one. This perspective seems to be more coherent and better
> explains the data.
>
> But in what sense was practicing the works of the Law including
> the circumcision and the food regulations essential for Jews?

In what sense is remaining faithful to the Constitution essential for
faithful US Citizens? The practice of Torah is what faithful citizens of
Israel do. Why would they do or want to do otherwise?

>
> Hebrew 8:6-13 says that the first covenant was "faulty" and
> became obsolete in some sense. How do you take this passage?
>
>
> If that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have l
> ooked for a second one. But showing its fault, God says to them,
>
> “Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete
> a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
>
> “It will not be like the covenant that I made with their fathers,
> on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt,
> because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard
> for them, says the Lord.
>
> ....
> ....
> When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete.
> Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear.
>
>
> I think I am reading Paul, with the above passage in mind.

I do not hear Paul's voice in this at all, if Paul's voice is that of the
author if Romans and Galatians, the only two letters I have worked on
sufficiently (with bits and pieces of some of the other letters usually
attributed to Paul) to venture a portrait. I have not worked on Hebrews
enough to say much, but I have read a few others on it, and it sounds like
the writing of a sectarian, not a reformer. Apart from constructing
hypotheses of the situational context of this language from this letter and
other (historical, cultural, linguistic, etc.) elements thought to be
relevant, then evaluating all of the letter, and then testing the hypotheses
that survive at length for internal consistency, and only then testing them
relative to Paul's voice from his supposed letters, I do not suppose that
what I read at the surface level reveals Paul's voice as the author of
Hebrews.

Regards,
Mark

--
Mark D. Nanos, Ph.D.
313 NE Landings Dr.
Lee's Summit, MO 64064
USA
nanosmd AT home.com





  • Re: The Mystery of Romans: the theme of- -- - restoration of Israel, Mark D. Nanos, 01/06/2002

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