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  • From: "moon-ryul jung" <moon AT sogang.ac.kr>
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: The Mystery of Romans: the theme of- --- - restoration of Israel
  • Date: Sun, 6 Jan 2002 07:32:01 -0500


[Moon]
> > Mark, I am convinced by the above argument of yours. The gospel concernin=
> g
> > 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.
> >=20
> > But in what sense was practicing the works of the Law including
> > the circumcision and the food regulations essential for Jews?
>
[Mark]
> 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?

Mark, thanks for your kind comments. I enjoy them so much. I asked the
above question, because Paul seems to think that while the common ground,
the faith in Christ, is absolutely essential, the practice of Torah
is less essential.

How do you take 1 Cor 9:19-22:

For since I am free from all I can make myself a slave to all, in order
to gain even more. 9:20 To the Jews I became like a Jew to gain the Jews.
To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am
not under the law) to gain those under the law. 9:21 To those free from
the law I became like one free from the law (though I am not free from
GodÂ’s law but under the law of Christ) to gain those free from the law.
9:22 To the weak I became weak in order to gain the weak. I have become
all things to all people, so that by all means I may save some.

What would it mean that Paul, a Jew himself, BECAME like a Jew?
For Paul To BECOME like one under the law or to BECOME like one
free from the law would imply that his "original" state is
neutral with respect to the two modes of life. He transcends both
modes of lifestyle, although he can accomodate either of them
as necessary.

You would not accept this interpretation of 1 Cor 9:12-22. How would
you interpret this passage?

Moon
Moon R. Jung
Associate Professor
Sogang Univ, Seoul, Korea



>
> >=20
> > Hebrew 8:6-13 says that the first covenant was "faulty" and
> > became obsolete in some sense. How do you take this passage?
> >=20
> >=20
> > 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,
> >=20
> > =93Look, 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.
> >=20
> > =93It 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.
> >=20
> > ....
> > ....
> > When he speaks of a new covenant, he makes the first obsolete.
> > Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear.
> >=20
> >=20
> > 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 hypothese=
> s
> 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
>
> --=20
> Mark D. Nanos, Ph.D.
> 313 NE Landings Dr.
> Lee's Summit, MO 64064
> USA
> nanosmd AT home.com




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