Corpus-Paul

["Mark D. Nanos" <nanos AT gvi.net>]

Liz wrote:
>Sometimes Paul says that Jews obey the law because they think they can be
>righteous by it.

Where?

  At other times he says that Jews boast of possessing the
>law without following it.

Where?

 This illustrates the polmical nature of Paul's
>discourse. It seems to me that both statements together may characterize
>first centruy Judaism.

Your kidding?

  To the Jew, having the law -- to whatever degree it
>is followed -- is a sign of covenantal status and a share in the world to
>come.  This is a matter of God's grace which the Jew takes on faith.  But
>additionally, observing the law is how the Jew becomes righteous.  For those
>Jews who want to be a Tsaddik, this is how, by observing every jot and
>tittle of the law.
>
>That Paul can criticize Jews on both counts illustrates that the real
>problem he has against Judaism is, as Sanders says, it isn't Christian.

Sander's phrase is cute and memorable, but not sufficient, in my opinion.
Ignoring the problem of talking about Judaism as a monolithic whole, and of
Christians as though an institutional identity at the time different than
being a Jewish or non-Jewish person who through faith in Christ became part
of a coalition involved in seeking the restoration of all of Israel and
reaching out to the nations with this news in order to restore all of
creation (a wholly Jewish/Israelite notion for the end of the ages), I
offer the following.

On the one hand, Paul's problem was with Jewish interest groups who
"interfered" with the policies of these subgroups of believers in Christ on
the issue of gentiles being regarded and thus treated as equals, which
involved halakhic interpretations that ran counter to the "normative"
views.

On the other, he was not against Judaism (some Israelites were stumbling
but had not fallen, all Isreal would be saved; cf. Rom. 9--11), but in a
kind of holding pattern with his work, awaiting the realization of the
change in time that had occured because of Christ that would bring about
the restoration of all Israel. He was not against Judaism, and did not give
up on it. He adopted a strategy to bring this about, which was a surprising
innovation even for himself (Rom. 11). That was the bringing in of gentiles
as righteous ones, who by their behavior as righteous representatives of
the nations demonstrated that the time had arrived, in support of his
exegetical arguments to the same purpose (cf. e.g., Rom. 6).

Anyway, I don't think Paul criticized Jewish people or practice per se,
which your statement implies, nor did he seek to establish a new
institution called Christian or Christianity, but to reform and restore
Israel and the nations witin the terms of general anticipation, although
differently to be sure than many Jewish people did or do believe
appropriate on the basis of the available evidence, although others did and
do. Paul himself only came to this view by a miraculous moment, one which,
as he describes it anyway, most of us probably cannot attest to as the
foundation of our convictions, or lack thereof.

Regards,
Mark Nanos