Corpus-Paul

["Liz Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>]

> > 
> What has been the critical reaction (if any) to N.T. Wright's 
> assertions that Paul, because of his zealous persecution of the 
> church, was likely a follower of Shammai (i.e., a more radical 
> "fundamentalist" brand of pharasaism) instead of the more 
> moderate Hillel (and Gamaliel, one assumes)?
> 
> (Wright's assertions are in *What Saint Paul Really Said*.)
> 
> Perry L. Stepp, Ph.D. 
> 
> Associate Professor, Biblical Studies, Kentucky Christian College
> 
Dear Perry,
At the Association for Jewish Studies Meeting in Los Angelos
last winter Prof. Townsend (I think) gave a very convincing (to me) talk
on just that topic. 
Actually, now that I think about it, he was arguing that *Jesus* was a
follower of Shammai not Hillel. He compared a long list of decisions
of Jesus to the disputes in the Talmud and found that on all but a few
Jesus came down on the side of Shammai.
I don't remember the particulars. Maybe you can write him and
get his talk.
Liz Fried


Lisbeth S. Fried
Visiting Scholar
Department of Near Eastern Studies
University of Michigan
2068 Frieze Bldg.
108 S. State Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285