Source: “Reading Paul Within Judaism: The Collected Essays”, By Mark D. Nanos, 2017.
Paul And Judaism Why Not Pauls Judaism.wav
This podcast re-examines the traditional understanding of Paul's relationship with Judaism, challenging the prevailing view that Paul completely broke away from his Jewish roots. The podcast argues that scholars often portray Paul as "Paul against Judaism" or "Paul outside of Judaism," implying his new religion based on Jesus Christ was fundamentally distinct from his former Jewish faith. Instead, the podcast proposes a "Paul's Judaism," suggesting that Paul remained deeply embedded within Jewish thought and practice, even as his convictions evolved. This reinterpretation hinges on understanding Paul's rhetoric as situational and specific to his non-Jewish audience, rather than universal declarations against Jewish law or identity for all. The core argument is that Paul's criticisms were directed at specific Jewish groups who disagreed with his "chronometrical" belief – that the "age to come" had already dawned in Christ, necessitating a new approach to including non-Jews as equal members within Judaism, without requiring their full conversion to Jewish law.
Topic 1: The Traditional Understanding of Paul's Relationship with Judaism The traditional interpretation among New Testament scholars portrays Paul as fundamentally distinct from, or even in opposition to, Judaism. This perspective typically assumes that Paul initiated or led a new religious movement, Christianity, which was separate from his former religion, Judaism. While acknowledging Paul's ethnic Jewish background, this view asserts that he ceased to practice and promote Judaism as a matter of covenant faithfulness after his formative experience with Jesus Christ. His newly established communities were understood to be "gentile churches," clearly distinguishable from Jewish synagogues or gatherings. Within this framework, Paul is often depicted as either antagonistic towards or indifferent to the Torah (Jewish law), believing that its purpose had been fulfilled, superseded, or rendered obsolete by the work of Christ. Any observed Torah observance by Paul is usually explained as either a lingering cultural habit from which he hadn't fully liberated himself or a strategic maneuver to appeal to Jews, rather than a genuine expression of his faith.
Topic 2: The Interpretation of Paul's Rhetoric in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 A pivotal passage informing the traditional view of Paul's disassociation from Judaism is 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, where Paul states he "becomes all things to all people." This passage has been widely interpreted to signify Paul's freedom from the Law, implying that he was no longer "under the law" and would observe it only as a matter of expediency for the sake of evangelism. According to this consensus, Paul "mimicked" the behavior of both Jews and non-Jews without actually adopting their underlying convictions or worldviews. For instance, when with Jews, he would appear to be Torah-observant, but this was understood as a temporary imitation of outward customs rather than a genuine commitment. This interpretation suggests that Paul engaged in a calculated, even deceptive, strategy to gain trust, intending for those he "won" to ultimately abandon the very practices he seemed to adopt, potentially leading to a self-perpetuating cycle of duplicity among new believers.
Topic 3: Critique of the "Mimicking" Interpretation of Paul's Behavior The source raises a significant challenge to the popular "mimicking" interpretation of Paul's conduct. It argues that such a deceptive policy, rather than effectively persuading people, would almost certainly lead to alienation over time. The inherent inconsistency of Paul's behavior – observing Jewish customs with Jews but abandoning them with non-Jews – would inevitably become apparent, causing both groups to view him as untrustworthy or contradictory. This interpretation implies a fundamental lack of integrity on Paul's part, a problematic notion given his otherwise high moral standing. The source points out that this traditional reading, by portraying Paul as disingenuous, allows for the reconciliation of differing accounts of his behavior (e.g., in Acts vs. his letters) but at the cost of undermining his credibility and suggesting a "Trojan horse" strategy where new converts are led to renounce their original convictions unknowingly.
Topic 4: The New Perspective on Paul's Re-evaluation of Judaism In recent scholarship, the "New Perspective on Paul" (NPP) has brought about a significant re-evaluation of Judaism in Paul's era. This movement challenges the long-held traditional view that Judaism was a legalistic religion focused on achieving righteousness through works. Instead, NPP proponents, building on the work of scholars like E. P. Sanders, recognize that Judaism was characterized by "covenantal nomism." This means that Torah-observance was understood as the appropriate and grateful response to God's prior gracious act of calling Israel into a covenantal relationship. In this view, Jewish practices were an expression of loyalty and faith within an already established covenant, not a means to earn salvation. This re-framing represents a crucial advancement, offering a more historically accurate and respectful understanding of Judaism, akin to the positive attributes traditionally ascribed exclusively to Christianity.
Topic 5: The Persisting Traditional View of Paul within the New Perspective Despite its transformative re-evaluation of Judaism, the New Perspective on Paul has surprisingly not led to a widespread change in the understanding of Paul himself. The source notes that even prominent NPP scholars largely maintain the traditional view that Paul, as an apostle, did not continue to practice the Judaism of his day or observe Torah out of deep conviction. While acknowledging Paul's ethnic Jewish identity, NPP still tends to portray him as having transcended Jewish particularism, often critiquing Judaism, either as Paul supposedly misunderstood it or as it failed to align with his new "Christian" faith. This continuity is encapsulated by the observation that Sanders, a key figure in NPP, famously stated that "this is what Paul finds wrong in Judaism: it is not Christianity," which implies a fundamental opposition rather than an internal Jewish debate.
Topic 6: The Question of Paul's Critique: From Within or Outside Judaism? A fundamental question explored is whether Paul's critique of certain Jewish practices or beliefs originated from within Judaism or from an external, entirely separate religious system. Traditional and even many NPP interpretations suggest that Paul found fault with the very foundations of Jewish identity and religious values—such as election, covenant, and Torah—from an outside perspective. This view implies a challenge to the ideals themselves. However, the source proposes an alternative: Paul's actions, such as voluntarily submitting to synagogue discipline (e.g., receiving lashings), indicate his continued adherence to Jewish communal authority. This suggests that his disputes were internal to Judaism, akin to prophetic speech appealing to noble Jewish ideals to challenge competing Jewish groups for compromising those very ideals. In this light, Paul is seen as engaging in an intra-Jewish debate, not an apostasy from Judaism.
Topic 7: The Critical Role of Ethnic Distinction in Understanding Paul's Arguments The author strongly emphasizes the importance of recognizing and maintaining the ethnic distinction between Jews and non-Jews when interpreting Paul's writings. It is argued that much of the confusion in "Paul and Judaism" debates stems from universalizing Paul's statements, assuming they apply equally to all people, including Jews, when in fact they were often specifically addressed to non-Jews. For instance, the common phrase "Paul's Law-free gospel" is criticized for implying a universal exemption from Torah observance, whereas Paul's primary concern was the righteous standing of non-Jews who had come to believe in Christ. The source highlights that other Jewish traditions also held differing expectations for Jewish and non-Jewish observance, making it crucial to contextualize Paul's arguments within this dynamic. Failure to do so risks misrepresenting Paul's position and its historical context.
Topic 8: The "Chronometrical" Nature of Paul's Theology A key concept introduced is the "chronometrical" (time-specific) nature of Paul's theological arguments. This refers to Paul's conviction that the "awaited age" or the "end of the ages" had already begun with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This eschatological belief fundamentally shaped his views on identity and behavior, particularly concerning non-Jews. For Paul, the question was not whether the Torah was still valid, but how it applied and functioned in the present age for non-Jews, given that God's redemptive timeline had advanced. This explains his opposition to the circumcision of non-Jewish Christ-followers: if the new age had dawned, non-Jews could join Israel in worshipping God without needing to become Jewish proselytes. This "what time is it now?" question dictated different policies and behavioral norms for his communities, setting his "Judaism" apart from other Judaisms.
Topic 9: Reinterpreting Paul's Torah Observance and Rhetorical Strategy Challenging the notion of Paul's indifference to Torah, the source proposes that Paul was indeed Torah-observant and that his audiences likely knew this. His "becoming like" others in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 is reinterpreted not as disingenuous mimicry but as a sophisticated rhetorical strategy of "arguing from the premises" of his audience. When addressing Jews, he argued from shared Jewish premises and Scriptures. When engaging "lawless" non-Jews, he adapted his approach, perhaps by appealing to their existing philosophical or cultural frameworks, to lead them to his conclusions about Christ. This allowed him to communicate the gospel effectively without compromising his own righteous convictions or abandoning halakhic behavior. This perspective aligns with Paul's numerous positive statements about the Torah, portraying him as a consistent protector of Jewish law, particularly for Jews, while advocating for a different application of its principles for non-Jews in the new age.
Topic 10: Paul's Controversial Vision of Judaism and Non-Jew Inclusion Paul's distinctive way of practicing and promoting Judaism stemmed from his core conviction that the dawning of the age to come in Christ necessitated a new understanding of non-Jew inclusion. He believed that non-Jews who embraced faith in Jesus Christ could become full and equal members of Abraham's family without undergoing proselyte conversion, a highly controversial claim within the Jewish context of his time. His "persecution" or opposition was often a direct result of advocating this policy. Paul's criticisms were not directed at Judaism itself, but at those Jews and Jewish groups who, in his view, failed to recognize that the eschatological expectations of Judaism were being realized in the inclusion of non-Jews on these new terms. He envisioned a community of Jews and non-Jews worshipping God together as equals, embodying "Judaism as it should be lived" in the newly dawned age, thereby working on behalf of Judaism rather than against it.