Paul's core conviction was that he lived in history's final hour, with the Kingdom of God and the triumphant return of the messiah at hand. As a committed Jew, he saw his mission as proclaiming this "good news" primarily to pagans, convinced that God's ancient promises to Israel were on the verge of fulfillment.
A central aspect of Paul's mission was his approach to gentiles, whom he envisioned as "eschatological gentiles." These non-Jews were to join the messianic movement by making an exclusive commitment to Israel's God, abandoning their traditional idols, but without fully converting to Judaism. This meant male converts were not required to undergo circumcision or adopt the full breadth of Jewish ancestral customs. This distinctive "gentile policy" allowed pagans to be included "as gentiles," aligning with prophetic visions of the End. However, this novel approach led to significant social friction. Paul faced "persecution," which included disciplinary floggings from diaspora synagogues and physical punishments from Roman authorities. This hostility arose from the destabilizing effect of pagans abandoning their traditional civic and family deities, which was seen as risking divine wrath. Paul interpreted this opposition, even from "lower cosmic gods," as confirmation of Christ's imminent victory.
Paul's view of the Law was complex: it was a divine privilege for Israel and a guide for righteous living, even for gentiles empowered by Christ's spirit. His negative remarks about the Law were primarily directed at gentiles who sought to "Judaize" without Christ, not at Jewish observance of Torah. Despite the Kingdom's delay, Paul's unwavering apocalyptic hope, bolstered by the ongoing turning of the nations, sustained his mission. Later Christian traditions often misinterpreted Paul, portraying him as anti-Jewish or advocating a "Law-free" Christianity, diverging from his original deeply Jewish, apocalyptic context.
Introduction To Paul “The Pagans Apostle”