Source: “The Parting Of The Gods: Paul And The Redefinition Of Judaism**”**, By David Allen Brondos, 2021
Redefining The Basis For Gods Forgiveness.wav
This podcast redefines the traditional understanding of God's forgiveness and atonement in both Second Temple Jewish thought and Pauline theology. It challenges the prevalent notion of penal substitution, arguing that ancient Jewish thought did not view sacrifices, suffering, or death as inherently atoning or as a means to placate an angry God. Instead, it asserts that genuine repentance and a renewed commitment to God's will were the true basis for forgiveness, with sacrifices serving as a visible expression of this inner change. The text extends this reinterpretation to Paul's view of Jesus's death, positing that Christ's sacrifice was not a payment for sins but rather the ultimate demonstration of love that enabled a new life of righteousness and obedience in believers, thereby facilitating their reconciliation with God.
Topic 1: Second Temple Jewish Thought on Forgiveness and Sacrifice In Second Temple Jewish belief, sin was an unavoidable aspect of human existence, meaning even the righteous regularly acknowledged their transgressions. The path to God's forgiveness was consistently understood to involve a profound acknowledgment of sinfulness, sincere repentance, and a renewed, active commitment to living in accordance with God's will as revealed through the Torah. The Torah also specified sacrificial rites, which were seen as a prescribed way for individuals who had sinned to outwardly express their repentance and seek divine forgiveness. However, it is an important distinction that the ancient writings themselves do not provide a detailed explanation of the "modus operandi" or the exact "mechanics" of how these sacrificial rites were believed to function in bringing about atonement. Many scholars, both Jewish and Christian, have historically assumed a clear, implicit understanding of these mechanics among the original authors and readers, despite the absence of explicit explanations in the texts.
Topic 2: Critique of Penal Substitution and Misconceptions of Sacrifice A widely held Christian interpretation of ancient Jewish sacrifices is the concept of "penal substitution." This view suggests that animals offered as sacrifices for sin endured, in place of the offerers, the suffering or death that the offerers deserved due to their sins. It implies a transfer of sins or guilt to the animal, and the shedding of its blood was seen as a demonstration that the necessary penalty had been exacted, thereby propitiating God's wrath. However, the text argues that this interpretation is fundamentally at odds with ancient Hebrew and Jewish thought. It highlights several issues: the sacrificial system was not primarily for sparing divine punishment, those deserving punishment (like the death penalty) were never given the option of sacrifice, and failure to offer a sacrifice for sin did not automatically lead to the death penalty. Furthermore, God was understood to retain the freedom to forgive or chastise sins as he saw fit, independent of sacrifices, and many scriptural passages show God forgiving sins without any sacrificial offering. The idea that sin offerings propitiated God's wrath is also not found in the Torah.
Topic 3: The True Basis of Forgiveness in Jewish Thought A central and recurring theme is that God's acceptance, forgiveness, and the appeasement of his wrath were not achieved by some inherent power or "mechanics" of sacrifice itself. Instead, the sole requirement for obtaining God's favor was a genuine, heartfelt, and renewed commitment to living in conformity with God's will, which included practicing justice and righteousness. If this sincere inner disposition was absent, no sacrifice, regardless of its grandeur or cost, could please God or secure his forgiveness. Conversely, individuals who were truly repentant, who approached God with a sincere heart, and who demonstrated a renewed dedication to fulfilling his will, were consistently believed to be acceptable to God and to receive his forgiveness. While they were expected to offer sacrifices if able, these acts were merely external expressions and tangible manifestations of their internal repentance and commitment to obedience, rather than the independent cause of forgiveness.
Topic 4: Purpose of Sacrificial Rites The text clarifies that God did not command sacrifices because he needed them for his own sake, or to satisfy a divine requirement for payment or punishment. The obstacle to God's forgiveness was perceived to lie within human beings—their refusal to live according to God's good will—not in God himself. God's holiness, justice, and righteousness were understood to desire the people's return to obedience, righteousness, and love after sinning, not merely the infliction of a penalty. Therefore, sacrifices themselves possessed no inherent power to effect atonement. Instead, God prescribed sacrifices to cultivate specific attitudes and behaviors within his people, ultimately for their own benefit. Sacrifices for sin served as a means to encourage self-examination, acknowledgment of wrongdoing, and a renewed commitment to God's commandments. They promoted a way of life beneficial for the people's well-being, helping them abandon destructive attitudes. Additionally, sacrifices were viewed as embodied prayers—a concrete way for people to convey the earnestness and sincerity of their petitions for forgiveness and to manifest their renewed dedication to God's will.
Topic 5: Reinterpretation of Vicarious Suffering and Death in 4 Maccabees The text delves into passages in 4 Maccabees, often cited by scholars to suggest that the suffering and death of a righteous person could atone for the sins of others. This is challenged by the source, which argues that the author of 4 Maccabees portrays the tortures and deaths of figures like Eleazar and the seven brothers not as substitutionary atonement for sin, but as a catalyst for strengthening the nation's resolve to observe the Law. Their unwavering faithfulness and perseverance unto death served as an inspiring example, reinforcing the people's obedience and demonstrating the superiority of adhering to God's Law even unto death. This demonstration of faithfulness was what pleased God, leading him to put an end to the tyranny. Terms like "suffice" or "purification" in this context are interpreted not as satisfying God's justice or cleansing sin forensically, but as fulfilling God's purpose of inspiring greater obedience and faithfulness within the community. It was the faithfulness of the sufferers and the renewed obedience it inspired in the people that appeased God, not the suffering or death in itself.
Topic 6: Contrast Between Israel's God and Pagan Deities Regarding Sacrifice A fundamental theological distinction is drawn between the God of Israel and the gods worshipped by other ancient nations. Unlike many pagan deities who were often depicted as needing or demanding sacrifices for their own gratification, or as being appeased by the literal suffering and death of humans (sometimes even human sacrifice as a substitute for others), the God of Israel was believed to be entirely different. He did not require sacrificial offerings for his own sake and took no pleasure in human suffering or death. Instead, Israel's God's desire and satisfaction came from the practice of goodness, justice, and mercy among his people, especially their care for the oppressed and needy. His wrath was provoked by injustice and oppression, not by a failure to provide material offerings. This profound difference underscores that the divine intent behind Israelite sacrifices was never about satisfying a bloodlust or a need for payment on God's part, but about fostering righteousness and obedience among his people.
Topic 7: Critique of Traditional Interpretations of Paul and Penal Substitution The text thoroughly examines and challenges prevalent traditional interpretations of Paul's theology, particularly the idea of penal substitution concerning Jesus' death. It notes that many believe Paul understood humanity's plight as needing forgiveness from God, which could only be achieved through Christ's death because God supposedly could not forgive sins without compromising his perfect holiness and justice. This perspective, it is argued, problematic and misplaces the core issue within God himself, suggesting an inability to forgive without payment. The source asserts that nowhere in Paul's epistles, the New Testament, or any early Christian writings until the Middle Ages, does the idea that God could not forgive sins without Jesus' death explicitly appear. It concludes that traditional interpretations often read back preconceived notions into Paul's concise formulaic statements about Jesus' death, rather than deriving them directly from his writings.
Topic 8: Paul's Narrative of Jesus' Purpose and Death The text proposes a different underlying narrative for Paul's understanding of Jesus' life and death. This narrative begins with God's overarching plan for humanity, predating Jesus' birth. God sent his Son into the world with a specific purpose: to bring both Jews and Gentiles back into a right relationship with him, to condemn the power of sin within them, and to enable them to fulfill the righteousness that the Law aimed for. In this narrative, Jesus' willingness to endure a slave's death on a cross was not a mere necessity to satisfy divine wrath, but the ultimate expression of his obedience, love, and dedication to his Father's will. His objective was to establish a community defined by his own qualities of love, compassion, humility, and solidarity. His death was the inevitable consequence of his unwavering commitment to this transformative mission, signaling that without such a complete self-giving, the new community he sought to establish, characterized by profound love and righteousness, could not become a reality.
Topic 9: Jesus' Death as a Means, Not the Sole Basis, for Forgiveness and Salvation In Paul's thought, Jesus' death is presented not as the basis or fundamental prerequisite for God's forgiveness and acceptance of believers, but rather as the means by which a new life of love and righteousness becomes attainable for them. This new life, characterized by conformity to God's will through Christ and the gospel, is the actual basis for their acceptance and forgiveness by God. Jesus' self-offering in death was seen as a petition to God for the acceptance and forgiveness of all who would become his followers. God responded favorably to this petition by raising Jesus from the dead and exalting him as Lord. This resurrection and exaltation made it possible for Jesus to continue his saving work, enabling believers to live in the new way of life that pleases God. Thus, while Jesus' death is crucial for salvation, it is because it enabled the transformative new life in believers, which then leads to their justification and reconciliation with God, rather than being a standalone payment to God.
Topic 10: Reinterpreting Pauline Sacrificial and "Dying with Christ" Language The text systematically reinterprets various Pauline phrases and concepts often misunderstood through traditional lenses. For instance, when Paul states "Christ died for our sins," it is understood not as a penal substitute, but in the sense that Jesus' death was a direct result of his unwavering commitment to saving people from their sinful ways, or that his death was caused by the sins of his opponents. The phrase "Christ our Passover lamb has been sacrificed" is interpreted typologically as a liberation from bondage to sin, not as an expiatory sacrifice for sins. Concepts like believers being "bought with a price" refer to the immense cost Jesus paid—his life—to establish his community and make believers his own, not a literal payment to God or the devil. Similarly, "dying to the law" and being "crucified with Christ" are understood metaphorically. They signify a complete identification with Christ's self-giving love and rejection of worldly values, and a commitment manifested in baptism to abandoning the old sinful self to live a new life of righteousness and obedience to God. The term "hilasterion" applied to Christ is understood as him being the one through whom believers can draw near to God to find forgiveness and acceptance, because through him they are transformed to live in conformity with God's will.