Join a group of renowned international New Testament and Second Temple Judaism scholars as they explore Paul as a Jewish theologian. Jettisoning the assumption that Paul left behind the majority of his Jewish heritage—a belief still prevelant after 30 years of the “New Perspective,”—following the appearance of Jesus Christ to him on the Damascus Road, these scholars attempt to refine the New Perspective even further. A helpful introductory chapter surveys recent study of Paul and highlights the core questions about Paul’s post-conversion relationship to Judaism and its implications for Christian understanding of Paul’s thought. Other chapters explore the implications of reading Paul as aimed at Christ-following non-Jews, teaching them how to live in ways consistent with Judaism while remaining gentiles.
The contributors take different methodological approaches: historical, ideological-critical, gender-critical, and empire-critical, and examine issues of terminology and of interfaith relations. Surprising common ground among the contributors presents a coherent alternative to the “New Perspective.” The volume concludes with a critical evaluation of the Paul within Judaism perspective by Terence L. Donaldson, a well-known voice representative of the best insights of the New Perspective.
In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.
Looking for sympathetic but critical review of he New Perspective on Paul? Check out Don Garlington’s New Perspective on Paul Collection.
Magnus Zetterholm is associate professor in New Testament studies at Lund University and author of Approaches to Paul: A Student’s Guide to Recent Scholarship, The Formation of Christianity in Antioch: A Social-Scientific Approach to the Separation Between Judaism and Christianity, and edited The Messiah: In Early Judaism and Christianity.
Mark D. Nanos is lecturer at the University of Kansas and author of The Mystery of Romans: The Jewish Context of Paul’s Letter and The Irony of Galatians: Paul’s Letter in First-Century Context. He also contributed chapters to Paul and Judaism: Crosscurrents in Pauline Exegesis and the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations and Reading Paul in Context: Explorations in Identity Formation: Essays in Honour of William S. Campbell.