Paul and the Hermeneutics of FaithIn recent years, scholars from both Christian and Jewish backgrounds have tried to rethink the relationship between earliest Christianity and its Jewish milieu; and Paul has emerged as a central figure in this debate. The present book contributes to this scholarly discussion by seeing Paul and his Jewish contemporaries as, above all, readers of scripture. However different the conclusions they draw, they all endeavour to make sense of the same normative scriptural texts - in the belief that, as they interpret the scriptural texts, the texts will themselves interpret and illuminate the world of contemporary experience. In that sense, Paul and his contemporaries are standing on common ground. Far from relativizing their differences, however, it is this common ground that makes such differences possible. This book seeks to show how three distinct bodies of literature in fact constitute a single intertextual field. It is therefore necessary to dismantle artificial scholarly boundaries between the Pauline letters, other extant Jewish writings of the period, and the scriptural texts themselves. The method adopted is to set a Pauline and a non-Pauline reading of a scriptural text alongside one another, to compare the ways in which the different readings seek to realize the semantic potential of the scriptural text, and to construct communal identity on that basis. Contrary to the view that these early readers merely impose their own pre-existing viewpoints on the scriptural texts, it becomes clear that they are profoundly engaged in fundamental hermeneutical issues. |
Contents
The Covenant and the Law of Life | 6 |
The Conflict of Interpretations | 24 |
The Rhetoric of Citation | 40 |
Antithetical Hermeneutics | 54 |
Reading the Twelve | 78 |
The Persecuted Interpreter | 112 |
The God of my Salvation | 127 |
Living from the Vision | 148 |
Moses rewritten | 329 |
Law and Immortality | 342 |
Numbers | 354 |
Narratives of Judgment and Salvation | 380 |
Deuteronomy 1 | 415 |
Israels Predicament | 426 |
Israels Hope | 439 |
The Return to the Law | 454 |
Genesis 1 | 167 |
The Narrated Promise | 183 |
Genesis 2 | 220 |
Nature and the Patriarch | 236 |
The Founder of Religion and Science | 252 |
Exodus | 273 |
The Veiled Text | 281 |
The Glory of Moses | 298 |
Leviticus | 314 |
Deuteronomy 2 | 474 |
Moses Daniel and the End | 481 |
For and Against Moses | 488 |
Paul and Ezra | 503 |
Conclusion | 514 |
534 | |
558 | |
578 | |
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Common terms and phrases
1QpHab Abraham addressed argues argument author of Wisdom Baruch Ben Sira blessing Chaldeans chapter Christ Christian christological circumcision citation cited claim context contrast Corinthians covenant curse death Deuteronomy dialogue divine command divine saving action E. P. Sanders eschatological event evil exile Exodus Ezekiel Ezra Ezra's father fundamental Galatians Genesis Gentiles glory God's gospel Greek Habakkuk 2.4 Hebrew hermeneutical Hosea human identified Isaiah Jesus Jewish Jews Josephus Jubilees Judaism judgment land law observance law's Leviticus Leviticus 18.5 live Lord Moses motif N. T. Wright Nahum narrative narrator Numbers obedience original passage Paul Pauline Pentateuch pesharim pesher pesherist Philo Phinehas present prophetic text Psalm Qumran reader reference represents righteousness by faith role Romans salvation Sanders scriptural scriptural text seed Septuagint significance simply Sinai sons of Israel soteriological speaks specific statement stone tablets story Teacher of Righteousness Testament theological Torah tradition transgression Twelve veil words writing YHWH