Paul, Judaism, and the Gentiles: Beyond the New Perspective

by Francis Watson

Overview

In this new, completely rewritten edition of his major 1986 book, Francis Watson extends, updates, and clarifies his response to E.áP. Sanders's view of Paul, in order to point the way beyond the polarization of "new" and "old" perspectives on the apostle.

The Paul who comes to light in these pages is agent and thinker, apostle and theologian. He is a highly contextual figure, yet his account of Christian identity continues to shape the church's life to this day. He is the founder of mainly Gentile, Christ-believing communities, separated from the synagogue; and yet he can see this distinctive existence as an authentic response to Jewish scripture and tradition, as fulfilled in Christ. He is a many-sided figure, transcending all our attempts to categorize him or to co-opt him for our own favored causes.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802840202
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	09/14/2007
Edition description:	Second Edition,Revised
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	897,021
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Francis Watson holds a research chair in biblical interpretation at Durham University, England. Well known for his work in both theological interpretation and Pauline studies, he is also the author of Paul and the Hermeneutics of Faith.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Revised Edition     xi
Abbreviations     xiv
Beyond the New Perspective: Introduction to the Revised Edition of Paul, Judaism, and the Gentiles     1
Retrospective     2
Divergences     12
Paul, the Reformation, and Modern Scholarship     27
The Lutheran Reading of Paul     28
Opposition to the Lutheran Reading     40
A Sociological Approach     51
Jewish Law and Gentile Mission
The Origins of Paul's View of the Law     59
The Evidence of Acts     61
The Cornelius Episode     61
The Origins of the Antiochene Church     64
The Evidence of Paul's Letters     69
A Mission to the Diaspora     70
Gentile Circumcision and the Diaspora Synagogue     74
Jewish Rejection and Gentile Mission     79
Freedom and Alienation     83
Two Sociological Models     86
Qumran     89
The Johannine Community     93
Paul     96
The Galatian Crisis     100
The Origins of the Crisis     100
Mission to Gentiles: Early Debates     102
From the Jerusalem Council to the Antioch Incident     105
The Founding of the Galatian Churches     108
Agitation in Galatia     112
Paul's Response to the Crisis     118
Denunciation     118
Antithesis     121
Reinterpretation     131
Philippi, Corinth and the Jewish Christian Mission     136
Philippians 3: A Postscript to Galatians     137
Place and Time of Writing     137
Denunciation     143
Antithesis     146
"Judaizers" at Corinth?     150
Jewish Christianity in 1 Corinthians?     151
Paul's Opponents in 2 Corinthians 10-13     152
2 Corinthians 3 as Evidence for "Judaizers"?     156
Jews, Gentiles, and Romans
Rome in Pauline Perspective     163
The Question of the Purpose of Romans     163
The Origins of Roman Christianity     167
A Divided Community (Romans 14:1-15:13)     175
Gentiles and Jews in Rome (Romans 16)     182
The Evidence of Romans 1:1-17 and 15:14-33     188
The Social Function of Romans 2     192
A Sociological Approach to Romans 1-11     192
Romans 2: Denunciation     197
Critique of the Jewish View of the Covenant     197
The Obedient Gentiles     205
Pauline Antithesis and Its Social Correlate (Romans 3)     217
The Textuality of the Law (Romans 3:1-20)     219
Jews, Gentiles, and Faith (Romans 3:21-31)     231
Secondary Comparisons (Romans 3:27-31)     245
The Law and Christian Identity (Romans 4-8)     259
Reinterpreting Abraham (Romans 4)     260
Grace and Works     262
A Symbol of Unity     265
Christ, Hope, and Reconciliation (Romans 5)     269
The Social Significance of Hope     270
The Universal Christ     273
Grace, Law, and Sin (Romans 6-7)     275
Two Communal Identities     276
The Genesis of Sin     279
Law and Spirit (Romans 7-8)     288
"To those under law as one under law..."     289
A Conflict of Jurisdictions     291
Rehabilitating the Law     296
Election: Reimagining the Scriptural Witness (Romans 9-11)     301
Orientation (Romans 9:1-5)     303
The Pattern of Election (Romans 9:6-29)     308
The Dynamics of Election (Romans 9:30-10:21)     322
The Scriptural Hope (Romans 11:1-36)     334
Conclusion      344
Christ, Law, and Freedom: A Plea for the Sensus Literalis     351
The Prejudice against Particularity     354
The Elements of Christian Grammar     360
Bibliography     370
Index of Authors     388
Index of Subjects     392
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Texts     394

Editorial Reviews

J. Ross Wagner
— Princeton Theological Seminary
"Like a fine wine, Francis Watson's insightful early work on Paul has aged well, retaining its fundamental character while acquiring new depths of subtlety, complexity, and maturity. Watson moves beyond the tired dogmas of 'old' and 'new' perspectives alike, blending historical, sociological, and theological approaches to offer a richly textured account of Paul and his gospel that significantly advances the discussion even as it provokes important new questions for future research."

Douglas Campbell
— Duke Divinity School
"Here we return to Watson's brilliant suggestion in 1986 that Paul's justification texts and arguments can only be comprehended as they are located in their underlying missiological and sociological dynamics — in particular, in the radical sectarian break made by the apostle's churches away from orthopractic Judaism. Updated, and with links to his other important works explained, the result is vintage Watson — a series of creative if not provocative theses, argued combatively, with enviable clarity, and with impressive learning."

From the Publisher