Reading Romans within Judaism: Collected Essays of Mark D. Nanos, Vol. 2

by Mark D. Nanos

Overview

Over fifty years ago, Vatican II's Nostra Aetate 4 drew from Romans 11 to challenge the way Paul's voice has been used to negatively discuss Jews and Judaism. The church called for Catholics to conceptualize Jews as "brothers" in "an everlasting covenant," and many other Christian organizations have expressed similar sentiments in the years since. Nevertheless, the portrayal of Jews as "branches broken off," "hardened," "without faith," "disobedient," and "enemies of God" whom Christians have "replaced" as "true Israel," are among the many ways that readers encounter Paul's views of Jews and Judaism in today's translations and interpretations of this chapter, and throughout the letter as well. In the chapters in this volume, Nanos shows why these translations and interpretive decisions, among others, do not likely represent what Paul wrote or meant. Each essay offers challenges to the received view of Paul from the research hypothesis that Paul and the Christ-followers to whom he wrote were still practicing Judaism (a Jewish way of life) within subgroups of the Jewish synagogue communities of Rome, and that they understood Paul to observe Torah and promote Judaism for their communities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498242325
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	06/28/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	342
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Mark D. Nanos (PhD, University of St. Andrews, Scotland) is a Lecturer at the University of Kansas; his books include The Mystery of Romans (1996), The Irony of Galatians (2002), and as co-editor, Paul within Judaism (2015).
Mark D. Nanos (PhD, University of St. Andrews, Scotland) is a Lecturer at the University of Kansas; his books include The Mystery of Romans (1996), The Irony of Galatians (2002), and as co-editor, Paul within Judaism (2015).

Table of Contents

Preface vii

Permissions xxxiii

Part I A New Approach to Romans: Paul's Synagogue Correspondence

1 To the Churches within the Synagogues of Rome 3

Part II Exegetical Support for Non-Jews within the Synagogues of Rome as Paul's Target Audience

2 Some Problems with Reading Romans through the Lens of the Edict of Claudius 23

3 The Jewish Context of the Gentile Audience Addressed in Paul's Letter to the Romans 40

4 A Rejoinder to Robert A. J. Gagnon's "Why the 'Weak' at Rome Cannot Be Non-Christian Jews" 65

Part III A New Exegetical Approach to Romans 9-11 and Christian-Jewish Relations

5 Romans 9-11 from a Jewish Perspective on Christian-Jewish Relations 103

6 "Broken Branches": A Pauline Metaphor Gone Awry? (Romans 11:11-24) 112

7 "Callused," Not "Hardened": Paul's Revelation of Temporary Protection until All Israel Can Be Healed 153

8 Romans 11 and Christian-Jewish Relations: Exegetical Options for Revisiting the Translation and Interpretation of This Central Text 179

9 The Translation of Romans 11 since the Shoah: What's Different? What's Not? What Could Be? 200

10 "The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable" (Romans 11:29): If So, How Can Paul Declare that "Not All Israelites Truly Belong to Israel" (9:6)? 214

Part IV Special Occasions

11 Challenging the Limits That Continue to Define Paul's Perspective on Jews and Judaism 237

12 Implications of Paul's Hopes for the End of Days for Jews and Christians Today: A Critical Re-evaluation of the Evidence -co-authored with Philip Cunningham 249

Appendix: Translating Romans 11:11-12:1a within Judaism: Literal-Oriented and Expanded Versions 285

Index of Ancient Sources 293

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Over the years, Nanos has exposed many unexamined and problematic assumptions readers often bring to their reading of Paul. In this collection of essays, we are given a chance to trace how Nanos further developed his thoughts on Paul’s letter to the Romans since the publication of The Mystery of Romans (1996). Consider this, then, Nanos’s sequel to that award-winning monograph. Unlike most sequels, this one did not let me down.”

—Tat-siong Benny Liew, College of the Holy Cross



“The ‘Paul within Judaism’ approach is dedicated to reading Paul as a Jew, writing to congregations still affiliated with Diaspora synagogues, and rooting out Christian supersessionist assumptions wherever they appear in scholarship on the apostle. Meticulous exegetical and historical precision have been as characteristic of Nanos’s work as has the daring of his guiding hypotheses. These close readings of key aspects of Romans stand as testaments to his achievement and challenges to the research ahead.”

—Neil Elliott, author of The Arrogance of Nations: Reading Romans in the Shadow of Empire (2008)



“These essays will remind readers why Mark Nanos is rightly regarded as one of the chief architects of the Paul within Judaism perspective. Paradigm shifts in biblical studies often involve fresh, challenging, and credible exegetical insights, and one will find a plethora of them here. Even when I’m not fully convinced by a particular rereading, I always come away feeling like my hermeneutical horizons have been profitably expanded by what Mark has to say. I look forward to discussing these essays with students for years to come!”

—Mark D. Given, Missouri State University



“These essays, the fruit of close attention to the text of Romans, are indicative of Nanos' unique contribution to the interpretation of Romans. Significantly, both Paul and the Christ-following groups in Rome are viewed as part of Jewish community life. This challenges traditional approaches, and standard translations, and offers a fresh analysis of the historical context. Nanos opens up exciting avenues to further explore one of the most influential documents of Christian tradition in relation to Judaism.”

—William S. Campbell, University of Wales

Editorial Reviews

Over the years, Nanos has exposed many unexamined and problematic assumptions readers often bring to their reading of Paul. In this collection of essays, we are given a chance to trace how Nanos further developed his thoughts on Paul’s letter to the Romans since the publication of The Mystery of Romans (1996). Consider this, then, Nanos’s sequel to that award-winning monograph. Unlike most sequels, this one did not let me down.”

—Tat-siong Benny Liew, College of the Holy Cross



“The ‘Paul within Judaism’ approach is dedicated to reading Paul as a Jew, writing to congregations still affiliated with Diaspora synagogues, and rooting out Christian supersessionist assumptions wherever they appear in scholarship on the apostle. Meticulous exegetical and historical precision have been as characteristic of Nanos’s work as has the daring of his guiding hypotheses. These close readings of key aspects of Romans stand as testaments to his achievement and challenges to the research ahead.”

—Neil Elliott, author of The Arrogance of Nations: Reading Romans in the Shadow of Empire (2008)



“These essays will remind readers why Mark Nanos is rightly regarded as one of the chief architects of the Paul within Judaism perspective. Paradigm shifts in biblical studies often involve fresh, challenging, and credible exegetical insights, and one will find a plethora of them here. Even when I’m not fully convinced by a particular rereading, I always come away feeling like my hermeneutical horizons have been profitably expanded by what Mark has to say. I look forward to discussing these essays with students for years to come!”

—Mark D. Given, Missouri State University



“These essays, the fruit of close attention to the text of Romans, are indicative of Nanos' unique contribution to the interpretation of Romans. Significantly, both Paul and the Christ-following groups in Rome are viewed as part of Jewish community life. This challenges traditional approaches, and standard translations, and offers a fresh analysis of the historical context. Nanos opens up exciting avenues to further explore one of the most influential documents of Christian tradition in relation to Judaism.”

—William S. Campbell, University of Wales

From the Publisher