Paul and Second Temple Judaism

This book is a compilation of twenty essays

that compare and contrast the epistle to the Romans with pertinent Second Temple Jewish texts. The introduction of the book, which also serves as its thesis, acknowledges the lack of introductory material that would allow beginners to compare Paul’s work with suitable Roman Texts that might shed light on the spiritual and cultural outlook of the populace at Paul’s time. In the words of the authors, the purpose of this book is “...to investigate Paul’s relationship with Second Temple Judaism by bringing together a series of accessible essays that compare and contrast the perspectives and hermeneutical practices of Paul and his various kinsmen (p. 21).” The chapters that come after this successively compare a portion and the major theme in it with a sample from the Second Temple Jewish text that expresses a similarity in theological content.

Three Doctor of Philosophy graduates of Durham University

work together to compile this work, an institution that has played a significant role as far as their approach to Scriptural studies is concerned. This is evident from the fact that one of their former lecturers has written the book’s forward and is appreciated in the dedication. These three are Dr. Ben C. Blackwell. Dr. John K Goodrich and Dr. Jason Maston. Dr. Maston works as an assistant professor of Christianity at Houston Baptist University. He has authored a book entitled Christosis: Pauline Soteriology in Light of Deification in Irenaeus and Cyril of Alexandria. Dr. Maston also works at Houston Baptist University as an assistant professor is the current chairperson of the theology department. He has penned the book Divine and Human Agency in Second Temple Judaism and Paul: A Comparative Approach. Dr. Goodrich, on the other hand, works as an assistant Bible professor at Chicago’s Moody Bible Institute. He too has authored the book, Paul as an Administrator of God in 1 Corinthians. These are evidently academic giants who are enlightened in the Pauline Corpus and have cutting-edge knowledge in the Second Temple circumstantial approach to the work of Paul. It is basing on this strength that this work can be said to be one of the finest.

Dr. Francis Watson in his forward

of his former students’ book illuminates the reality that the Christian community played a greater role in preserving Second Temple Jewish texts as compared to their Hebrew counterparts. This means that these works were very crucial to early Christian theologians. On this basis, Dr. Watson believes that one cannot fully comprehend Paul’s Theology without referring to these modern texts. The editors rely on this to purpose and build their work. After completing the dissection of a text argument, the corresponding author then develops the variances and resemblances between them. Although this is a collection of articles authored by several writers, and concerned with comparing Romans with Second Temple Judaism, there are articles penned by each one of them. This is useful if one wants to be certain that the editors achieved their purpose. Because the articles authored by others in comparison to those written by the editors are consistent, it makes sense to conclude that the content is in agreement. Therefore, the editors have successfully realized their goal through their use of multiple authors.

Given that each section of Romans

is compared correctly with a modern text, the realization of a context for Paul is achieved. Nonetheless, this kind of approach demonstrates the variance from the normal that Paul’s theology has gone. As Watson says, ”Their Christian radicalism comes to light only if we allow them to converse with related texts that share some of their core concerns but understand them differently (p. 14).” There is no question that the analysis of Paul’s main argument as discussed in each chapter of the book is useful to persons studying Romans. In addition, the replication of this truth against Jewish thought in Paul’s day is thought-provoking. All the same, the Historical and cultural context given in these comparisons do not fully capture the appreciation of Paul’s theology. It is my view that this book is a great addition to Pauline study and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in adding a new way of understanding theology in reference to Paul.

Bibliography

Blackwell, Ben C, John K Goodrich, and Jason Maston. Reading Romans In Context. 1st ed. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2015.

Blackwell, Ben C. Christosis. 1st ed. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011.

Goodrich, John K. Paul As An Administrator Of God In 1 Corinthians. 1st ed. Cambridge [u.a.]: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2012.

Maston, Jason. Divine And Human Agency In Second Temple Judaism And Paul: A Comparative Study. 1st ed. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2012.