Paul’s ‘Works of the Law’ in the Perspective of Second Century Reception
by Matthew J. Thomas
Paul writes that we are justified by faith apart from ‘works of the law’, a disputed term that represents a fault line between ‘old’ and ‘new’ perspectives on Paul. Was the Apostle reacting against the Jews’ good works done to earn salvation, or the Mosaic Law’s practices that identified the Jewish people? Matthew J. Thomas examines how Paul’s second century readers understood these points in conflict, how they relate to ‘old’ and ‘new’ perspectives, and what their collective witness suggests about the Apostle’s own meaning. Surprisingly, these early witnesses align closely with the ‘new’ perspective, though their reasoning often differs from both viewpoints. They suggest that Paul opposes these works neither due to moralism, nor primarily for experiential or social reasons, but because the promised new law and covenant, which are transformative and universal in scope, have come in Christ.
- By (author) Matthew J Thomas
Other Titles in this Series
Sturmfahrt und Schiffbruch
Zur lukanischen Verwendung eines literarischen Topos in Apostelgeschichte 27,1-28,6
Volume 274
Sunde und Rechtfertigung bei Paulus
Eine exegetische Untersuchung zum paulinischen Sundenverstandnis aus soteriologischer Sicht
Volume 318
Constructing a New Covenant
Discursive Strategies in the Damascus Document and Second Corinthians
Volume 233
Erwahlung und Berufung bei Paulus
Bedeutung, Entwicklung und Funktion einer Vorstellung in ihrem fruhjudischen und griechisch-romischen Kontext
Volume 630
Die Niedrigkeit Jesu und seiner Jungerschaft
Eine Studie zur Korrelation von Ethik und Christologie in Mt 16,21-20,34
Volume 549
Exploring Johannine Ethics
A Rhetorical Approach to Moral Efficacy in the Fourth Gospel Narrative
Volume 449
Hidden Criticism?
The Methodology and Plausibility of the Search for a Counter-Imperial Subtext in Paul
Volume 392
Die Ethik des Johannesevangeliums im sprachlichen Feld des Handelns
Kontexte und Normen neutestamentlicher Ethik / Contexts and Norms of New Testament Ethics. Band V
Volume 359
Pistis and the Righteous One
A Study of Romans 1:17 against the Background of Scripture and Second Temple Jewish Literature
Volume 235
The Destroyer and the Lamb
The Relationship between Angelomorphic and Lamb Christology in the Book of Revelation
Volume 203
Die Wunder an den Widersachern
Wunderhermeneutik am Beispiel der Strafwunder im lukanischen Doppelwerk
Volume 612
The Temple Keys of Isaiah 22:22, Revelation 3:7, and Matthew 16:19
The Isaianic Temple Background and Its Spatial Significance for the Mission of Early Christ Followers
Volume 559
The Poor, the Crippled, the Blind, and the Lame
Physical and Sensory Disability in the Gospels of the New Testament
Volume 469
Pioneer and Perfecter of Faith
Jesus' Faith as the Climax of Israel's History in the Epistle to the Hebrews
Volume 338
Language and Identity in Ancient Narratives
The Relationship between Speech Patterns and Social Context in the Acts of the Apostles, Acts of John, and Acts of Philip
Volume 370
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