Paul and the Vocation of Israel: How Paul's Jewish Identity Informs his Apostolic Ministry, with Special Reference to Romans

Description

The Apostle Paul was the greatest early missionary of the Christian gospel. He was also, by his own admission, an Israelite. How can both these realities coexist in one individual? This book argues that Paul viewed his mission to the Gentiles, in and of itself, as the primary expression of his Jewish identity. The concept of Israel’s divine vocation is used to shed fresh light on a number of much-debated passages in Paul’s letter to the Romans. 1 Introduction 1.1 Paul’s Jewish identity 1.2 The vocational dimension of Jewish identity 1.3 Romans: An exercise in Jewish vocation 1.4 Preview of the argument 2 Review of literature 2.1 Paul’s apostolic mission and Israel’s vocation 2.1.1 “Patterns of religion” approaches 2.1.2 Albert Schweitzer 2.1.3 Johannes Munck 2.1.4 Krister Stendahl 2.1.5 Karl-Wilhelm Niebuhr 2.1.6 Stanley Stowers 2.1.7 James Dunn 2.1.8 N. T. Wright 2.1.9 Terence Donaldson 2.2 Related issues 2.2.1 The relationship between Jewish identity and Christ-believing identity 2.2.2 The debate over Jewish “mission” 2.3 Summary 3 Paul’s language of Jewish identity 3.1 Jewish distinctiveness 3.1.1 “Jew” and “circumcision”: Terms of Jewish distinctiveness 3.1.2 Common objections to the notion of Jewish distinctiveness in Paul 3.1.2.1 Gentiles as the “seed of Abraham”? 3.1.2.2 An inclusive use of “Israel” in Rom 9–11? 3.1.2.3 Paul’s definition of “Israel” in terms of God’s “call” (Rom 9:6b–13) 3.1.2.4 The metaphor of the olive tree (Rom 11:17–24) 3.1.2.5 “We are the circumcision” (Phil 3:3) 3.1.2.6 The “Israel of God” (Gal 6:16) 3.1.2.7 Christians as “spiritual” Jews? (Rom 2:28–29) 3.1.3 An ethnic distinctiveness 3.1.4 A theological distinctiveness 3.2 Jewish identity and divine revelation 3.2.1 Jewish identity and the Law of Moses 3.2.2 “Israelites” and divine revelation 3.2.3 “Hebrews” and divine revelation 3.3 Jewish identity and divine vocation 3.3.1 The Law of Moses: A basis for Jewish vocation 3.3.2 Abraham’s fatherhood / seed: A paradigm for Jewish vocation 3.3.2.1 In Paul’s letters 3.3.2.2 In Paul’s Jewish context 3.3.3 “Judaism” / “zeal”: Paul’s former expression of Jewish vocation 3.3.4 Paul’s opposition to alternative expressions of Jewish vocation 3.4 Summary: Paul’s language of Jewish identity 4 The Jewishness of Paul’s vocation (Romans 1:1–15 & 15:14–33) 4.1 Paul and the Isaianic Servant 4.1.1 Paul’s identification with the Isaianic Servant: Evidence 4.1.2 Paul’s identification with the Isaianic Servant: Common objections 4.1.2.1 ??????: A term of humility? 4.1.2.2 ??????: A common term for believers? 4.1.2.3 ??????: An economic or political allusion? 4.1.3 Paul’s identification with the Isaianic Servant: Significance 4.2 Paul and Israel’s priesthood 4.2.1 Paul’s consecration 4.2.2 Paul’s priestly ministry 4.3 Paul and contemporary expressions of Jewish vocation 4.3.1 “Proselytism”? 4.3.2 Accommodation? 4.3.3 Apologetics? 4.3.4 Israel as a global priesthood? 4.3.5 Eschatological expectations 4.3.6 Apparent anomalies 4.4 Summary: Paul’s fulfilment of Israel’s eschatological vocation 5 Paul’s contest over Jewish identity (Romans 2:17–29) 5.1 Romans 2:17–29 as an argument about Jewish identity 5.1.1 The discrete function of Rom 2:17–29 within the argument of Romans 5.1.2 The social context of Rom 2:17–29: the Jewish synagogue 5.1.3 The unity of Rom 2:17–29 5.2 Jewish identity and the Law (Romans 2:17–20) 5.2.1 The Law and Jewish privilege (Rom 2:17–18) 5.2.2 The Law and Jewish vocation (Rom 2:19–20) 5.2.2.1 Jewish Law and the teaching of Gentiles 5.2.2.2 The identity of Paul’s interlocutor 5.3 Jewish identity deconstructed (Romans 2:21–27) 5.3.1 The failure of Law-teaching (Rom 2:21–24) 5.3.1.1 Jewish transgression of the Law (vv. 21–22) 5.3.1.2 The failure of Jewish vocation to the nations (vv. 23–24) 5.3.2 The failure of circumcision (Rom 2:25–27) 5.3.2.1 A commonly held truth (v. 25) 5.3.2.2 A contested issue (v. 26) 5.3.2.3 The radical consequences (v. 27) 5.4 Jewish identity redefined (Romans 2:28–29) 5.4.1 Jewish identity: Not in the mainstream synagogue 5.4.2 Jewish identity: Within the Christ-believing community 5.4.3 Jewish honour: Not from people, but from God 5.5 Summary: Paul’s contest over Jewish identity 6 Paul’s fulfilment of Israel’s vocation (Romans 9–11) 6.1 Paul’s vocation: The framework for Romans 9–11 6.1.1 The prominence of Paul’s persona in Rom 9–11 6.1.2 Tensions concerning Israel’s vocation in Rom 9–11 6.1.3 Paul’s first-person resolution of these tensions 6.2 Paul and Israel: Conflicting vocations (Romans 9:1–5) 6.2.1 The apostolic identification with Israel (Rom 9:1–3) 6.2.2 Israel’s purpose in light of the apostolic vocation (Rom 9:4–5) 6.3 Paul and Israel: Competing vocations (Romans 10) 6.3.1 Israel’s failed vocation (Rom 10:1–4) 6.3.2 The apostolic preaching vocation (Rom 10:5–13) 6.3.3 The apostolic fulfilment of Israel’s vocation (Rom 10:14– 18) 6.3.4 The ongoing failure of Israel’s vocation (Rom 10:19–21) 6.4 Paul and Israel: Converging vocations (Romans 11) 6.4.1 The apostle as the paradigmatic Israelite (Rom 11:1–2a) 6.4.1.1 The inadequacy of alternative proposals 6.4.1.2 Paul’s self-description and Israel’s vocation 6.4.2 The apostle against Israel (Rom 11:2b–10) 6.4.3 The apostle and Israel: Complementary vocations (Rom 11:11–14) 6.4.4 The apostle and Israel: Corresponding vocations (Rom 11:15–16) 6.4.5 The apostle’s vocation and Israel’s salvation 6.5 Summary: Paul’s fulfilment of Israel’s vocation in Romans 9–11 7 Conclusions 7.1 Summary of the argument 7.2 Implications for further study Bibliography Index of Ancient Texts Index of Modern Authors