|  Recently,
I have been investigating and seeking to articulate
the implications for Jewish - Christian relations of my reading of
Paul as a Torah-observant Jew founding communities that were still
identified with Judaism.
Detailed research presently
being undertaken includes Romans for the forthcoming Jewish Annotated
New Testament, a Romans Commentary, an essay on the olive tree
allegory in Romans
11, a paper on the importance of the Shema Israel in Paul's theology,
a paper on how the traditional view of Paul as Torah free, e.g., as
expressed in the common phrase "Law-free Gospel," is problematic, several
papers on the theme of Paul and Judaism, and a paper on 1 Corinthians
9:19-22.
Featured
News (updated 12-7-09):
I
contributed to a book presented to Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate
his dedication of The Year of the Apostle Paul (June '08 - June '09).
The
book is
an astonishingly beautiful illustrated manuscript, which can be seen
at the web site, Codex
Pauli. My
essay is entitled "Paul
and Judaism." It is on pages 54-55
in the volume; the attached
illustrated version of my essay can be seen here,
and at the web site in the sample pages (Sfoglia) 28/29.
Recently
Published:
"Paul
and Judaism: Why Not Paul's Judaism?" Pages
117-60 in
Mark Given, ed., Paul
Unbound: Other Perspectives on the
Apostle (Peabody,
Mass.: Hendrickson, 2009).
"The
Myth of the 'Law-Free' Paul Standing Between Christians
and Jews." In Studies
in Christian-Jewish Relations [SCJR] 4.1
(2009): 1-21. "Paul's
Reversal of Jews Calling Gentiles 'Dogs' (Philippians 3:2):
1600 Years of an Ideological Tale Wagging an Exegetical Dog?" In Biblical Interpretation 17.4
(2009): 448-482.
"New
or Renewed Covenantalism?: A Response to Richard Hays' '"Here
We Have No Lasting City": New Covenantalism in Hebrews.'" In The
Epistle to the Hebrews and Christian Theology. Edited
by R.J. Bauckham, D.R. Driver, T.A. Hart and N. MacDonald. Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009, 183-88.
"Le
relazioni christiano-giudaiche." In Paulus:
An International Magazine on Saint Paul 1.12 (June,
2009) 271-73 (English version submitted as "Romans
9—11 from a Jewish Perspective on Christian-Jewish Relations").
"Paul
and Judaism." In Codex
Pauli. Rome:
Società San Paolo, 2009,
54-55 [Sample pages (Sfoglia) 28/29 on Codex
Pauli web site].
"The Polytheist Identity
of the 'Weak,' And Paul's Strategy to 'Gain' Them: A New Reading
of 1 Corinthians 8:1—11:1." In S. E. Porter, ed., Paul:
Jew, Greek, and Roman (Pauline Studies 5; Leiden
and Boston: Brill, 2008) 179-210.
Suggested
Reading:
Magnus
Zetterholm's Approaches
to Paul (Fortress, 2009), surveys Pauline scholarship
at the classroom text level, and Pamela Eisenbaum's new book, Paul
Was Not a Christian (HarperOne, 2009). Both take
seriously Paul's Jewishness.
More About My Work:
Published
books include The
Mystery of Romans: The Jewish Context of Paul's Letter,
Fortress Press, 1996; The Irony
of Galatians: Paul's Letter in First-Century Context,
Fortress Press, 2002; The
Galatians Debate: Contemporary Issues in Rhetorical and Historical Interpretation,
Hendrickson, 2002. Galatians Debate is built around essays I found to be
important in several areas of research for Irony of Galatians,
and includes new essays that fill in gaps and acquaint the reader
with
some
of the latest
developments
in the debate. I hope it will prove to be a valuable tool for the classroom,
as well as the specialist. An extensive introduction
summarizes each of the contributions, which are grouped into sections
according to methodology and topic, facilitating research and discussion
not only of
Galatians, but of recent developments in rhetorical and historical interpretation
within the field. More details are available on the projects and reviews
pages.
Galatians
and Romans contain
much of the material from which histories of early Christianity and
interpretations of the Jerusalem churches and of Paul's
relationship to them have been developed. This has led me to investigate
more directly the Apostle Paul's relationship with the Jerusalem apostles
and churches. In one current project,
I am
working
specifically on topics concerning
Paul's
relationship with the Jerusalem based apostles and their communities.
In another, I am trying to penetrate the allegorical rhetoric of Galatians
4:21--5:1. Please check
the
right
hand
sidebar and related pages for more information
about
these as well as other current and planned
projects. More
Projects>>
Many
of my professional society papers and lectures are available as pdf's
for download: see the right hand column on the projects page.
I
am pleased to serve as the Soebbing Visiting Scholar at Rockhurst University,
a Jesuit University in Kansas City, Missouri, and as a lecturer at
University of Kansas. For a list of past, current, and planned class
offerings, see Lectures>> |
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Romans:
A Jewish Perspective: Commentary and Translation
Romans
has of course been such an important book for Christian perceptions
and positions on Jews and Judaism, and Jewish responses. There
is much at stake in both community's conceptions
of the other, and of the obstacles
and opportunities for better relations going forward, that continues
to be imacted by interpretations of Paul's language in this letter.
In this
project I plan to go through the letter verse by verse in commentary
style,
offering
translation alternatives and comments. Already I have discovered
many new possibilities to add to those discussed
in Mystery
of Romans. It is an exciting project to undertake, and
I hope to complete the work in 2010. Initiating discussions for
publication venue.
Paul
Between Christians and Jews
In this
current book project, I seek to communicate the benefits of my
reading of Paul as a Torah-observant Jew for
contemporary Jewish - Christian relations. My target audience is
the informed non-specialist, students, as well as specialists on
Paul, the New Testament and early Christianity and/or
Judaism,
and Jewish - Christian relations. This project builds on
recent lectures and a paper entitled: "A
Torah-Observant Paul?: What Difference Could it Make for Christian/
Jewish Relations Today?"
Paul
and Apostolic Judaism: An Introduction Anders
Runesson (of McMaster University) and I are co-writing a book project
designed to introduce Paul as a Torah-observant Jew who believed
that Jesus was the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the
Nations. We have coined the term
Apostolic Judaism
to signify this
dynamic. Discussions will focus on the Jewish and Greco-Roman
contexts of Paul
and the
various audiences of his letters alongside detailed examinations
of the messages he communicated. The outline is designed
to be suitable for a one semester introductory course
on Paul, or to be used for the Paul component of
a
broader New Testament course.
Rival
or Representative: Re-evaluating Paul's Perspective on the Jerusalem
Church
This project is in the intermediate stages
of research and writing. It builds on research recently published
on the Jerusalem Meeting and Antioch Incidents of Galatians 2.
The focal point is the investigation of Paul's language regarding
the Jewish
coalition
of believers in Jesus Christ in Jerusalem. Since Paul's extant
letters provide most of the available material written prior to
the Jewish
Revolt of the late 60's-70 c.e., these will be the primary area
of research,
rather than, e.g., Acts, or the even much later Pseudo-Clementines.
I hope to provide an historical construction of the Jerusalem Christ-believers'
position as it relates to my interpretation of Paul's thought and
behavior, for example, their policy on the admission of non-Jews
into this coalition.
Did it include the necessity of proselyte conversion? If not required,
did it allow for it? A focus on Paul's attitude toward and relationship
with the Jerusalem leaders of this coalition, such as James and
Peter, will be sustained. The dynamics of Paul's collection project
will be
investigated. As a result of one of the areas of research I have
begun to work on
a
related
project
investigating
the
allegory
of Galatians
4:21-31, discussed below.
What
Does "Present Jerusalem" (Gal 4:25) in Paul's Allegory Have
to Do with the Concerns of the Galatians?
I
am intrigued by Paul's introduction of language having to do
with Jerusalem "now" versus "above" in his
allegory of Galatians 4:21--5:1, and by the prevailing interpretations
of this language. Moreover, I find the entire allegory interesting.
It is so difficult to penetrate, calling upon familiarity with
Jewish midrashic exegesis and various Jewish interpretive traditions
about the stories of Abraham and his two wives and sons from
Genesis, as well as Isa 54:1. The traditional and prevailing
interpretations of this allegory depend upon decisions about
the addressees and Paul that I do not share. So I am interested
in investigating this allegory in depth, yet at the moment not
sure what this endeavor will yield, or when. Some of the results
of this research will be incorporated in a chapter in the Hendrickson
project mentioned above, but the balance will likely lead to
a paper and journal length project, and perhaps eventually a
monograph.
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| Lectures
and Other Current Projects |
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Posted
1-8-10:"Images of Jews and Judaism
in Paul's Letter to the Romans: Challenging Translation Decisions
That
Subvert Paul's Message" (King Lecture, Washburn University, Topeka,
KS, Wed., April 14, 7:30pm)
Posted
1-8-10: "'Callused,'
Not 'Hardened': Paul's Revelation of Temporary Protection
Until All Israel Can Be Healed" (Central
States SBL, St. Louis)
Posted
12-7-09: "Response to Pheme Perkins' 'The Letter
to the Romans as It Relates to Current Catholic Understanding
of the Relation of the Church to the Jewish People'" (Consultation
on Jewish-Catholic Relations: Interpreting Scripture and Current
Self-Understanding, Georgetown University, forthcoming)
Posted
12-7-09: "Did Paul Observe Torah in Light of
His Strategy 'to Become Everything to Everyone' (1 Corinthians
9:19-23)?" (Paper presented in the Pauline
Epistles section of the Society of Biblical Literature at the
Annual Meeting, New Orleans)
Posted
12-7-09: "'Broken
Branches': A Pauline Metaphor Gone Awry?" (Paper
presented in the Ancient Jewish-Christian Relations section of
the Society of Biblical Literature, Annual Meeting, New Orleans)
Revised
8-12-09: The
Apostle Paul and Jewish Dietary Contexts in the First-Century (4
Lecture Series) Jewish Community Center, Overland Park, KS,
7-8:30pm, 2009:
Tues., Oct 20: 1: Introduction to Paul and Judaism.
Tues., Oct 27: 2: Table-fellowship Tensions in Antioch,
Syria (Galatians 2:11-14)
Tues., Nov 3: 3: Idol Food Conundrums in Corinth, Greece
(1 Corinthians 8--10)
Thurs., Nov 12: 4: Vegetables-Only Attitudes in Rome,
Italy (Romans 14--15)
-----
Updated
12-7-09: Discussion of my essay, "What Was at Stake
in Peter's 'Eating with Gentiles' at Antioch?" at Westar
Institute (Oct 16, 2009). Voting
Results were in general agreement with my interpretive
proposals.
Posted
9-4-09: "Paul's
Relationship to Torah in Light of His Strategy 'to Become Everything
to Everyone' (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)" (Paper
to be presented for New Perspectives on Paul and the Jews: Interdisciplinary
Academic Seminar, Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium, Sept.
14-15)
Posted 6-10-09: "Romans
9—11 from a Jewish Perspective on Christian-Jewish
Relations" (English
version published as "Le
relazioni christiano-giudaiche." In Paulus:
An International Magazine on Saint Paul 1.12
(June, 2009) 271-73).
"When
in Rome, Would the Paul of 'All Things to All People' (1
Cor 9:19-23) Do as the Romans Do?" (Paper
presented at the Paul and Pauline Literature, International
Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Rome, Italy)
Posted
12-3-08: "The
Myth of the 'Law-Free' Paul Standing Between Christians and Jews."
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Recent
Discussions of the Implications of My Work for Jewish-Christian
Relations and Pauline Studies:
"The
Myth of the 'Traditional View of Paul' and the Role of the
Apostle in Modern Jewish-Christian Polemics," by
Daniel R. Langdon, Journal for the Study of the New
Testament 28.1
(2005) 69-104.
"Following
in the Footnotes of the Apostle Paul," by
Pamela Eisenbaum, pages 77-97 in Identity and the
Politics of Scholarship in the Study of Religion, eds.
J. I. Cabezón and S. G. Davaney, Routledge, 2004.
"Paul's
Religious Experience in the Eyes of Jewish Scholars," by
Alan F. Segal, pages 321-43 (specifically 340-43), in Israel's
God and Rebecca's Children, eds. D. Capes, et al.,
Baylor University Press, 2008.
"Jewish
Interpretation of Paul in the Last Thirty Years," by
Michael F. Bird and Preston M. Sprinkle, Currents
in Biblical Research (CBR) 6.3 (2008): 355-76.
"Paul,
the Jew Among the Nations--Mark D. Nanos," pages 147-55
in Approaches
to Paul: A Student's guide to recent scholarship, by Magnus Zetterholm, Fortress Press, 2009.
Supersessionism:
A Not So Super Idea. Bill Tammeus of the Kansas
City Star in an August 19, 2006, discusses recent conference
papers on supersessionism in the Letter to the Hebrews, and
the implications for Christian/Jewish relations today.
Taking
Another Look at Paul: Researchers are clearing apostle's
name of anti-Semitism associations: May 22,
2004 article in the Kansas City Star by Bill Tammeus explaining
the implications of our work on Paul for Jewish/Christian
Relations
Forthcoming
Publications:
"Romans." Introduction
and annotations for The Jewish Annotated New Testament.
Eds. Marc Brettler and Amy Jill Levine (Oxford University
Press, forthcoming 2011).
"Paul
and Judaism." In The Jewish Annotated
New Testament. Eds. Marc Brettler and Amy Jill
Levine (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2011).
"Paul's
Relationship to Torah in Light of His Strategy 'to Become Everything
to Everyone' (1 Corinthians 9:19-22)." In New
Perspectives on Paul and the Jews. Eds. Reimund
Bieringer and Didier Pollefeyt (Leuven: Peeters, forthcoming 2010).
"Paul
and the Jewish Tradition: The Ideology of the Shema." In Celebrating
Paul. Festschrift in Honor of J. A. Fitzmyer and J. Murphy-O'Connor.
Ed. Peter Spitaler (CBQMS; Washington D.C.: Catholic Biblical
Association of America, forthcoming 2010).
"'Broken
Branches': A Pauline Metaphor Gone Awry? (Romans 11:11-24)." In Romans
9—11 at the Interface Between the 'New Perspective on
Paul' and Jewish-Christian Dialog. Eds. Ross
Wagner and Florian Wilk (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, forthcoming
2010), 339-376.
"Galatians." A
7500 word entry for Blackwell's
Companion to the New Testament, ed. David Aune, forthcoming 2010, pages 455-74.
"Galatians." In Oxford
Bibliographies Online, Oxford University Press, 2010.
"'Callused,'
Not 'Hardened': Paul's Revelation of Temporary Protection Until
All Israel Can Be Healed." In Reading
Paul in Context: Explorations in Identity Formation.
Eds. Kathy Ehrensperger and J. Brian Tucker (London and New
York: T&T Clark, forthcoming 2010).
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