While much has been written about the apostle Paul’s view on the relationship between gentile Christians and the Mosaic law, comparatively little attention has been paid to Paul’s writings on the laws of Moses and how they apply to gentile unbelievers. In this book, Bryan Blazosky examines Paul’s teaching on the subject and how it relates to the lessons of the Old Testament and literature of the Second Temple period.
Blazosky explicates Paul’s views on gentiles and law as they are articulated in the New Testament texts Galatians, Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Timothy, and he compares the Pauline perspective to those expressed in other Jewish writings, such as the Old Testament, the third Sibylline Oracle, Liber antiquitatum biblicarum, and 4 Ezra. Through a comparison of these texts, Blazosky finds that Paul—in line with the Old Testament and other Jewish texts—interprets the Mosaic law as having the power to universally condemn. Despite being gifted to Israel, the law’s ability to curse, condemn, and enslave reaches beyond its covenantal boundaries.
As the first book-length study on the relationship between gentile unbelievers and the Mosaic law in Pauline literature, The Law’s Universal Condemning and Enslaving Power will be welcomed by all who study the New Perspective on Paul, gentile accountability, and the New Testament.
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Introduction
I. The Research Question
II. The Need
III. The Methodology: What This Book Is Not
IV. The Methodology: What This Book Is
V. The Significance
Chapter 1. The Torah
I. Pre-Law Narratives
II. The Mosaic Covenant
III. The Plight of the Canaanites in Leviticus
IV. Deuteronomy and the Curse of the Law
Chapter 2. The Prophets and the Writings
I. Gentiles and Law in the Former Prophets
II. Gentiles and Law in the Latter Prophets
III. Gentiles and Law in the Writings
IV. Conclusions on the Theology of the OT concerning Gentiles and Law
Chapter 3. The Second Temple Jewish Literature
I. Surveying the Secondary Literature
II. My Approach to the Jewish Literature
III. The Law in the Jewish Literature
IV. Gentiles and Law in the Jewish Literature
V. Conclusion
Chapter 4. Galatians
I. An Analysis of the First Person Plural Personal Pronouns in Galatians
II. Gal 3:10–14 on Gentiles and the Law’s Condemnation
III. The Law’s Inextricable Bond with Ἁμαρτία, Σάρξ, Στοιχεῖα, and Κόσμος in Galatians
IV. Concluding Reflections on Paul’s View of Gentiles and Law in Galatians
Chapter 5. Romans
I. The Law and Gentile Condemnation in Rom 1:18–3:20
II. The Law and the Enslaving Powers of Darkness in Rom 5:12–8:17
III. A Summary of Paul’s View of Gentiles and Law in Romans
IV. Comparing and Contrasting Gentiles and Law in Romans and Galatians
Chapter 6. 1 Corinthians and the Disputed Pauline Epistles
I. Clarifications on whether Νόμος Divides or Unites Humanity
II. Confirmation of the Union of Θάνατος, Ἁμαρτία, and Νόμος: 1 Cor 15:55–57
III. Confirmations of the Universal Extent of the Law’s Condemning Power
IV. Conclusion
Chapter 7. Conclusion
I. The Book in Review
II. Paul’s View of Gentiles and Law
III. Paul’s View in Relation to the OT and the Second Temple Jewish Literature
IV. My Proposal in Relation to Current Proposals on Gentiles and Law
