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Paul

The Theology of the Apostle in the Light of Jewish Religious History

HJ Schoeps author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:James Clarke & Co Ltd

Published:23rd Jan '03

Should be back in stock very soon

Paul cover

This insightful work explores the Apostle Paul's theology, examining his Jewish background and its influence on his teachings, particularly in Paul.

In Paul, the author presents a unique analysis of the Apostle Paul's theology, particularly focusing on his Christology, Soteriology, and Eschatology from a Jewish perspective. Originally published in German in 1959, this work has been celebrated for its exceptional scholarship and distinctive approach. The author delves into how Paul's Jewish background significantly influenced his teachings about Jesus, highlighting the differences between Paul's understanding of Christ and that of the Synoptic Gospels. This examination raises critical questions about the origins and extent of those differences, providing readers with a deeper insight into Pauline theology.

The book surveys major issues in Pauline research and connects the apostle to the roots of primitive Christianity. It discusses Paul's eschatological views and his teachings on salvation, the law, and the concept of saving history. The final chapter reveals that Paul's unique doctrines arose from two main factors: his lack of firsthand experience with Jesus and the profound impact of Jewish teachings on his thought processes. This combination led to his focus on the resurrected Savior and the pre-existent Son of God.

Ultimately, Paul challenges traditional interpretations by suggesting that the apostle misunderstood the law and the covenant between God and His people. This thought-provoking study offers a fresh perspective on one of the most significant and complex figures in Christian theology, inviting readers to reconsider their understanding of Paul's contributions to the faith.

As a Jew who admits he must reject Paul's positive religious faith, Schoeps achieves an amazing degree of that 'objectivity' from which standpoint he believes the non-Christian can elucidate the theology and evaluate the significance of Paul for Christian faith. In the concluding chapter, he not only endeavours sympathetically to do justice to Paul's place in the history of Christian thought; he even suggests ways in which Judaism may learn from Paul's critique of his Jewish heritage. Franklin W. Young, in Theology Today, January 1964 Out of a vast knowledge of the Judaism of the age of the Tannaim, Schoeps illuminates much in Paul that has seemed to many of us to be obscure and corrects much that in our ignorance we had accepted without critical examination. . . . As he observes in the last sentence of the last chapter, 'Jews might with some justice describe the venture [of the author] as the rescue of the heretic.' S. MacLean Gilmour, in Biblical Studies, 1963

ISBN: 9780227170137

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: 441g

308 pages