Paul: The Theology of the Apostle in Light of the Jewish Religious History (1961 @1959 Schoeps), book (English ed.)

Paul: The Theology of the Apostle in Light of the Jewish Religious History (1961) is the English edition of Paulus: Die Theologie des Apostels im Lichte der jüdischen Religionsgeschichte (1959 Schoeps), book. Translated from the German by Harold Knight.

Abstract

Schoeps provides a comprehensive study on Paul, focusing on Paul's teaching about eschatology, soteriology, law, and saving-history. Schoeps appreciates the imprint of mystery cults upon Paul's thinking, but believes the best way to understand Paul is by looking at his Hellenized Jewish Diasporic context. Scheops also takes into consideration Paul's "Palestinian-Judaic" background, arguing that Paul employed rabbinic hermeneutics in his exegesis of Hebrew Scriptures. In addition, Schoeps stresses appreciating the eschatological outlook of Paul in order to understand elements of his teaching such as his "doctrine" on "justification by faith." For Schoeps, Paul has seriously misunderstood the biblical and Jewish understanding of law and covenant, distorting its meaning so as to create an anti-thesis between faith and law. While seeking to analysis Paul as an impartial historian, Schoeps also reviews Paul's reception and interpretation throughout the centuries, whether by Christian or Jewish readers, advocating for a contemporary appreciation of Paul which allows for Jews and Christians to accept the argument of two covenants, those of Sinai and Golgotha, both equally valid but separate in the mind of God who turned to Israel at Sinai and to the nations at Golgotha.--Isaac W. Oliver

Editions

Published in London [England]: Lutterworth, 1961. Reissued in Cambridge [England]: James Clarke, 2002.

Table of contents

Present position and problems involved in Pauline research -- Position of the apostle Paul in primitive Christianity -- Eschatology of the apostle Paul -- Soteriology of the apostle Paul -- Paul's teaching about the Law -- Paul's understanding of saving history -- Perspectives on the history of religion in Paulinism.