Introduction
Paul the Jewish Theologian: A Pharisee among Christians, Jews, and Gentiles is written by Brad H. Young. The author is an emeritus professor at Oral Roberts University, where he has served as a Tenured Professor of Judaic-Christian Studies for 31 years. Young holds a B.A. from Oral Roberts University, a Ph.D., and an M.A. from Hebrew University. In addition, the author is an authority figure on the comparative study of rabbinic and Gospel parables.
Discussion
In the book Paul the Jewish Theologian, Young reveals Saul of Tarsus as a rejected individual who never departed from his Jewish roots. The book adds to the mounting discourse concerning the notions that Hellenism was the immediate context that influenced Apostle Paul’s ministry. Young disagrees with the skewed Hellenism notion by demonstrating to the readers how Paul clung to Judaism through his optimistic view of the Torah while communicating the Gospel. Furthermore, the book provides a detailed cleavage of Jesus’ mission among the Jews from Apostle Paul’s call to the Gentiles. Subsequently, the book exposes the history of Jewish-Christian relationships as a travesty of what Jesus came to accomplish and a significant factor in the wrongful interpretation of Paul’s teachings. The book’s purpose is to provide a new look at Paul’s theology through his Jewish roots perspective and contribute to the accurate understanding of Christian and Judaism origins.
The central aspect of this review will focus on Apostle Paul’s Jewish-Christian discourse in communicating the Gospel and whether the Hellenistic notions demonstrated by other writings are relevant to the influence of Paul’s writings. The subject matter in this review is the Hellenistic notions perpetuated by early church fathers and other religious circles that took Paul’s teaching away from the Jewish roots, inevitably leading the church to perceive Judaism as a great anti-Christ.
Young begins his discourse in chapter one by presenting Paul and his teachings as antecedents of Judaism contrary to the consensus of scholarship that regards him as a Hellenistic Jew. Conceivably, the author asserts that “there is no evidence anywhere in the New Testament that he departed from his firm convictions as a Pharisee” (Young 20). Young points out Paul as a Pharisee, rejected by the synagogue and significantly misunderstood by the early church. The author’s introduction digs out the Hellenistic notions from Paul’s upbringing by enabling the reader to understand the Apostle’s Judaic heritage. With this introduction, Young targets the reader’s insights and awareness into Paul’s Jewish background to expose new dimensions of interpreting the Pauline letters.
In Chapter Two, the author reveals Paul’s upbringing by interrogating his Jewish theology. Contrary to the trend that perceives Paul as a “Hellenistic Diaspora Jew”, Young draws the reader’s attention to the Gospel of Luke, where Paul’s origin is identified as Tarsus, and he lived in Rome. “His upbringing as a Pharisee molded his character and guided his teaching. His writings, moreover, have both captured the hearts of many disciples and enraged numerous antagonists” (Young 26). The author skillfully draws out the impact of Paul’s regional (Tarsus and Rome) upbringing as a significant component that influenced his doctrine. This chapter further explores Paul’s citizenships through the book of Acts to enable the reader to understand these regions’ influence on his theological writings and the Torah.
Chapter three examines the Pentecost, its implications on other nations, and Paul the Apostle. Young compares Judaism and Christianity through the Pentecost as an ancient Judaism practice that ushered Christianity into the world. “Pentecost is sacred to both Christians and Jews… It signaled a world outreach as the disciples began to bear witness from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the world” (Young 51). This connection is central to Paul’s communication of the Gospel.
Young introduces chapter 4 by comparing Judaism and Christianity using various perspectives entailed in the Torah. The author centers on the Torah as the main component of exploring the religious discourse between Judaism and Christianity, as illustrated in Paul’s letters.
In chapter five, the author focuses on the roots of faith and grace in Pauline’s writing. He relates to the Torah by establishing Paul as a Pharisee. Young reveals grace and faith as critical concepts within the Torah that enable Paul to shine a light on the person of Jesus Christ as the expected messiah.
Chapter six rhetorically asks whether the Torah is the living word or the dead letter. The author delves into whether to accept the law as a living word or reject it because it is dead. Conceivably, Young demonstrates to the readers that the law is the living word upon which grace is mistered.
In chapter seven, Young reveals the transcendence of the Torah in Pauline’s writing. The author further demonstrates the Torah’s excellency in Paul’s doctrine. As a result, he draws the reader to the profound mystery and link of Jews and Gentiles through the Torah.
Chapter eight focuses on love as a foundation of Christianity through Paul’s writing in 1 Corinthians 13. Love enables the author to dovetail the Torah and the Gentile in connection to the promises of God. Consequently, the interpretation of Judaism and Christianity’s relationship, as depicted in Paul’s writings, can be depicted through Young’s perspective of love in 1 Corinthians 13.
Young reveals the character of Paul’s Jewish faith in chapter nine through a connection between Jesus and Paul’s use of the Torah. The author stresses that upholding the law as communicated by Paul and Jesus meant, “we are placing the law [Torah] itself on a firmer footing” (Young 98). Subsequently, Young successfully links Paul’s writings to the Torah, thus eliminating the readers’ presumptions that the writings are against the law.
In chapter ten, the author covers the seven pillars of Paul’s Jewish theology. The book lists the seven pillars that enable the reader to understand Pauline writings: A pharisee; positive view of Torah; separation from historical Jesus through mission; healing love; the grace of God through Jesus Christ; resurrection as the first fruit; and “Jesus is coming again to complete the work of redemption” (Young 138).
Young’s book complements Mark Nanos’ book, Reading Paul Within Judaism. Like Young, Nanos explores the person of Paul to help the audience understand Paul’s writings by eliminating the most salient presumptions. Subsequently, Nanos is concerned with Jewish-Christian relations and starts by looking into Paul’s Judaism (Nanos 1-6). Both writers shift from the Hellenistic view of Paul by demonstrating him as a Torah-observant Jew.
Young demonstrates his theological understanding of Paul’s writing by communicating in a clear, simple language that the reader can easily comprehend his complex thought process. In addition, Young’s epistemology regarding the discourse of Hellenistic notions is enriched by his comparative study and theological credentials that facilitate a systematic approach to his arguments. However, the book’s weakness appears through the author’s propensity to a one-sided argumentized approach while shunning the Hellenistic perspectives on the subject.
Conclusion
The argumentized approach aside, this book is of great value. It offers the reader an easy way of clearing presumptions concerning Paul’s letters by revealing his Judaism background as opposed to the Hellenistic views that tend to misinterpret Paul’s doctrine. The book is one of the few writings against the current trend of academic literature supporting Hellenistic notions. I would recommend this book to any reader having difficulties understanding the Pauline thought and its connection to the Torah, Judaism, and Christianity, particularly among the Gentiles.
Works Cited
Nanos, Mark D. Reading Paul Within Judaism: Collected Essays of Mark D. Nanos, Vol. 1. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2017.
Young, Brad H. Paul the Jewish Theologian: A Pharisee among Christians, Jews, and Gentiles. Baker Books, 1995.