DESCRIPTION: This course focuses on Paul's view of the Mosaic law and the
revolutionary new reading of the question that has emerged in the last two
decades, dubbed the "new perspective on Paul." We will read and discuss major
contributors on both sides of the debate. We will exegete some of the key
Pauline passages, and finally come to a theological assessment that attempts to
balance Paul's positive and negative statements about the law.
LEARNING OUTCOMES: As a result of faithful participation in this course, the
student will be able to (1) understand the background, importance, and
complexity of the subject of obedience to the law in the OT, NT, and early
Christianity; (2) deal with the fact that biblical texts can be read
differently depending on the circumstances and orientation of the reader; (3)
provide an explanation of Paul's theological and soteriological priorities; and
(4) appreciate how these impact his seemingly contradictory statements about
the law.
RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: This is a topic that retains interest in today's
church, both at the theological and practical level. The place of the law in
the Christian life, the relation between grace and works, the doctrine of
justification by faith, and the place of obedience remain in need of
clarification. Furthermore, it seems increasingly important for the church to
reject the caricature of Judaism as a religion of works-righteousness.
COURSE FORMAT: The course is being run in tandem with a doctoral seminar on
the same subject. Students from that seminar will attend all class sessions and
will be involved in making a variety of presentations to the class. Classes
will regularly contain a mixture of lecture, summaries of other books and
articles, exegesis of biblical texts, and discussion of assigned reading. The
course will meet weekly for three-hour sessions.
REQUIRED READING: