Paul and the Law: Keeping the Commandments of God (New Studies in Biblical Theology)

Author s preface Most scholars come at Paul and the law as interpreters of Romans and Galatians. My background and perspective are somewhat different. Although I have taught the exegesis of both letters, most of my research has been in three different areas: 1 Corinthians, Paul's ethics, and the Jewish background to Paul s letters. With these interests to the fore, I am as much concerned about what Paul does with the law, especially for questions of conduct, as I am with what Paul says about the law. I have been pondering the subject since the beginning of my doctoral studies in the late 1980s and in one sense this book is an attempt to complete that project. As one reviewer of my published dissertation complained, Paul, Scripture and Ethics 'does not account for Paul's approach to the Mosaic law'. My goal is to bring some neglected evidence to the discussion and to defend some proposals that sharpen and build on the work of others. I have sought to write something fresh and readable, which examines enough trees to sketch a reliable guide to the wood, along with a map of the broader lie of the land (for subjects related to the law, like justification and ethics).