If You Call Yourself a Jew

""If You Call Yourself a Jew" reads Paul's letter to the Romans as a dialogue between Paul and a gentile proselyte to Judaism. This fresh reading brings Romans into focus as Paul's exposition of the revelation of God's righteousness - his faithfulness to his covenant promises to Abraham, which is brought to climax in the announcement that "in you all the tribes of the earth will be blessed" Genesis 12:3. Paul insists that the righteousness of God is revealed, "for the Jew first as well as for the Greek," not through Torah but through the faithfullness of Jesus. He concedes that Torah and the prophets provide corroborating witness for God's righteousness, but suggests that gentiles who bend their necks to Torah's yoke miss the actual mechanism for finding peace with God. Paul found in the story of Jesus the image of complete faith in and faithfulness to God. In Jesus' resurrection, he found the image of God's complete faithfulness, "for the Jew first as well as for the Greek." Whereas Torah resulted in curse and death, it also anticipated the unconditional faithfulness of God for both Jew and gentile. Rafael Rodriguez is Professor of New Testament at Johnson University, Knoxville, Tennessee. He is the author of "Structuring Early Christian Memory" 2010 and "Oral Tradition and the New Testament" 2014. "For Paul, the gospel of Jesus Christ is the account of the outworking of God's faithfulness: the end of Torah's curses and the fulfilment of its blessings. Rodriguez joins those Pauline interpreters who have taken seriously Paul's assertion that he writes specifically to gentiles. He provides a careful analysis of the diatribe style questions that feature in significant sections of the letter. His radical thesis that the interlocutor is of gentile ethnicity but views himself as a Jew and teaches gentiles is provocative and challenging, but illustrated with sustained argument. 'If You Call Yourself a Jew' is a fine volume to spark interest in Paul's skilful rhetoric." William S. Campbell, University of Wales Trinity St David, Lampeter. "Rodriguez presents a fresh challenge to many stale assumptions about reading Romans. He provides a cogent case that Paul is writing to gentile Christians, and what is more, that Paul's imaginary opponent who appears throughout the letter is not a Jew, but is in fact a gentile convert to Judaism. It makes for a stimulating volume on Paul's most famous letter." Michael F. Bird, Ridley Melbourne Mission and Ministry College, Australia."

Publisher -

Language - English

Paperback

Contributors

Author

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Rafael Rodriguez

Published Date -

ISBN - 9780227175019

Dimensions - 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.8 cm

Page Count - 336