A very good collection of articles published at BAR is in an ebook (pdf) titled Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity, which they distributed for free (other than the price of your email address) that is in Dropbox at “C:\Users\tom\Dropbox\Christianity\Paul\paul_jewish_law_and_early_christianity.pdf”
Learn how Jewish traditions and law extended into early Christianity through Paul’s dual roles as a Christian missionary and a Pharisee.
This eBook, taken from articles in Biblical Archaeology Review and Bible Review magazines, considers the relevant writings of Paul and brings to light some of the difficult theological issues for Jews and Christians that persist to this day. Drawing from an essay by John Gager titled “Paul’s Contradictions: Can They Be Resolved?” and a reply by Ben Witherington, III, titled “Laying Down the Law: A Response to John Gager,” we explore some perceived contradictions in Paul’s teaching and consider different viewpoints by noted Biblical scholars. Finally, we examine Martin Abegg’s fascinating treatment of the translation of the Dead Sea Scroll known as MMT and its relationship to Paul and the Law titled “Paul, ‘Works of the Law’ and
MMT.”
“Miqsat Ma‘ase Ha-Torah” read the words highlighted in the Dead Sea Scroll fragment
above. The phrase gives the document its shorthand name—MMT. But what does it mean? – Abegg
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
“Paul’s Contradictions: Can They Be Resolved?” by Princeton professor John G. Gager looks at how Paul seems to be at war with himself on the subject of Israel. Is there a way out of his contradictions? Yes, the author argues, but only if we first get past misconceptions about Paul that date to the earliest stages of Christianity—even to Paul’s own times.
Chapter 2
“Laying Down the Law: A response to John Gager” by Ben Witherington, III, professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, explores whether Paul preached the gospel of Jesus Christ for Christians alone—as John G. Gager proposed in Bible Review—or whether his message was intended for both Jews and Christians.
Chapter 3
“Paul, ‘Works of the Law’ and MMT,” by Martin Abegg, professor and codirector of the Dead Sea Scrolls Institute at Trinity Western University, Canada, examines how the Dead Sea Scroll known as MMT is valuable in helping us to understand the theology of Paul. Abegg suggests MMT may represent—for the first time—the “works of the Law” decried by Paul in his letters to the Romans and Galatians.
Abegg’s closing paragraph sums up the arguments, at least for me.
Some scholars have suggested that Paul misunderstood the Jewish teaching of his day or, at the very least, that he created a straw man to bolster his own teaching regarding faith versus law. In the past, this view was supported by the fact that the phrase “works of the law” nowhere appears in the foundational books of rabbinic Judaism. MMT, however, provides the “smoking gun” for which students have been searching for generations, not from the pages of rabbinic literature, but from the sectarian teachings of Qumran. MMT demonstrates that Paul was not jousting with windmills, but was indeed squared off in a dramatic duel—not with mainstream Judaism but with a sectarian theology—that ultimately defined Christianity. If I have understood rightly, the importance of MMT for New Testament research is nothing short of revolutionary.
