Paul & the Law: A Contextual Approach

I didn't find this book to be a theology to argue a certian point of view as a preacher would or even as a teacher wanting his students to accept his theology. Contextual is truly the operative word in my view. So each scritpure is dealt with in context and less so to create a theology. This makes for a great reference book to get information about each passate were Paul mentions the law. Especially in how there are paralells to the prophets. I'd not read any writtings that did this to any where near this extent before. My view is that the guiding princible for fulfilling the law in the NT is loving God and loving people. I'd love to read a book dealing with not being under the law but under grace that enables us to love people with an emphesis on the freedom we have in Christ. Since I've not found this idea developed very fully, I'm plugging along myself. dayhiker

Many people would prefer Schreiner's work on this subject. But I would say that Thielmann's approach is far more convincing, IMHO. Because he starts by studying Paul's usages in the works that are less frequently examined, or less controversial, and then builds towards the most unusual usages, one can see what Paul's 'normal' practice is.This is important because it makes an interpreter less likely to punt to a theological assertion if one has seriously examined the exegetical base Paul has built first. Thielmann's interaction with the so-called "new" view of Paul and the Law is also helpful. He does not automatically reject everything it offers. But neither does he uncritically assume (as many scholars today do) that everything before Sanders is to be forgotten. All in all, even if one doesn't entirely agree with the author in the end (and on this subject, it's almost impossible to find an author one 'entirely' agrees with), IMHO, he does a better job than anyone else currently in print of both interacting with the relevant scholarship and defining a workable view.

One of the perennial problems of Pauline studies for students and scholars alike is Paul's seemingly inconsistent statements on the Law. Thielman attempts to solve this inconsistency in Paul by combining traditional Protestant interpretations with recent interpretations of Paul. In chapter one, Thielman goes over the varied interpretations of Paul's view of the Law since Aquinas. Anyone wanting a good background on this debate should consult this chapter. In chapter two, Thielman argues that Paul approached his view of the Law through his first century Jewish background. He argues that the Jews (with references from intertestamental writings, Josephus, and the Gospels) during the Second Temple period believed that they were still receiving the covenant curses for disobedience--which is exile under Roman domination (N. T. Wright). This is a provocative thesis considering that most Protestant scholars believe that the Jews of that time did not hold to this view (the Jews thought they were "right" with God again). Chapters 3-10 deal with Paul's view of the Law in his epistles (1 and 2 Thessalonians [3], 1 and 2 Corinthians [4-5], Galatians [6], Philippians [7], Romans [8-9], and the later epistles [10]). Thielman argues that in all these epistles--though written with different situations to deal with--there are common themes that run underneath about the Law: 1) that the Mosaic Law was given to the Israelites out of God's grace and is gracious in character; 2) that the Mosaic Law is now obsolete and cannot confer salvation because ALL have transgressed its demands for PERFECT obedience; 3) that the ritualistic aspects of the Mosaic Law that separated Jews from Gentiles are abrogated in Christ; 4) and that the new covenant community is required to obey the moral aspects of the Mosaic Law to separate themselves from the pagan world (or as a means of sanctification). Thielman nicely wraps up his discussion with summarizing conclusions in chapter eleven. However, some of Thielman's points may not sit well with advocates of the traditional Protestant view of the Law. Thielman follows too closely with the "letter-Spirit" approach to the Law (Daniel Fuller). He argues that the Pauline antithesis between Law and Gospel should not be understood as a fundamental antithesis between works and faith. Works are good and even required under the new covenant. In fact, according to Thielman, Paul's gospel has the same structure of promise-demand as the Mosaic covenant. One of the main differences between the two covenants is that in the new covenant the believer is enabled to obey the Law through the Spirit. Thus, the issue of Law vs. Gospel is merely a salvation-historical issue. Thielman argues this point based on the renewal-prophetic passages in Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Though it is true that the Law will be written in the hearts of believers as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34, Thielman does not discuss in detail what the implications of this is. Does it mean that

Thielman's book is one of the most helpful treatments on this crucial area of biblical studies. His introduction, wherein he gives a thorough and concise treatment on the history of the debates, is alone worth the price of the book. He then takes the reader through all of the Pauline letters, examining their background, presuppositions, and arguments as it relates to Paul's both positive and negative view of the law. Thielman is a master at arguing convincingly for his position without wasting ink--and he is almost always a sure-footed guide through much rocky terrain. In my opinion, this is the best book available today on Paul's view of the law (with Tom Schreiner's _The Law and Its Fulfillment_ as a close second).