What do you mean by the Old perspective and the new perspective on
Paul? Bring out your understanding clearly and also bring out how Paul is
beyond the Hellenism/Judaism divide, as well as he is an advocate of the
ekklesial space of emancipation.
Laldanmawia,
…………………………………………………………………………………
Introduction:
The First Century AD witnessed the
Roman power who ruled over the Southern Europe and Near East Asia (present West
Asia) including Palestine. Jesus was born and died under this Roman Kingdom.
And Christianity began and flourished under the same kingdom. Meanwhile, in the
region, Greek left an influence in the culture and language. Politically
Palestine was under the Roman rule, and culturally under Greek influenced. Then
by being brought up in that situation, Paul exercised his thought and theology.
Even his life and attitude were very much influenced by the context where he brought
up. Then this paper will focus on what is the old and new perspective on Paul,
how Paul is beyond the Hellenism/Judaism divide, and how he was an advocate of
the ekklesial space of emancipation.
1. The Old and New Perspective on Paul:
Paul was probably born in c.a AD
5-10 from Jewish family, having Roman citizenship, during the reign of the
Emperor Augustine. He might have born in Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia (Act
21:31, 22:3).[1]
A Jew born in a Greek-speaking city like Tarsus would naturally be expected to
be a Hellenist.[2]
He had a dual identity of Jews and Romans. And from his life and letters, we
can find that Paul has Hellenism and Judaism perspectives, in which scholars
discuss an old and new perspertive on him.
1.1. The Old Perspective on Paul: Paul’s
Hellenistic Christian background was called the Old Perspective on him. In that
Century, the Hellenists were the Jews Christians, but speaking in Greek and
worship in Synagogue using Greek language.[3] Paul was educated in Tarsus,
a Gentile region or Roman region. That’s why he might have well known Greek rhetoric
skills, philosophy, history and all wisdom literature of Hellenism. His mode of
composition and expression often revealed the influence of Greek rhetoric.
Moreover, he frequently used images derived from city culture, especially
Hellenistic. He used Greek political terminology (Phil 1:17), employed Greek
commercial terms (Phil 18) or legal terminology (Gal 3:15), refered to
Hellenistic slave trade (1 Cor 7:22), employed Hellenistic ideas of freedom and
conscience, etc. These Hellenistic influences are detected more in his ethical
teaching than his theology proper.[4]
In the old perspective, Paul was seen to be influenced by
these Greek thinking. Scholars look from this perspective and they discuss and make
an argument on Paul’s presentation of Hellenistical idea in his letters. Paul
was understood to be arguing that Christians’ good work would not affect the
salvation, only their faith. The debate has been done between these perspective
by theologians, particularly in the fields of ‘works of the law’, ‘human effort and good works’,
‘Faith or faithfulness’, ‘Grace or favor’, ‘The Atonement’, etc.[5] The interpretations have been
found different between old and new perspective theologians. One stand point of
old perspective is, God graciously empowers the individual to the faith
which leads to salvation and also to good works, while in the new perspective
God graciously empowers individuals to the faith and good works, which lead to
salvation.[6]
1.2.
The New Perspective on Paul: Paul was also a Jewish- Christian, they
called it the new perspective on him. From his life and letters, we came to
know that Paul was a Jew by birth (Phil 3:6). He belonged to the tribe of
Benjamin (Phil 3:5). He was brought up in Jerusalem and educated under
Gamaliel, and described himself as a Pharisee, a son of Pharisee.[7] And he put himself among the
Jewish, who were the Jews Christians speaking Hebrew or Aramaic s their normal
mode of speech and worship in Synagogue.[8]
In the new Perspective, Paul was
found to be very much influenced by Jewish traditions and practices. Scholars
have been arguing of what the old perspective had an interpretation on the
above different issues. Paul is interpreted as being critical of a common Jewish
view that following traditional Israelite customs make a person better off
before God, pointing out that Abraham was righteous before the Torah was given.
Paul identifies customs he is concerned about as circumcision, dietary laws, and observance of special days.[9] The theologians stand at the
position that Paul emphasis on following Jewish customs in order to do good
works, which is the parallel emphasis of salvation with faith.
2. Paul beyond Hellenism/Judaism Divide:
Even though Paul was Hellenist or
Jewish, he had identity beyond its divide. This division between Hellenistic
Christian and Jewish Christian was crossed by Him. He preached the Gospel to
the Jews speaking Hebrew, and to the Jews who spoke Greek (called Hellenists),
as well as to the Gentiles who were not the Jews. He was above any racial,
linguistic and cultural background.[10] He was fully qualified to
preach the Gospel to the Jews and as well as to the Hellenists. He was not disturbed
by the division. He had both citizenship and he belonged to these two groups of
Christians. He was beyond the division. He could preach to each group of
them. A. Behera mentions that,
Unlike most Jews of his time, he was a man of two worlds and
was prepared in many ways to be a bridge builder for God between peoples and
cultures of various nationalities. After his Damascus experience, he fitted
very well into God’s plan of reconciling the Jews and Gentiles in Christ.[11]
Yes it is right that Paul was brought up, trained and
prepared in such backgrounds in such a way that he might preach crossing the
division of the Christians between Jewish and Hellenists.
3. Paul, an Advocate of the
Ekklesial space of Emancipation:
From his letters, Paul was to be
seen as an advocate of the ekklesial space of emancipation. For the liberation
of women, Gentiles, and other weaker sections. He stands as an advocate in the
assembly of God. For Paul there must be a space for the weaker section, because
all kinds of human are equal or one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28).
3.1.
Emancipation of Women: It seems that Paul was very much in opposition
to women participation in the church. His letters address women in different negative
ways. Some of them are, “The head of every man is Christ, the head of women is
her husband… (1Cor 11:3)”, “Man was not made from woman, but woman from man (1
Cor 11:11)”, “Women should keep silence in the churches, for they are not
permitted to speak, but should be subordinate even as the law says (1Cor
14:34)”. “Wives, be subjected to your husbands as to the Lord (Ephe 5:22)”.[12] These passages are
interpreted for women subordination in the churches and societies. However
forbidden of women from any participation in the church may not be the
intension of Paul. The meaning and the background context may say different
things. It may be true, because Paul was the same who says in Galatians 3:28,
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither
male nor female, for you were all one in Christ”.
It was provable that Paul was an
advocate of ekklesial space of emancipation for women. He had many workers in
God’s ministry, like Phoebe, Lydia, Pricilla, Mary, Tryphosa, Eudia and others.
His life and ministry showed that he liberated women in the church ministry.[13] He advocated equality of
people in Christ in the ekklesia of God.
3.2.
Emancipation of Gentiles: Paul was an advocate for emancipation of the
Gentiles in the ekklesia of God. For the
Jews, Gentiles were untouchable; they were the same level with dog. But Paul
worked for their emancipation in the ekklesia of God. In some verses of his
letters, we can find some evidences that he must preach to the Gentiles. Some
of them are: “for I will send you far away to the Gentiles (Acts 26:17,23)”, “He has called me through his
grace… that I might preach Him among the Gentiles (Gal 1:16)”, “The Gospel that
I preach among the Gentiles (Gal 2:2)”, “I Paul a prisoner of Christ on behalf
of you Gentiles (Ephe 3:1)”, They gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of
fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles, etc.[14] There can be other verses
which indicate Paul’s emancipation to the Gentiles by preaching to them. He
reconciled and emancipated the Gentiles in Christ, through Christ and for
Christ in the assembly of Christians. And through the preaching among the
Gentiles, Paul could be called the advocate of ekklesial space of emancipation
for the Gentiles.
Concluding Remark:
There is difficulty in studying Paul’s
life and his strategy in his bringing the gospel. Sometime verses in his
letters are seemed to be contradicted to each other. Moreover he had double
citizenship and background which shape his ideas and attitudes towards things
in his surroundings. And there came old perspective and new perspective.
Scholars are not in a same position in explanation and exploration of Paul and his
theology. We may say that he has different identities according to his landing
situation. He was an adaptable person that is why there can be many points
where the scholars can have an argument. However all his differences and
uniqueness were being made used by him in his preaching to the Jews and to the
Gentiles. He brought Gentiles and women forward, emancipating them in the
Assembly of God where all kinds of human are sharing equality.
Bibliography:
Behera, A. From
Law to Grace. Bangalore: Anugraha Behera, 2007.
Brown, Raymond. E., et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Bangalore:
Theological Publications in India, 2011.
Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New
Testament.
Bangalore: Theological Publications in India, 2000.
Bruce, F.F. Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free.
Michigan: The Paternoster Press Ltd, 1977.
Hnuni, R.L. Vision for Women in India. Bangalore:
Asian Trading Corporation, 2009.
Webliography:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Perspective_on_Paul
(6
December 2012).
[1]
Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (Bangalore:
Theological Publications in India, 2000), 423.
[2]
F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart
Set Free (Michigan: The Paternoster Press Ltd, 1977), 42.
[3]
F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart
Set Free (Michigan: The Paternoster Press Ltd, 1977), 42.
[4]
Raymond E. Brown, et al., The New Jerome
Biblical Commentary (Bangalore: Theological Publications in India, 2011),
1385.
[7]
Raymond E. Brown, An Introduction to the New Testament (Bangalore:
Theological Publications in India, 2000), 426.
[8]
F.F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart
Set Free (Michigan: The Paternoster Press Ltd, 1977), 41.
[10]
A. Behera, From Law to Grace
(Bangalore: Anugraha Behera, 2007), 323.
[11]
A. Behera, From Law to Grace
(Bangalore: Anugraha Behera, 2007), 325.
[12]
R.L. Hnuni, Vision for Women in India
(Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2009),286-288.
[13]
R.L. Hnuni, Vision for Women in India
(Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, 2009), 289.
[14]A.
Behera, From Law to Grace (Bangalore:
Anugraha Behera, 2007), 323.
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