Paul and the Resurrection of Israel
Jews, Former Gentiles, Israelites
Pages: 347
Reason Book was Chosen:
Book Description: "The gospel promoted by Paul has for many generations stirred passionate debate. That gospel proclaimed equal salvific access to Jews and gentiles alike. But on what basis? In making sense of such a remarkable step forward in religious history, Jason Staples reexamines texts that have proven thoroughly resistant to easy comprehension. He traces Paul's inclusive theology to a hidden strand of thinking in the earlier story of Israel. Postexilic southern Judah, he argues, did not simply appropriate the identity of the fallen northern kingdom of Israel. Instead, Judah maintained a notion of 'Israel' as referring both to the north and the ongoing reality of a broad, pan-Israelite sensibility to which the descendants of both ancient kingdoms belonged. Paul's concomitant belief was that northern Israel's exile meant assimilation among the nations – effectively a people's death – and that its restoration paradoxically required gentile inclusion to resurrect a greater 'Israel' from the dead."My Thoughts
I may be biased here, the author is my brother-in-law, but this book is a masterpiece and one that will impact scholarship, Christian thought, and Biblical interpretation for years to come. Jason Staples looks at Romans 1-2 and 9-11 and considers Paul’s argument in light of Hebrew scripture prophecies and second temple period texts. It’s a thesis I guarantee you’ve never come across elsewhere but one that ties the entire Bible together wondrously. I’m in awe.
