RVL Shephelah Messages Online

RVL and his ministry, That the World May Know, have recently released the Shephelah messages online. You can now download the monthly messages with appropriate "donations". These are full of GREAT study and inspirational material. My notes on recent messages are forthcoming.

A New Perspective On Paul

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to share on this blog. May this resource be a blessing to the community of Christ!

The New Perspective
My recent studies have brought me to the subject of Saul of Tarsus, a subject relevant to Jamie's current study in the book of Romans. Through searching and [re]searching, I came across www.thepaulpage.com, a website dedicated to what is known as the "New Perspective on Paul" (this link is also referenced at www.en-gedi.com). New Testament (NT) scholars are revisiting Paul, specifically, our modern understanding of this Jewish sage.
The major subjects in this "New Perspective" are Saul's Conversion, Paul's perspective on the law, (Torah), and his teachings as a missionary to both the Jews and the Gentiles. The website promises to help us in five areas:

1. Better understand Paul and the early church
2. Reconcile contemporary biblical scholarship with theology
3. Build common ground between Catholics and Protestants
4. Improve dialogue between Christians and Jews
5. Flesh out a theological foundation for social justice.

These are honorable objectives, and I pray it helps us be better stewards of God's Word and Truth. The Paul Page references multiple articles and reviews, websites, and other resources dedicated to this discussion that will prove more than intriguing.

N.T. Wright at Calvin College
You can listen to Wright's message entitled, "St. Paul in the Big Picture: The Apostle and the Gospel in the 1st and 21st Century" here. In addition to giving discourse on the New Perspective, Wright dives into the socio-political implications of this new understanding for our modern day world including current events.

One More Step On The Journey Of Understanding
There is huge value in this new conversation. Paul is arguably the most influential figure in Christianity, save Jesus. Two-thirds of the New Testament are written by Paul, and our doctrines primarily stem from Paul's writings. He is considered the greatest missionary in the world. Influential orthodox as well as heretical teachings are based upon the words penned by Paul. The world is truly different because of Paul...and because of our interpretations of him. The New Perspective changes nothing about Paul's view, but rather our view of him.

Questions?

Feel free to ask questions. I'll keep my eyes open for answers during my study and send out pointers if I find them.

Pryor: Romans Part 2 of 20

Summary: (details)

Provides a summary of historical views on Paul and his theology. Pre 20th century summarized as: 1) Paul's center of thought is a polemic against the Law, 2) the Law had no real practical meeting to him, and 3) ancient Jewish literature was not a useful source for explaining Paul. Scholars focused on two questions:

1. Was Paul Jewish or Greek in thought?
   
2. What is the heart of Paul's theology?
   

In the 1970's, E.P. Saunders started a revolution in Pauline theology with his concept of "covenantal nomism". "Briefly put, covenantal nomism is the view that one's place in God's plan is established on the basis of the covenant, and that the covenant requires as the proper response of man his obedience to its commands, while providing a means for trangressions." His work showed that Judaism in the 1st century was NOT a religion of "works rightousness" where
one had to earn ones salvation. Virtually all scholars see Paul as Jewish; the question now is "what is the center of his theology?" Pryor highlights his key descriptions of Paul:

1. He is a zealous Pharisee more closely aligned to Shammai than Hillel.
   
2. Paul affirmed monotheism and was deeply influenced by his eschatological (end times) views.
   
3. Paul was primarily concerned with "halakah", how to walk in a way that was right with God.
   
4. His "calling" is not so much a conversion, but a being "set apart", akin to Jeremiah and Isaiah. It's better to view Paul in the role of a prophet, both to the Jews and Gentiles. His critique of Israel is from within it.

Thoughts:
Mostly, I just have questions. I'm trying to picture Paul and it isn't easy. Who was he? What was his main teaching point? He calls himself a Pharisee in Phillipians. How does that jive with my Gospel view of Pharisees? Who is he arguing with and why? Paul is weaving themes that run throughout the entire Text, am I following them? Seeing Paul as a prophet is new for me. Danielle described his discussions with Jews as a "family argument". You can say things to family members that you don't say to strangers because you know in the end you're still family. I'm still pondering halakah and how to walk. I'm reminded of John, "But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did," 1 John 2:5,6.

Pryor: Romans Part 1 of 20

Summary: (details)
Tape 1 is a short introduction to this provisional study of Paul's letter to the Romans. Come back next year for the next session.

• It's a letter, not a theological treatise. Romans is not a linear treatment.
  
• Paul is not a Greco-Roman philosopher, he's a Jewish rabbi. There is a spiral effect going on in the argument.
  
• Verses 1:3,4 and 1:15-17 are critical to understanding the letter. Verses 1:3,4 are the content of the gospel of God, focus on God. Verses 1:16,17 summarize the effect of the gospel.
  
• Romans is not about us. It's about God, the gospel of God.
  
• Classical Protestant reading makes it personal, otherwordly.
  
• For Paul, it's always personal but never private.

More detailed notes here.

Thoughts:
Whenever I think of Romans, I think of the Roman road (the classic HowTo on becoming a Christian drawing on verses from Romans) and many other key verses. This study is going to be deep and broad and looks like we'll be covering a lot of ground.

Dwight Pryor: Paul and Romans

We've finally started listening to Dwight Pryor's in depth study of Paul and his letter to the Romans, "Paul--Jewish Apostle to the Roman World". It's been on my shelf for almost a year now. It's designed to be a semester long class, 20 tapes, and was taught over a week at one of Pryor's Haverim schools. His approach is to study Paul as a Jewish rabbi speaking to a Hellenistic Roman world. I have never really studied Romans in depth so this should be interesting. So far, I've listened to about half the series and have taken detailed notes on the first three. I'll be posting as we make our way through it.

Recommended reading

I've started a recommended reading/listening list. Email me if you'd like specific recommendations. I'll be posting detailed summaries of the material as I get the chance.

Online materials

There are great Biblical study tools online and I've listed a few of my favorites in the link section on the right. Here is a brief overview:

• Biblegateway -- Good for passage and word searching the Bible (or the Text). Also has a variety of translations for comparisons.
  
• KJV Dictionary -- I use this to look up original words in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Not that I speak/read those language yet, but it's useful for finding deeper meanings and connections between different portions of the text. I'll give some examples at some point.
  
• Follow The Rabbi -- This is Ray Vander Laan's ministry site and provides excellent study resources. RVL is a Dutch Christian from Michigan who received his PhD from Yeshiva University, an orthodox Jewish university. His perspective on the Text is fascinating.
  
• Mars Hill Bible Church, MI -- This church started with teachings on Leviticus. The sermons blew me away and I began to see the Bible as one big story, all connected and intricately interwoven. They own a mall in Michigan and meet in the former main department store. Check out their sermons online.
  
• Jerusalem Perspective -- Publishing site for the Jerusalem School of Synoptic Research. There is a great dialogue section and written material from some of the leading scholars in New Testament studies.
• j.c.studies -- Teachings from Dwight Pryor focusing on the Jewish roots of Christianity.
• Kehilat Ariel -- A congregation of Messianic Jews (and Goyim) from San Diego. Great online sermon archive. I highly recommend the series on Acts that is currently available.