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Jewish Paul Paperback – August 22, 2023

by Matthew Thiessen (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
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What was the apostle Paul's relationship to Judaism? How did he view the Jewish law? How did he understand the gospel of Jesus's messiahship relative to both ethnic Jews and gentiles? These remain perennial questions both to New Testament scholars and to all serious Bible readers.

Respected New Testament scholar Matthew Thiessen offers an important contribution to this discussion. A Jewish Paul is an accessible introduction that situates Paul clearly within first-century Judaism, not opposed to it. Thiessen argues for a more historically plausible reading of Paul. Paul did not reject Judaism or the Jewish law but believed he was living in the last days, when Israel's Messiah would deliver the nations from sin and death. Paul saw himself as an envoy to the nations, desiring to introduce them to the Messiah and his life-giving, life-transforming Spirit.

This new contribution to Pauline studies will benefit professors, students, and scholars of the New Testament as well as pastors and lay readers.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    208 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Baker Academic
  4. Publication date
    August 22, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.52 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1540965716
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1540965714
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This accessible introduction to Paul situates him clearly within first-century Judaism.

"Both Christians and Jews have much to gain from reading A Jewish Paul. Highly recommended!"
--Jon D. Levenson, Harvard University

"A compelling argument, sure to hold the attention of seasoned scholars while providing uninitiated readers a clear introduction to this important debate."
--Pamela Eisenbaum, Iliff School of Theology

"Thiessen provides the reader with a portrait of Paul that takes his Jewishness with the seriousness it deserves. The debate on many issues he engages will not be brought to closure, but he charts directions that all scholars will need to consider going forward."
--Gary A. Anderson, University of Notre Dame

"It is so difficult to give a historically compelling account of the apostle Paul that is, at the same time, helpful to readers of Christian Scripture and, on top of all that, readable and accessible. I know because I have tried. Now, though, I will be very happy simply to refer people to this wonderful book."
--Matthew V. Novenson, University of Edinburgh

"An excellent introduction to Paul. I cannot recommend A Jewish Paul enough for serious and important conversations between Jews and Christians."
--Ronald Charles, University of Toronto

"Genuinely fresh, thoroughly stimulating, and highly accessible. All who consider themselves students of Paul--whether the beginner or the scholar--will find themselves engrossed in this book's pages."
--Michael Patrick Barber, Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology

"Thiessen offers students and scholars alike an invaluable resource: an accessible-yet-innovative introduction to a Jewish Paul, the herald of Israel's Messiah to the non-Jewish nations."
--Rafael Rodríguez, Johnson University

"This book is as readable as it is masterful. Its message could not possibly be more important if Christians and New Testament scholars alike are to finally escape the gross misreadings of Paul that continuously put Jewish lives in danger of violence."
--Sara Parks, St. Francis Xavier University

About the Author

Matthew Thiessen (PhD, Duke University) is associate professor of religious studies at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He is the author of numerous books, including Paul and the Gentile Problem, Jesus and the Forces of Death, and Contesting Conversion: Genealogy, Circumcision, and Identity in Ancient Judaism and Christianity (awarded the Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise). He is also the coeditor of several volumes.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Baker Academic (August 22, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 208 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1540965716
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1540965714
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.3 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.52 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 26 ratings

About the author

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Matthew Thiessen

Matthew Thiessen

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Matthew Thiessen's research focuses on the parting of the ways between Judaism and Christianity. He has written two books, Contesting Conversion (Oxford University Press, 2011), which won the prestigious Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise (2014), and Paul and the Gentile Problem (Oxford University Press, 2016), and has co-edited (with Rafael Rodríguez) The So-Called Jew in Paul's Letter to the Romans (Fortress, 2016). He has also won the Society of Biblical Literature's Regional Scholar Award (2014). He is Associate Professor of New Testament at McMaster University.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
26 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Evan
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Reading of Paul I've Read
Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2023
Verified Purchase
Many readers of Paul unintentionally have a caricature of him in their heads. This caricature is, among other things, vehemently anti-Jewish and authentically "Christian" instead. Dr. Thiessen masterfully takes these anachronistic images of Paul and reshapes them into someone that Paul historically could have actually been. He uses both historical evidence and the scriptural witness to make the case that Paul was authentically Jewish and wanted Jewish followers of Jesus to remain authentically Jewish, *while also* inviting Gentile followers of Jesus to remain authentically Gentile. Thiessen also takes familiar Pauline concepts (Christ, the Holy Spirit, circumcision, resurrection, etc) and re-contextualizes them to this historical Paul, allowing us to rightly interpret Paul's letters.

I'll be recommending this book to anyone who is curious about who Paul actually was or what Paul actually said. It has academic precision while also remaining accessible (and witty). While keenly aware of more critical sensibilities, Thiessen presents this scholarship in a way that is palatable to theologically conservative Christians. This makes the book accessible to people of various faith backgrounds and of various expertise. Couldn't recommend it enough.
3 people found this helpful
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Krista Ball
5.0 out of 5 stars Reliable service!!
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2024
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The pre-owned book came in excellent condition…..just as described.
It was delivered very timely. Good experience,
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Matt
4.0 out of 5 stars Good for specific questions, otherwise not much new to be learned
Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone unless they had questions pertaining to Paul’s teachings on how non-jews are able to participate in the body of Christ/ how non-jews are able to participate in a kingdom promised to Abraham’s Jewish descendants through a Jewish Messiah, or if they have a misunderstanding of Paul as having abandoned Judaism and condemning it in the scriptures. For these, I think Thiessen has great value.
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Charles E. Meadows
5.0 out of 5 stars Great intro to the PWJ school on Paul
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2023
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Great little book by Matt Thiessen, giving a fair intro to the "Paul within Judaism" movement. So what was Paul's problem with Judaism? Nothing! Yes he thinks Jesus is Messiah and all Jews should accept that. But his criticisms of the law in places like Galatians and Romans reflect his objection to a few gentile believers appropriating Jewish customs and insisting that all other gentile Christians do the same - and not any hint that the law is obsolete or bad in any way. Thiessen is a top notch scholar. If you like this one you I heartily recommend "Contesting Conversion" and "Paul and the Gentile Problem".
2 people found this helpful
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rick bailey
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely a must for any reader of Paul
Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2023
Thiessen is a well balanced writer when it comes to Paul and one should expect a deeply insightful and theologically sound approach from any of his writings. A Jewish Paul definitely met those expectations. I would encourage anybody who is approaching Pauline studies to have this on their list. It was well written, had many good points, flowed well, and his objective as made well. There is a good bit of humor in it which I enjoyed, especially his not being sorry for puns haha. I think the book is a good step in direction to a fulfilling perspective of Paul and his writings:
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Top reviews from other countries

Aidan Rolf
5.0 out of 5 stars Letting Paul be Paul; Letting Paul be Weird (in a good way)
Reviewed in Canada on September 1, 2023
Verified Purchase
An excellent, concise account of Paul which situates him in his Jewish historical context and broader Mediterranean historical context as a Jewish follower of the Jewish Messiah attempting to bring the message of the Jewish Messiah to the gentiles of the ancient world. The primary focus of the text is to show how Paul is intelligible within a Jewish context instead of against it, demonstrating that following Jesus the Messiah was in accordance with some of the incredibly diverse Jewish beliefs and groups at the time, and not a radical break as traditional views by later Christians would have it. The motto of the book is, "let Paul be Paul", "let Paul be weird!" It does Paul and ourselves a disservice to dull the edges of Paul's thinking and to banalize his strangeness to his own time and to ours. It's okay to be uncomfortable with Paul, to find him unfamiliar at times.

The book engages with the most recent contemporary scholarship on Paul, and those looking for further resources will find plenty of names and citations in the footnotes to follow. Those wondering about the mysteries of Paul, what he taught and how he understood Jesus Christ will find a valuable introduction (and re-introduction) to some of the most confusing part of Paul's thinking: such as, what Paul meant by the pneumatic body (spiritual body) of the Messiah, how Paul understood Jewish circumcision and why he advocated gentile followers of the Messiah not be circumcised (for example, there's an excellent discussion of Romans 2:28-29 in chapter 7 demonstrating how most English translations have inserted the words "true" amd "real" to support an anti-judaic interpretation of Paul where no such language in the original Greek supports such insertions), as well as what Paul understood by the resurrection and how Paul understood himself living as an end-times Jew.

All in all, this is a welcome addition to contemporary scholarship on Paul that aids in paving the way towards better academic, ecumenical and inter-faith discussions of Paul.

There's an excellent quote from the end of the first chapter I wish to share, because it has stuck with me from the beginning. This quote emphasizes the moral and political importance of ethical, careful and faithful interpretation practices:

"There is a moral component to how one chooses to depict Paul, especially as one conjures this Paul in relation to Judaism. To minimize this fact or to claim that one is simply repeating what Paul says is to beg the question. All readers of Paul strive to depict him accurately, and yet we have competing accounts of him. I would argue that where uncertainty persists, we have a moral obligation to choose against readings that harm others. What I set out to do in the following pages is to provide a reading of Paul that is not dependent on the denigration of ancient Jews and Judaism. I do this because I think readings that do otherwise are historically implausible and, even more importantly, denigrate modern Jews and Judaism."

I believe long after I have forgotten much of this book, I shall carry with me the spirit of the statement, "where uncertainty persists, we have a moral obligation to choose against readings that harm others". To lean towards harm reduction and care for the other in our hermeneutics, especially where there is uncertainty, is perhaps one of the most vital elements to being a responsible and respectful scholar and reader. I believe this book is one of the best in that regard concerning Paul. If this is the maxim by which Matthew Thiessen conducted his study of Paul, then he lived up to it with astonishing fidelity.
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