The relationship of Jewish and Gentile believers to the Law between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

Date of Award

1994

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Institution Granting Degree

Dallas Theological Seminary

Cedarville University School or Department

Biblical and Theological Studies

Keywords

church history, Jews, Gentiles

Abstract

The proposal of this study is that the New Testament teaching on the law can only be understood (1) in light of the progress of revelation and (2) with an appreciation for the differing responsibilities which Jews and Gentiles had to the Law. Though the book of Hebrews teaches that the Mosaic Law came to an end at Calvary in God's view, this was not revealed until relatively late in the apostolic era. Thus, the freedom from law spoken of in Acts and Galatians pertains mainly to Gentiles while Jewish believers continued to express their worship of Messiah through Mosaic regulations in Acts.

The study approaches the problem not as an exercise in the theology of law but first as an exposition of individual, self-interpreting books. In this way the important hermeneutical considerations of audience, occasion, history and the progress of revelation receive their due emphases.

The critical point of the book of Hebrews is not the superiority of the person of Christ to Moses or angels but that the Old (Mosaic) covenant has been completely replaced by the New (Messianic) covenant (7:11-12; 8:13). As clear as this teaching is, however, it should not be read anachronistically into Paul or Acts.

A survey of four critical episodes in Acts (Acts 7; 10-11; 15; 21) revealed that Jewish believers did not see the acceptance of Jesus as Messiah as the rejection of Judaism. Rather they continued to express their faithfulness to God through obedience to the scriptures as given by Moses. Those who are free from the Law in the book of Acts (chapters 10-11 and 15) are those who have always been exempted from the Law, namely, Gentiles.

Paul's purpose in writing the book of Galatians was neither to give a theology of law nor to speak to the issue of the Jewish believer's obligation to law, but rather to answer the specific question, "Must Gentiles become Jewish in order to share in the blessings of Abraham?" Paul's pointed answer is that Gentiles receive the blessings of Abraham only in Christ and not in law. Thus, between A.D. 30 and 70 Jewish believers observed the law while Gentiles did not.

Comments

© Chris A. Miller, 1994. All rights reserved.

Author Type

Faculty

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