The Chosen People By A. Chadwick Thornhill - EXCERPT

8202019 The Chosen People By A Chadwick Thornhill - EXCERPT

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A Chadwick Thornhill

Chosen PeopleElection Paul and Second Temple Judaism

The





The



Copyrighted Material wwwivpresscompermissions



InterVarsity Press

PO Box 10486251048628983088983088 Downers Grove IL 9830949830889830931048625983093-10486251048628983090983094 ivpresscom

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copy9830909830881048625983093 by A Chadwick Tornhill

All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from

InterVarsity Press

InterVarsity Pressreg is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian FellowshipUSAreg a movement of

students and faculty active on campus at hundreds of universities colleges and schools of nursing in the United

States of America and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students For

information about local and regional activities visit intervarsityorg

All Scripture translations unless otherwise indicated are the authorrsquos own

Cover design Cindy Kiple

Interior design Beth McGill

Images Byzantine plaque of St Paul Werner Forman Archive British Museum London Location 1048625983090 Glow Images

biblical temple Model of the city of Jerusalem Israel Photo copy arker Bridgeman Images

ISBN 9830971048631983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-1048628983088983096983091-983088 (print)

ISBN 9830971048631983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-9830979830971048625983093-983097 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

As a member of the Green Press Initiative InterVarsity Press is committed to protectingthe environment and to the responsible use of natural resources o learn more visit greenpressinitiativeorg

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Tornhill A Chadwick 1048625983097983096983091-

Te chosen people election Paul and Second emple Judaism A Chadwick Tornhill

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index

ISBN 9830971048631983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-1048628983088983096983091-983088 (pbk alk paper)

1048625 Election (Teology) 983090 JewsmdashElection Doctrine of 983091 Bible Epistles of PaulmdashTeology 1048628 JudaismmdashInfluence

983093 JudaismmdashHistorymdashPost-exilic period 983093983096983094 BC-9830901048625983088 AD I itle

BS983090983094983093983093J1048628983093983093 9830909830881048625983093 98309098309110486251048631rsquo983094mdashdc983090983091

98309098308810486259830939830889830901048631983093983094983096

P 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 983090983088 1048625983097 1048625983096 10486251048631 1048625983094 1048625983093 10486251048628 1048625983091 1048625983090 10486251048625 1048625983088 983097 983096 1048631 983094 983093 1048628 983091 983090 1048625

Y 9830911048628 983091983091 983091983090 9830911048625 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 9830901048631 983090983094 983090983093 9830901048628 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 983090983088 1048625983097 1048625983096 10486251048631 1048625983094 1048625983093




Contents

Acknowledgments 1048633

Abbreviations 10486251048625

1048625 he Missing Link in Election 1048625983093

1048626 God Chose Whom Election and the Individual 1048626983096

983091 Who Are the People o God 9830931048633

983092 Whorsquos In and Whorsquos Out Election and ldquoConditionsrdquo 10486331048633

983093 How Big a ent 1048625983092852023

983094 Whose urn Is It Election and Responsibility 1048625983096983094

852023 Rereading Romans 9830961048626983094ndash10486251048625983091983094 104862610486261048633

983096 Where Do We Go rom Here 1048626983093983092

Select Bibliography 10486269830941048625

Author Index 1048626852023983093

Subject Index 1048626852023983096

Scripture Index 1048626983096983088

Ancient exts Index 1048626983096983093




1048625

The Missing Linkin Election

Halway through my seminary studies I was sitting in a class titled

Patristics and Ancient Heresies (my wie always joked about the odd

titles o the courses I took) when a shif began or me A substitute pro-

essor who would later be my doctoral mentor was introducing us to

Greek philosophy and Jewish sectarianism He made the suggestion

perhaps even implicitly that understanding these ancient belie systems

could actually aid us in understanding the New estament and Christian

theology Tough others had likely offered that suggestion to me beore

something clicked that day I began a series o conversations with this

proessor that eventually led to a course o study on the Apocrypha

I had prior to that class only heard the term Apocrypha used as a mild

expletive in reerence to ldquothoserdquo books filled with heresies and thus

shunned by ldquogood Christiansrdquo (Irsquom only hal kidding) Te journey ac-

celerated in that course because o a very simple task I actually read the

Apocrypha I began to see connections I started to understand the value

I realized that there actually is quite a lot to glean rom reading ldquothoserdquo

books From that beginning with the Apocrypha I set out on a trajectory

through the remainder o my seminary program and through my PhD to

explore in more detail the ldquointertestamentalrdquo writings which most now

reer to as ldquoSecond emplerdquo or ldquoearly Jewishrdquo texts What began with the

Apocrypha continued with the Pseudepigrapha Dead Sea Scrolls and rab-

binic writings Trough the journey I was able to get a better sense o what

Jews were thinking during and around the time o the New estament




983089852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

T983144983141 ldquoN983141983159 P983141983154983155983152983141983139983156983145983158983141rdquo 983151983150 P983137983157983148

In combination with exploring Judaism I was likewise introduced to the

ldquonew perspective on Paulrdquo (NPP) Most credit E P Sanders with igniting

somewhat o a revolution among New estament interpreters in his Paul and

Palestinian Judaism Sanders and the NPP in general contends that Second

emple Judaism more or less indicating the period rom 104862910486241048624 983138983139983141 to 9830951048624 983139983141

did not view ldquoworksrdquo as determinative or salvation as many Pauline inter-

preters understand in Paulrsquos contrast between ldquoworksrdquo and ldquoaithrdquo Rather

some orm o ldquocovenantal nomismrdquo Sanders argued better described what

Jews during the Second emple period understood as ldquohow to be savedrdquo

(though they would not have used that language) For Sanders covenantal

nomism puts the covenant at the center o our understand o what ldquokeeping

orahrdquo meant Tis would not have meant ldquoearning salvationrdquo but rather

represented the appropriate response to Godrsquos offer o the covenant which

was graciously given Tough critiques o Sandersrsquos view have been offered

mysel included in this work it seems to me the correction prevails

Te NPP contains a good bit o diversity and its three central figures

E P Sanders James D G Dunn and N Wright certainly have their

own share o differences Tese differences primarily lie in how to tease

out the relationship between Paul and Judaism rather than how to

discern the nature o Judaism itsel What interested me at this inter-

section between Paul and Judaism was the question o election But

whereas the NPP debate has ofen centered on the question o the

meaning o ldquoworks o the lawrdquo the ldquoaithulness o Jesusrdquo the ldquoright-

eousness o Godrdquo and what Paulrsquos ldquojustificationrdquo language means

ldquoelectionrdquo itsel something all three authors assume to be vital to the

nature o Jewish thought has received less attention I was surprised to

find many works at the intersection between Paul and Judaism talking

ldquoaroundrdquo election rather than ldquoaboutrdquo it which largely prompted my own

approach983089 Te question this book explores concerns how Jewish authors

spoke o election and how this background knowledge relates to Paul

1N Wright has offered significant contributions in this area in particular in his recent two-

volume work Paul and the Faithfulness of God (Minneapolis Fortress 9830909830881048625983091)




he Missing Link in Election 983089983095

E983148983141983139983156983145983151983150 983145983150 J983157983140983137983145983155983149

I will spend a great deal o time laying out the various Jewish perspectives

on election Here and briefly I wish to tease out some general patterns

among scholars concerning Jewish views o election Te headings here

are my own and I intend or them to represent as best as possible the

views o the authors represented Tere seem to be three basic camps

among scholars as to the extent o Israelrsquos election and the means by

which it receives it ldquonational and unconditionalrdquo ldquonational and cooper-

ativerdquo and ldquoremnant-oriented and conditionalrdquo

G F Moorersquos summary in Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian

Era (983089983097983090983095) is requently reerenced in addressing the ldquonational and un-

conditionalrdquo view o Israelrsquos election He states ldquoSalvation or eternal lie

is ultimately assured to every Israelite on the ground o the original

election o the people by the ree grace o God prompted not by its

merits collective or individual but solely on Godrsquos loverdquo1048626 W D Davies

largely echoes this view in his Paul and Rabbinic Judaism as does also

more recently E P Sanders Ofen those who hold this view rely heavily

on the rabbinic materials which many now hesitate to employ as sources

or understanding the first century because o their late dating Sandersrsquos

reason or relying more heavily on the rabbinic materials was primarily

pragmatic1048627 Te central point to his approach was that the view o Ju-

daism as a merit-based religion proposed by Ferdinand Weber Emil

Schuumlrer and Wilhelm Bousset among others was misguided Sandersrsquos

(now quite amous) explanation o the relationship between election and

covenant was that ldquoone is put in the covenant by the gracious election o

God one stays in it by observing the law and atoning or transgressionrdquo983092

S Leyla Guumlrkanrsquos more recent work reaffirms the idea o unconditional

national election983093 Guumlrkan envisions election as signiying ldquothat lsquoall Israelrsquo

2G F Moore Judaism in the First Centuries of the Christian Era (1048625983097983090983095ndash1048625983097983091983088 repr Peabody MA

Hendrickson 1048625983097983097983095) 9830909830971048628-9830971048629 See also 1048625983091983097983096-1048628983088983088 104862510486291048628983090 983090983091104862810486253E P Sanders Paul and Palestinian Judaism (Minneapolis Fortress 1048625983097983095983088) pp 9830901048628-98309010486294E P Sanders Paul the Law and the Jewish People (Minneapolis Fortress 10486259830979830961048629) p 10486281048629 He argues

against the notion that what brought one into the covenant of the elect was works rather than

election (o grace) (ibid p 1048629983088)5Joel Lohrrsquos text also works within a similar framework though he does not address the Second

emple background (see Joel N Lohr Chosen and Unchosen Conceptions of Election in the Pen-




9830891048632 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

ie the descendants o Jacob are chosen through lsquoan everlasting

covenantrsquordquo983094 and that ldquounlike the writings o the Qumran community the

notion o lsquotrue Israelrsquo as associated with a particular group within thepeople o Israel does not appear in the apocryphal and pseudepigraphal

booksrdquo1048631 Tis statement is however in tension with her recognition o

the presence o the remnant moti in that body o literature which o

course asserts primarily that there is a particular group within Israel that

is the ldquotrue Israelrdquo

Favoring the ldquonational and cooperativerdquo view Joseph Bonsirven in his

983089983097852022852020 work Palestinian Judaism in the ime of Jesus Christ primarily em-ployed the rabbinic sources and used only a handul o texts rom the

Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha Bonsirven suggested the rabbis under-

stood Abrahamrsquos election as a reward or his righteousness and noted that

the same theme is present in the Apocrypha Philo and Josephus1048632 Te

merits o the patriarchs and o later Israel as well as the gratuity o God

(what Bonsirven reers to as a ldquoreciprocal choicerdquo1048633) together brought

about Israelrsquos election which was o a national nature9830891048624 Bonsirven under-

stands this as a nationalethnic concept and notes a tension within the

Jewish writings between understanding this election as conditional (ie

dependent on keeping orah) and unconditional Simon Gathercole983089983089

seeks to counter the view that Jewish ldquoboastingrdquo was primarily because o

either their ldquoworks-righteousnessrdquo or their ldquonational righteousnessrdquo re-

ceived through their election9830891048626 Gathercole argues that both election and

tateuch and Jewish-Christian Interpretation [Winona Lake IN Eisenbrauns 983090983088983088983097])6S Leyla Guumlrkan Te Jews as a Chosen People radition and ransformation (New York Routledge

10486269830889830881048633) p 104862610486267Ibid p 10486269830928Joseph Bonsirven Palestinian Judaism in the ime of Jesus Christ (New York Holt Rinehart amp

Winston 10486251048633983094983092) p 9830929830919Ibid p 983092983094

10Ibid pp 983092983092-983092983093 Koumlhler sees a deep connection between the election and mission o Israel and

similar to Bonsirven notes that this election is rooted in the merits o the patriarchs as well as inGodrsquos love (Kaumann Koumlhler Jewish Teology Systematically and Historically Considered [New

York Macmillan 104862510486331048625983096] p 983092983088983094) Koumlhler affirmed the centrality o election to the Jewish religion

and recognized it as the key to understanding the nature o Judaism (ibid p 9830911048626983091)11Simon J Gathercole Where Is Boasting Early Jewish Soteriology and Paulrsquos Response in Romans

852017ndash852021 (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 983090983088983088983090)12Ibid p 9830901048630983091





obedience were a part o the Jewish confidence Gathercole sees election

and obedience as compatible when obedience is understood as the ldquobasis

or vindication at the eschatonrdquo9830891048627 a theme he also sees in PaulTe late Mark Adam Elliott in his 983090104862410486241048624 publication Te Survivors of

Israel A Reconsideration of the Teology of Pre-Christian Judaism offered

a significant critique o Sandersrsquos view by calling ldquoa third lsquopillarrsquo belie to

the bench Tis is the doctrine widely assumed to belong universally to

Judaism o the irrevocable national election of Israel rdquo983089983092 Elliott contended

that due to poor historical methodology the standard interpretation o

Second emple Judaismrsquos belies concerning election has been seen pri-marily as nationalistic and unconditioned due to an anachronistic pro-

jection o the belies o rabbinic Judaism onto the Second emple mate-

rials In his study Elliott examined the Dead Sea Scrolls and the

Pseudepigrapha to argue that an unconditional nationalistic view o

Israelrsquos election cannot sufficiently account or the preponderance o

evidence He instead contends rightly in my mind that a conditional

view o covenant was predominant983089983093 rooted in a soteriological dualism

in which the unrighteous are composed o both the nations and apostate

Israel while the righteouselect are members o the preserved ldquoremnantrdquo

who are aithul to the covenant As he summarizes ldquoTe conventional

nationalistic view of election theology is not accurately reflective of at least

some important pre-Christian Jewish groups in contradistinction to past

treatments moreover one must conclude rom such evidence that a

Jewish theology of special election existed well in advance of the New es-

tament period rdquo983089983094 Likewise Sigurd Grindheim has concluded that election

was associated closely with law observance and was requently pictured

as relevant only to a aithul remnant and not to the whole nation o Is-

rael9830891048631 Grindheim concludes that Paul at least in part critiques the idea

13

Ibid pp 9830901048630983091-1048630104862814Mark Adam Elliott Te Survivors of Israel A Reconsideration of the Teology of Pre-Christian Juda-

ism (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 983090983088983088983088) p 98309098309615Ibid p 104863098309198309716Ibid p 10486301048628983088 (emphasis original)17Sigurd Grindheim Te Crux of Election Paulrsquos Critique of the Jewish Confidence in the Election of

Israel (uumlbingen Mohr Siebeck 9830909830889830881048629) pp 983090 9830951048629-9830951048630




9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

that visible status claims among the Jewish people acted as evidence o

membership in the elect9830891048632 More radically Chris VanLandingham argues

that within late Second emple Judaism ldquoelection (like salvation) is nota gif o Godrsquos grace but a reward or proper behaviorrdquo9830891048633 VanLandingham

sees the oundation o the argument as resting with Abraham I Abraham

received the covenant by Godrsquos gratuity then Israel likewise receives it as

such but i he received the covenant because o his righteous merits

then Israel has likewise received it Godrsquos bestowal o the covenants came

because o Godrsquos response to Abrahamrsquos righteousness and ldquothe mercy

God grants to Israel is not given to each individual but only to the entityo Israelrdquo10486261048624

Elliott Grindheim and VanLandingham rightly recognize that Sanders

may have swung the pendulum too ar as it relates to Jewish belies con-

cerning election Elliott in particular demonstrates the extent to which a

conditionalremnant-ocused view o election persisted throughout Ju-

daism Tis does not however return us to a pre-Sanders understanding

o Second emple Judaism according to which salvation can be earned by

tipping the scales o judgment through good behavior But rather it rec-

ognizes that there were both conditional and unconditional elements to

the covenant in the thinking o many i not most Jewish authors o this

time something that resonates with the Old estament itsel and that I

will suggest also helps us make better sense o Paul1048626983089

M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144

Te basic thrust o this study will be to answer two key questions (983089)

How did Jews during the Second emple period understand the nature

18Ibid p 1048625983097104863019Chris VanLandingham Judgment and Justification in Early Judaism and the Apostle Paul (Grand

Rapids Baker Academic 1048626983088983088983094) p 104862598309620

Ibid p 98309498309321It seems best to view the covenant as unconditional in terms of Godrsquos commitment to it but

conditional in terms of how Israel relates to God through it Kessler helpfully suggests ldquoTus

while Yahwehrsquos election of Israel is unconditional an ongoing experiential covenantal relation-

ship with Yahweh is conditioned upon the willingness of Israel to lsquoabide within the covenantrsquos

demandsrsquordquo (John Kessler Old estament Teology Divine Call and Human Response [Waco Bay-

lor University Press 9830909830881048625983091] p 9830901048630983095)





o their election And (983090) how does onersquos understanding o Jewish

idea(s) o election influence how one might understand the key

Pauline texts that address election Te first question contains severalsubquestions which I will address to various degrees I will primarily

ocus on Jewish concepts o the nature o election as they relate to the

questions o ldquoextentrdquo (ethnicnational or remnant) the relationship

to the individual (corporate or individual in ocus) and the rela-

tionship to salvation (divinehuman agency and the presence o ldquocon-

ditionsrdquo) I will likewise address whether these authors viewed election

as merited or given graciously but only as it connects to the primaryquestions noted above

Beore beginning our examination I must make some summary state-

ments about how we might make such a comparison First I recognize

Paul operated within a historical and cultural context that shaped his

thinking and influenced how he might have expressed certain ideas Tis

notion comes with less controversy now than perhaps it did in the past

but we must remind ourselves o it nonetheless Paul reacts against

ldquoJewish theologyrdquo (or we might say Christless Jewish theologymdashPaul

would have considered himsel a Jewish ldquotheologianrdquo) but he himsel is

also a product o it steeped both in the Old estament and in the tradi-

tions o first-century Jews We should not then expect Paul always to

run counter to Jewish ideas Much more ofen the influence o those

ideas stands out

We must also recognize that when we speak o ldquoJudaismrdquo we do not

speak o a monolithic entity in which everyone believes the same way

Certain core ideas resonate with all Jews no doubt (eg monotheism

election orah) but great variety is present as well As such I will at-

tempt to recognize the variations present in the literature when they exist

while also recognizing the commonalities As much as possible I will

attempt to let the texts ldquospeak or themselvesrdquo meaning I will attempt to

engage with the interests o these texts as they relate to the questions

rather than to oist these questions on them Gathercole suggested such

an approach in arguing ldquoI one is exploring the dispute between Paul

and Judaism we need to understand not only the Jewish texts on their




983090983090 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

own terms but also Judaism on Paulrsquos termsrdquo10486261048626 Tis is certainly sound

advice We cannot only consider Jewish belies but rom there we must

also consider in what ways Paul interacts with those belies Te properapproach is thus to understand these texts as separate entities beore

asking how they relate to Paul rather than adopting some preconceived

ramework about Paulrsquos belies and then seeking to justiy it by finding

supporting literature rom Jewish sources

As it concerns the examination o these specific texts I will seek to

approach them with sensitivity to social historical and literary actors in

the text Since these texts come to us rom different centuries within thelate Second emple period and address different events that motivated

their composition we must consider the historical background o each

text in both an immediate and extended sense in order to properly con-

textualize its contents In addition to historical concerns we must con-

sider the literary and social setting o each text Here genre and orm

certainly come to bear on the meaning o the text as well as a consider-

ation o why the author wrote and what they originally intended to ac-

complish By social analysis I will attempt to attend to the social actors

that may have influenced the development o a particular theological

expression10486261048627 I will not seek as do many who ocus on social actors to

uphold or apply a particular ldquomodelrdquo o sociological theory in relation to

the texts and movements studied herein1048626983092 but rather to operate with an

awareness o the underlying social actors that are at work in the various

texts under examination1048626983093 Elliottrsquos approach offers a helpul model He

22Gathercole Where Is Boasting p 983090104863023As Elliott has stated ldquoit is nevertheless important to acknowledge that the influences of social

factors in the Second emple period have been more or less proven to possess real (only some

would say predominating) significance for the formation and explication of Jewish theologyrdquo

(Elliott Survivors of Israel p 983095)24For background information on social models and New estament studies see John Hall Elliott

ldquoSocial-Scientific Criticism of the New estament More on Methods and Modelsrdquo Semeia 9830911048629

(10486259830979830961048630) 1048625-98309198309125As Horrell has recognized ldquoTose who advocate a model-based approach insist that their use

of models is heuristic and not prescriptive and that only if the data fit the model will its use be

justified But any particular model shapes the way in which evidence is selected and inter-

pretedrdquo (David G Horrell ldquoSocial-Scientific Interpretation of the New estament Retrospect

and Prospectrdquo in Social-Scientific Approaches to New estament Interpretation ed David G Hor-

rell [Edinburgh amp Clark 1048625983097983097983097] pp 1048625983097-983090983088)





speaks o a ldquosocioliteraryrdquo unction which he defines as ollows ldquotexts

not only say something they also do something Not only do religious

authors intend to express theological teachings or propositions bywriting in other words but consistently (i unconsciously) there would

appear to be some purpose or their writing in the first place and this

purpose orms an essential part o the communicationrdquo1048626983094 Te basic

question to ask is What did the author seek to accomplish in composing

this text in this way o some extent then we will seek to understand

the ldquothought worldrdquo o late Second emple Judaism concerning the

theme o election Tough I will obviously not be able to create a com-plete picture o this thought world I do seek to deal with all o the

available evidence that comes to bear on the issue So we must construct

this thought world in order to consider what a text could have meant

within that thought world and exclude what it could not have meant to

those who may have read it in the late Second emple setting I will thus

aim to examine the materials selected with sensitivity to these issues

S983151983157983154983139983141983155

Te sources I will examine in this study are both chronologically and

theologically diverse Since I will examine Jewish belies during the

Second emple period (and specifically the late Second emple period)

concerning election I will ocus on the literature o this period that gives

a glimpse into the thought world o first-century Jews Te sources I will

consider primarily date to pre-9830951048624 983139983141 in their composition and come

rom Jewish origins Our ultimate goal is again to gain an understanding

o Jewish perspectives10486261048631 o election leading up to the time in which the

New estament and specifically Pauline materials came about I will

26Elliott Survivors of Israel p 983097 Tis is in general a recognition of the basic principles of ldquospeech-

actrdquo theory in which it is argued that texts are written not only to inform but to bring about

some action on the part of the intended reader Tis is the distinction made between the illocu-tion (the intended message) and perlocution (the intended result of the message) Tus it is

argued that words donrsquot just have intended meaning but also intended actions or results27It is common to speak now o ldquoJudaismsrdquo rather than o Judaism recognizing the variety that

existed within Jewish monotheistic belies during this time See James H Charlesworth Te Old

estament Pseudepigrapha and the New estament (Cambridge Cambridge University Press

10486259830979830961048629) p 10486291048630




983090852020 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

examine various texts rom the Dead Sea Scrolls (DSS)10486261048632 Apocrypha and

Pseudepigrapha

Dead Sea Scrolls Te writings ound at Qumran in the mid-twentiethcentury have provided new and important insights into both the world

o Second emple Judaism and have shed new light on certain areas o

New estament studies (eg the Jewish concepts o Messiah apocalypse

orah soteriology) We can place these writings with air certainty in the

late Second emple period as most scholars date the bulk o the ma-

terials to the first century 983138983139983141 with some texts dated at various points

between the third century 983138983139983141 and the first century 98313998314110486261048633 We shouldfirst consider several questions about the nature o the community Te

primary question at hand is how the belies o the scrolls community

related to the larger picture o Second emple Palestinian Judaism

though we must also ask who the members o this community were and

what connection they had with Jews outside o their community

Concerning the first question o the identity o the DSS community

several suggestions have been proposed Te dominant view among

scholars today however identifies the scrolls community as some sort o

Essenic sect given the numerous similarities between what we know o

this community through their own texts and what we know o the Es-

senes in Josephus10486271048624 Concerning ldquooutsidersrdquo the documents o the sect

28Tough there were nonsectarian documents found at Qumran such as copies of Old estament

books and noncanonical writings such as Jubilees I employ the designation DSS to refer specifi-

cally to the sectarian documents found at Qumran29See Geza Vermes An Introduction to the Complete Dead Sea Scrolls (Minneapolis Fortress 983090983088983088983088)

pp 10486251048625-104862598309030As Vermes asserts ldquoIf its intricacies are handled with sophistication it is still the best hypothesis

today Indeed it accounts best for such striking peculiarities as common ownership of prop-

erty and the lack of reference to women in the Community Rule the probable co-existence of

celibate and married sectaries and the remarkable coincidence between the geographical

setting of Qumran and Pliny the Elderrsquos description of an Essene establishment near the Dead

Sea between Jericho and Engedirdquo (ibid p 1048625983090) For their relevance to this study Elliott helpully

puts the debate into perspective in summarizing ldquoEven i the scrolls were penned or edited bymore than one specific group they nonetheless preserve a more or less common point of viewrdquo

(Elliott Survivors of Israel p 9830901048625) Schiffman has argued that the community is connected to the

Sadducees and Golb has suggested a single sect was not responsible or them (Lawrence H Schiff-

man Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls Teir rue Meaning for Judaism and Christianity [New York

Doubleday 10486259830979830971048629] Norman Golb Who Wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls Te Search for the Secret of

Qumran [New York Scribner 10486259830979830971048629])





seem to indicate a definitive sense o separation rom the temple estab-

lishment1048627983089 Tere was general disdain among the community or the

priesthood in Jerusalem which they viewed as corrupt Te location othe community also isolated them rom outsiders10486271048626 As David Flusser has

demonstrated interaction with and possible persecution rom the Phar-

isees and Sadducees and the Essenes prior to their (partial) withdrawal

to the desert existed as we see in several o the pesher scrolls ound at

Qumran10486271048627 Some o the ldquorulesrdquo o the community however indicate

there was contact albeit limited with outsiders which we might imagine

must be necessary or a remote desert group1048627983092 According to Josephusthe Essenes still interacted at the Jerusalem temple though they reused

to sacrifice there ( Ant 98308910486329830891048629) Josephus also demonstrated some

knowledge though limited o the belies o the sect such as their

proneness to ldquodeterminismrdquo ( Ant 98308910486271048629983097) their reclusive liestyle and

their strict rules concerning money and property ( Ant 98308910486329830891048629)1048627983093

ldquoApocryphalrdquo texts Te writings o the Apocrypha can generally be

dated with air confidence to the late Second emple period prior to the

composition o the New estament and primarily o Palestinian prove-

nance Tose whose contents bear on the questions addressed in this

study are obit (ca 98309010486241048624 983138983139983141) the Wisdom o Ben Sira (ca 9830899830951048629 983138983139983141)1048627983094

Baruch (ca 98308910486291048624 983138983139983141) 983089 and 983090 Maccabees (both ca 9830899830901048629 983138983139983141) and

31See Lawrence H Schiffman Qumran and Jerusalem Studies in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the History

of Judaism (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 9830909830881048625983088) pp 9830961048630-98309698309532David Flusser Judaism of the Second emple Period (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 983090983088983088983095) 104862598309733Ibid 10486259830909830901048628-983091104862934See Florentino Garciacutea Martiacutenez Echoes from the Caves Qumran and the New estament (Leiden

Brill 983090983088983088983097) p 9830901048625983097 Marcus K M so Ethics in the Qumran Community (uumlbingen Mohr Sie-

beck 9830909830881048625983088) p 10486251048625983095 Harrington likewise affirms ldquoLabelling outsiders ritually as well as morally

impure helped to preserve the grouprsquos identity as a community set apart to maintain holiness in

Israelrdquo (Hannah K Harrington Te Purity exts [New York amp Clark 9830909830889830881048628] p 10486251048625983090)

Baumgarten also sees it likely that there was some inevitable contact with outsiders among

members of the community (Joseph M Baumgarten Studies in Qumran Law [Leiden Brill

1048625983097983095983095] p 983095983091)35See Alison Schofield From Qumran to the Yahad A New Paradigm of extual Development for Te

Community Rule (Leiden Brill 983090983088983088983097) p 9830909830881048628 Flusser suggests that the Qumran community

likely at least at points in their history intended to eventually reform Jewish life and persuade

the people to stop following the errant teachings of the Pharisees (Flusser Judaism 104862598309010486281048628)36Tis text is sometimes referred to by the titles Sirach Ecclesiasticus the Wisdom of Sirach or

the Wisdom of Ben Sira




983090852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

Wisdom o Solomon10486271048631 (near the end o the first century 983138983139983141 or the

beginning o the first century 983139983141) Tough some books were more in-

fluential in Second emple Judaism than others (Ben Sira or exampleis requently afforded airly prominent status) I will examine these texts

together seeking to identiy areas o commonality and disagreement in

the realm o Jewish literature during this period10486271048632

ldquoPseudepigraphicalrdquo texts Like the apocryphal writings the pseude-

pigraphical materials do not belong to a single period or provenance10486271048633

Teir contents must thus be treated with care as it concerns the signifi-

cance o an individual writing in relation to the ldquowholerdquo o Judaism atthe time Within the pseudepigraphical ldquoOld estamentrdquo writings we

can identiy a number o texts within the late Second emple period For

our purposes this includes Jubilees (ca 98308910486291048624 983138983139983141) estaments of the

welve Patriarchs (ca 98308910486291048624 983138983139983141)9830921048624 the additional Psalms o David (9830891048629983089A

9830891048629983090 98308910486291048627 and 98308910486291048629 [1048629ApocSyrPs 1048627] ca first century 983138983139983141 or earlier) the

Psalms of Solomon (ca 98308910486241048624 983138983139983141) the Sibylline Oracles (near the end o

the first century 983138983139983141 or the beginning o the first century 983139983141)983092983089 Biblical

37Te Wisdom of Solomon is a text of Egyptian provenance that was heavily influenced by Greek

literature and philosophy Tis text has been included in this study because it appears to have

been widely circulated across the Roman Empire by the end of the first century and it may have

also had some influence on some New estament passages (see Lester Grabbe Wisdom of Solo-

mon [New York amp Clark 1048625983097983097983095] pp 983090983096-983090983097)38All translations of the Apocrypha are taken from the 98315098315498315598315839For O Pseudepigraphal texts all translations are taken from James H Charlesworth ed Te

Old estament Pseudepigrapha vols 1048625-983090 (Peabody MA Hendrickson Publishers 9830909830881048625983088) unless

otherwise noted40Te estaments of the welve Patriarchs is a text o Jewish origin likely dating to the Maccabean

period Te textual history o this testament is complex with at least two recensions o the text

available having been translated into Armenian Slavonic late Hebrew and Aramaic though the

text itsel is likely o Greek origin (see H C Kee ldquoestaments o the welve Patriarchsrdquo in Te Old

estament Pseudepigrapha vol 1048625 Apocalyptic Literature and estaments ed James H Charles-

worth [10486251048633983096983091 repr Peabody MA Hendrickson 104862698308810486251048625] pp 852023852023983093-852023852023) Te text contains later Chris-

tian interpolations though it is clearly o an original Jewish origin that predates the composition

o the New estament As Elliott has summarized ldquoTe continuity in subject matter and unior-

mity o structure within and throughout the present estaments suggests a basic unity o composi-

tion [with a preerred] Hasmonean daterdquo (Elliott Survivors of Israel p 1048626983093)41Te collection known as the Sibylline Oracles has a wide range o compositional dates assigned to

its various books ranging somewhere rom the second century 983138983139983141 to the seventh century 983139983141

(John J Collins ldquoSibylline Oraclesrdquo in Charlesworth Apocalyptic Literature and estaments p

9830911048625983095 Te later books in the collection are primarily Christian in nature and postdate the period

under examination in this study ) O the ourteen books and ragments included in the collection

our can be dated to the period under examination (ie books 983091 [ca 1048625983094983091ndash983092983093 983138983139983141] 983092 [ca 983096983088 983139983141]





Antiquities (Pseudo-Philo) (early first century 983139983141)9830921048626 the estament of

Moses (early first century 983139983141)9830921048627 and 983089 Enoch983092983092

S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155

Preliminaries aside we will begin our journey in chapter two by looking

at how various Jewish sources and Paulrsquos letters discuss the concept o

election as it relates to specific individuals which I will argue typically

either emphasizes the character or designated role o the ldquochosen onerdquo or

depicts him as a ldquorepresentative headrdquo Te third chapter will show that

the Jewish emphasis typically alls on the collective illustrated through various corporate metaphors and the remnant moti and suggest Paul

shares a similar emphasis In chapter our I will seek to tease out how

the various groups and Paul defined the parameters o Godrsquos people via

what ldquomarkersrdquo or ldquoconditionsrdquo defined these various groups both im-

plicitly and explicitly Te fifh chapter will look at how our Jewish texts

view Jew and Gentile inclusion and exclusion beore examining the same

discussion in Paulrsquos writings Chapter six will then look at the issue o

divine agency and human responsibility across these writings In chapter

seven I will offer a rereading o Romans 1048632983090852022ndash9830899830891048627852022 based on my exami-

nation o Jewish theology and Paulrsquos thought Finally in chapter eight

afer a summary o my findings I will ask what we gain rom this view

and also suggest urther work that needs to be done in this area Tis is

where we are headed but first we begin with election and the individual

and 983093 [ca 983096983088 983139983141]) Book 10486251048625 was likely composed near the turn of the era (see ibid pp 1048628983091983088-983091983090)

but its contents are not relevant to the focus of this study Books 1048625 and 1048626 though likely o early

origin contain later Christian interpolations Te Jewish phases o books 1048625 and 1048626 can be placed

near the end o the first century 983138983139983141 or the beginning o the first century 983139983141 (ibid p 9830919830911048625)42See Daniel J Harrington ldquoPseudo-Philordquo in Charlesworth Apocalyptic Literature and esta-

ments p 98309098309798309743See Johannes romp ldquoMoses Assumption ofrdquo in Te Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism ed

John J Collins and Daniel C Harlow (Grand Rapids Eerdmans 9830909830881048625983088) p 983097983095104862544

Te book known as 852017 Enoch like many of this period has a complex compositional history Temajority of the text is dated by a consensus to before 10486251048630983088 983138983139983141 (John J Collins ldquoEnoch Ethiopic

Apocalypse of (1048625 Enoch)rdquo in Te Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism ed John J Collins and

Daniel C Harlow [Grand Rapids Eerdmans 9830909830881048625983088] p 10486299830961048629) See also George W E Nickelsburg

Jewish Literature Between the Bible and the Mishnah (Minneapolis Fortress 9830909830889830881048629) p 98309010486291048629 Mi-

chael A Knibb ldquoEnoch Similitudes of (1048625 Enoch 983091983095ndash9830951048625)rdquo in Collins and Harlow Eerdmans

Dictionary of Early Judaism p 1048629983096983095








The






InterVarsity Press


emailivpresscom



InterVarsity Press










ISBN 9830971048631983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-1048628983088983096983091-983088 (print)

ISBN 9830971048631983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-9830979830971048625983093-983097 (digital)






pages cm






98309098308810486259830939830889830901048631983093983094983096

P 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 983090983088 1048625983097 1048625983096 10486251048631 1048625983094 1048625983093 10486251048628 1048625983091 1048625983090 10486251048625 1048625983088 983097 983096 1048631 983094 983093 1048628 983091 983090 1048625

Y 9830911048628 983091983091 983091983090 9830911048625 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 9830901048631 983090983094 983090983093 9830901048628 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 983090983088 1048625983097 1048625983096 10486251048631 1048625983094 1048625983093




Contents







983093 How Big a ent 1048625983092852023





Author Index 1048626852023983093

Subject Index 1048626852023983096






1048625




























983089852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

T983144983141 ldquoN983141983159 P983141983154983155983152983141983139983156983145983158983141rdquo 983151983150 P983137983157983148





































E983148983141983139983156983145983151983150 983145983150 J983157983140983137983145983155983149




































9830891048632 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141
























Winston 10486251048633983094983092) p 9830929830919Ibid p 983092983094




































13







9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141





















M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144



































ideas stands out















983090983090 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141




















































S983151983157983154983139983141983155
















10486259830979830961048629) p 10486291048630




983090852020 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141


Pseudepigrapha








































































983090852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141











































S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155




































InterVarsity Press


emailivpresscom



InterVarsity Press










ISBN 9830971048631983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-1048628983088983096983091-983088 (print)

ISBN 9830971048631983096-983088-983096983091983088983096-9830979830971048625983093-983097 (digital)






pages cm






98309098308810486259830939830889830901048631983093983094983096

P 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 983090983088 1048625983097 1048625983096 10486251048631 1048625983094 1048625983093 10486251048628 1048625983091 1048625983090 10486251048625 1048625983088 983097 983096 1048631 983094 983093 1048628 983091 983090 1048625

Y 9830911048628 983091983091 983091983090 9830911048625 983091983088 983090983097 983090983096 9830901048631 983090983094 983090983093 9830901048628 983090983091 983090983090 9830901048625 983090983088 1048625983097 1048625983096 10486251048631 1048625983094 1048625983093




Contents







983093 How Big a ent 1048625983092852023





Author Index 1048626852023983093

Subject Index 1048626852023983096






1048625




























983089852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

T983144983141 ldquoN983141983159 P983141983154983155983152983141983139983156983145983158983141rdquo 983151983150 P983137983157983148





































E983148983141983139983156983145983151983150 983145983150 J983157983140983137983145983155983149




































9830891048632 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141
























Winston 10486251048633983094983092) p 9830929830919Ibid p 983092983094




































13







9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141





















M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144



































ideas stands out















983090983090 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141




















































S983151983157983154983139983141983155
















10486259830979830961048629) p 10486291048630




983090852020 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141


Pseudepigrapha








































































983090852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141











































S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155




































Contents







983093 How Big a ent 1048625983092852023





Author Index 1048626852023983093

Subject Index 1048626852023983096






1048625




























983089852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

T983144983141 ldquoN983141983159 P983141983154983155983152983141983139983156983145983158983141rdquo 983151983150 P983137983157983148





































E983148983141983139983156983145983151983150 983145983150 J983157983140983137983145983155983149




































9830891048632 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141
























Winston 10486251048633983094983092) p 9830929830919Ibid p 983092983094




































13







9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141





















M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144



































ideas stands out















983090983090 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141




















































S983151983157983154983139983141983155
















10486259830979830961048629) p 10486291048630




983090852020 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141


Pseudepigrapha








































































983090852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141











































S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155




































1048625




























983089852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

T983144983141 ldquoN983141983159 P983141983154983155983152983141983139983156983145983158983141rdquo 983151983150 P983137983157983148





































E983148983141983139983156983145983151983150 983145983150 J983157983140983137983145983155983149




































9830891048632 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141
























Winston 10486251048633983094983092) p 9830929830919Ibid p 983092983094




































13







9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141





















M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144



































ideas stands out















983090983090 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141




















































S983151983157983154983139983141983155
















10486259830979830961048629) p 10486291048630




983090852020 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141


Pseudepigrapha








































































983090852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141











































S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155




































983089852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141

T983144983141 ldquoN983141983159 P983141983154983155983152983141983139983156983145983158983141rdquo 983151983150 P983137983157983148





































E983148983141983139983156983145983151983150 983145983150 J983157983140983137983145983155983149




































9830891048632 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141
























Winston 10486251048633983094983092) p 9830929830919Ibid p 983092983094




































13







9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141





















M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144



































ideas stands out















983090983090 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141




















































S983151983157983154983139983141983155
















10486259830979830961048629) p 10486291048630




983090852020 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141


Pseudepigrapha








































































983090852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141











































S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155





































E983148983141983139983156983145983151983150 983145983150 J983157983140983137983145983155983149




































9830891048632 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141
























Winston 10486251048633983094983092) p 9830929830919Ibid p 983092983094




































13







9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141





















M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144



































ideas stands out















983090983090 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141




















































S983151983157983154983139983141983155
















10486259830979830961048629) p 10486291048630




983090852020 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141


Pseudepigrapha








































































983090852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141











































S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155




































9830891048632 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141
























Winston 10486251048633983094983092) p 9830929830919Ibid p 983092983094




































13







9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141





















M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144



































ideas stands out















983090983090 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141




















































S983151983157983154983139983141983155
















10486259830979830961048629) p 10486291048630




983090852020 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141


Pseudepigrapha








































































983090852022 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141











































S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155































































13







9830901048624 983144983141 C983144983151983155983141983150 P983141983151983152983148983141





















M983141983156983144983151983140 983137983150983140 A983152983152983154983151983137983139983144



































ideas stands out















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ideas stands out















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ideas stands out















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Pseudepigrapha








































































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S983157983149983149983137983154983161 983151983142 C983144983137983152983156983141983154983155




































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Pseudepigrapha








































































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The Chosen People By A. Chadwick Thornhill - EXCERPT

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