What was Paul's view of the Torah in relation to Gentile believers?
We have all been exposed to one extent or another to the widely held notion that there existed a Jewish Christianity in the first century and that there was also a Gentile Christianity that ran parallel with the original faith. A little unbiased study of the "NT" corpus, however, reveals the opposite.
Indeed, Luke has a great deal to actually say on the truth of the matter. Luke was Paul’s disciple and an educated man (he was a doctor) so he would not have been ignorant of Paul’s view of the Torah. He lived with him for years and accompanied Paul on his many evangelistic journeys all around the Mediterranean.
Instead of strands of antinomianism, we find that Paul
Of course, this PRESUPPOSES that they -- the Gentiles -- must have had access via Paul, or local synagogues, to Jewish Scriptures or they would have had no idea of what Paul was talking about ....and the Torah must have been (at least in Paul’s mind) vitally important for the Gentiles, for him to have spent so much time educating them into biblical patterns of intellectual apprehension and comprehension.
Its high time this biblical truth was recognised and given a prominence it well deserves.
Indeed, Luke has a great deal to actually say on the truth of the matter. Luke was Paul’s disciple and an educated man (he was a doctor) so he would not have been ignorant of Paul’s view of the Torah. He lived with him for years and accompanied Paul on his many evangelistic journeys all around the Mediterranean.
Instead of strands of antinomianism, we find that Paul
- taught the GENTILES from the Torah (which -- as Gentiles -- they did not naturally know),
- gave illustrations from the prophets (which as Gentiles they did not naturally know), and
- instructed them out of the Writings (which as Gentiles they did not naturally know).
Of course, this PRESUPPOSES that they -- the Gentiles -- must have had access via Paul, or local synagogues, to Jewish Scriptures or they would have had no idea of what Paul was talking about ....and the Torah must have been (at least in Paul’s mind) vitally important for the Gentiles, for him to have spent so much time educating them into biblical patterns of intellectual apprehension and comprehension.
Its high time this biblical truth was recognised and given a prominence it well deserves.
