Paul, the Rabbis, and the Gentiles | Amsterdam University Press Journals Online
2004
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Volume 76, Issue 2
  • ISSN: 2542-6583
  • E-ISSN: 2590-3268

Abstract

Abstract

Combining review and critical discussion, the article begins by summarising the successive chapters of Adi Ophir and Ishay Rosen-Zvi, (2018). The book traces the development of the phrase from its meaning of “nation” in the Old Testament to the meaning of “non-Jew” in rabbinic literature. The apostle Paul is given a singular importance, as he was the first to use the Greek term in the singular to denote non-Jews, prefiguring rabbinic usage. The two main genres of rabbinic literature are thought to operate in tandem: while in halakhah, has an abstract, non-descript profile, aggadah provides it with colour and value, often in a very negative way. In reaction, the article posits that both Paul and the rabbis must be read in their historical context, where social polarisation linked with violence and war played a major role. Paul did not “invent” the but used the existing term in his dispute over the admissibility of gentile Christians in the 50s CE. As to the rabbis, the successive revolts against Rome seem to have gone along with a polarisation process which radicalised the antithetical sense of .

© Peter J. Tomson
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2022-06-01
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Keyword(s): Jewish Separatism; Jews and Gentiles; Paul and Rabbinic Literature; Paul, Judaism and the Gentiles

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