Israel and the Nations: Paul's Gospel in the Context of Jewish Expectation

The great merit of this volume is the range and diversity of the Jewish material it brings into conversation with Paul. This kind of engagement between New Testament and Second Temple Studies is long overdue.

This fine collection of essays, the second to emerge from an international collaboration of scholars that took place in Bratislava, both broadens the geographical scope of the discussion concerning ldquo;Paul within Judaismrdquo; and serves to move it forward in significant ways. This volume will be particularly significant for the ongoing discussion of the relationship between Paulrsquo;s conception of a mission to the gentiles and Jewish expectations about the place of the nations in the end-time redemption of Israel.

The book is to be welcomed for its energetic engagement with the questions raised by the recent ambition to view Paul ldquo;within Judaism,rdquo; in particular as it regards the central theme of the relationship of Jews and non-Jews. Scrutinizing anew main Pauline texts and comparing them with early Jewish documents, the various papers confront Paulrsquo;s ideas on this relationship with the variety of ancient views. Pauline theology and Jewish history are brought into dialogue, and it is fascinating to see this happening at a conference in Bratislava.

This extraordinary rich collection of essays deals with an issue that is at the heart of Paulrsquo;s theological thinking. It gathers an international group of scholars who are well renowned for their historical and exegetical expertise. The variety of the contributions demonstrates convincingly that it is only a multi-perspective approach like this one that can be regarded as a suitable way to properly treat the issue that is in the focus of this volume. No one who wants to deal with this bookrsquo;s subject can do without this book.