Paul's disinterest in the fulfilling of the law - a new reading of Pauline theology

[摘要] English: The most important purpose of any investigation of Paul's theology of the law is toexplain why Paul believes that the law cannot give life. An overview of such studiesshows that the failure to fulfil (keep) the law has always been the answer given byPauline scholars, even though there might be a difference of opinion amongst themas to the reason for such a failure. In this regard, even the New Perspective was notreally new. If a failure to fulfil the law were the reason for Paul's problems with thelaw, it would mean that his interest lies in showing such a failure or the impossibilityof fulfilling the law, which would basically constitute an anthropological approach asthe problem of the law would then be related to humankind. However, Paul never refersto the impossibility of fulfilling the law perfectly in any of his letters.Instead this study shows that the answer that Paul gave to this question did not focuson humankind but on the essential nature of the law. Paul was interested in revealingthe identity of the law in redemptive history, an issue for which human failureto fulfil the law was not important. Accordingly, this study introduces the following twovery important Pauline ideas that have not been considered adequately by scholarsbefore, namely the personal nature of the law and the plural nature of the law.The first one implies that fulfilling the law in the sense of being obedient to thelaw is unavoidable, and failing to do so is impossible. Thus a failure to fulfilthe law was not what Paul was interested in.The second one implies that life and death are not determined by human failurein fulfilling the law but by the identity of the particular law that is served.By means of an intertextual reading it is showed that, for Paul, Deut. 30 hintsat Gen. 3. In Rom. 7, he presents this redemptive historical framework, hintingat the two texts (Gen. 3 and Deut. 30) in a circle of intertextuality in the followingway: For Paul, the two trees of death and life in Eden and the two lawsof curse and blessing on Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim overlap. Furthermore theTorah and the word of Christ overlap with the two laws of blessing and curse.The Torah is thus linked to the commandment of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as well as to the law on Mt Ebal, whereas the word of Christ islinked to the lost commandment of the tree of life and to the lost law on Mt.Gerizim. This means that the Torah cannot give life regardless of one's fulfillingof the law. Once again, it is clear that the fulfilling of the law as such isnot what Paul is interested in.Lastly, the study shows that the fulfilling of the law that Paul refers to (Gal. 5:14,6:2; Rom. 13:10) should not be regarded as his response to the issue of the failure tofulfil the law, either. In this instance, the focus does not fall on humankind, but on thedivine side of things. It refers to the relationship between the Torah and (the word orthe law of) Christ. The Torah is fulfilled (transformed) to become the law of Christ.Once again it is clear that Paul is not interested in the fulfilling of the law.This study focuses on texts that are generally interpreted by scholars as referringto the impossibility of fulfilling the law. In Part A, the study shows how scholars haveinterpreted texts in this way by means of a historical overview. The presuppositionsand basic ideas in this regard are considered and a new approach is suggested. InPart B, the study focuses on Paul's disinterest in the fulfilling of the law in Galatians,and highlights Paul's views on the personal nature of the law in this letter. In Part C,the study focuses on the same issue in Romans, focusing on the plural nature of thelaw, as well as on its personal nature. The two opposing laws, the Torah and the lawof God (mind and life) are discussed. Finally, in Part D, the study deals with themeaning of the expression 'fulfilling the law'.T he study concludes that Paul is not interested in the fulfilling of the law and thatcurrent explanations of Paul's views of the law focus on something that Paul was notinterested in himself.

[发布机构] University of the Free State