Analysis of Reinventing Paul by John Gager - Book Report/Review Example

Book Review Reinventing Paul Summary Reinventing Paul is a book which was authored by John Gager and published by the Oxford University Press in the year 2002. In this book, Gager presents a candid discussion about the controversies surrounding the teachings of Apostle Paul. According to his research, many scholars have misinterpreted Paul’s teachings for very many years. However, in his view, this is necessary because they do not exactly put Paul’s teachings into its original right context. This paper reviews Reinventing Paul. It does this by providing a precise, but in-depth summary of Gager’s main ideas and goes ahead to present a critical reflection and analysis of his views. According to Gager, Apostle Paul should not be regarded as the father of the Christian anti-Semitism. Many scholars, over the years, have been made to believe that Paul was a very big enemy of the Jewish religious traditions. This is refuted by the author who, in his opinion, Paul does not qualify as a rebel. Instead, he should be viewed as an apostle who was mainly concerned about the unity of the church. Having been converted at a time when salvation was purely perceived as a Jewish affair, Paul found himself in a controversy because of his differing stance. He decided to disagree with some not because he was against the laws of Moses, but because he had wanted salvation to be an inclusive thing that was not only reserved to the Jews alone. In this book, Gager tries to revolutionize Pauline studies. He provides a modern and new interpretation that can be helpful in knowing what Paul was concerned with. As a Gentile Apostle, Paul was determined to see salvation be extended to the gentiles as well. So, by fighting for the inclusion of the gentiles, Paul should not be considered to be opposing any doctrine and traditions associated with Judaism. Unlike apostles like Peter, Paul held the view that no non-Jew should be forced to undergo the rite of circumcision because it was of no essence to them. Salvation was good news to everyone including the gentiles. Therefore, once they decide to get salvation, they need not to be circumcised since it was a fulfillment of the covenant God had entered into with Abraham and his descendants. By describing his Paul as the real one, this author says that it is only him who has presented the actual picture of Apostle Paul. Unlike him, several attempts have been made to misrepresent the actual identity of Apostle Paul. This has been possible because the messages delivered by Apostle Paul have been taken out of its real context. To the scholars who view Paul as a rebel, it is obvious that they have to misinterpret the exact ideologies he stood for. However, to him who sees Paul as a Gentile, he can not misinterpret his message. He knows and acknowledges that his message was intended to the Gentiles like Romans, Galatians and Corinthians who had to be inspired and given an opportunity to seek for salvation. Therefore, it is not right to exclaim that by allowing Gentiles to be saved, God had rejected the Jews. Instead, it should be understood that salvation was originally given to the Jews before it was extended to the Gentiles. Argument Having read and properly comprehended Reinventing Paul, I would like to point out that Gager was mainly concerned about unmasking the truth about the teachings of Apostle Paul. In his letters to the Galatians, Thessalonians, Romans and the Corinthians, Paul was committed to informing these gentiles that the good news of salvation had been brought to them. Although not Jews, the gentiles would also be entitled to salvation because God had had good plans for them through Jesus Christ. Therefore, because they needed not to be circumcised. He believed that circumcision was meant for uniting the Jews as it was a sign of the covenant God had with their ancestor Abraham. Meaning, any Gentile was free to be a Christian so long as they made the decision to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts. In his writings, Gager confirms Apostle Paul’s position on the rebuttal of Mosaic Laws and Judaic doctrines as a gateway to salvation. He views Paul as a gentile apostle who was aiming at bridging the gap between the conservative apostles and the reformists who held differing opinions regarding the controversial issue of circumcision of the gentiles. In order to deliver his message to his intended audience, Apostle Paul used negative comments such as Jewish law is enslavement; a curse; death; and a former life that even he, himself, had abandoned. So, no gentile should be coerced into abiding by it. In other words, it is not justifiable to force the work of the law to everyone. To prove this, the author says, “When Paul appears to say something that is unthinkable from a Jewish perspective, it is probably true that he is not talking about Jews at all. Instead, we may assume that the apostle, to the Gentiles, is talking about the law and Gentiles” (58). All these criticisms were not targeted at the Jews, but to the likes of Apostle Peter who regarded salvation as a Jewish affair that if necessary, should only be extended to the gentiles through circumcision. As a writer, Gager joins the league of scholars with hyper-new perspective on Apostle Paul’s teachings. Just like Stanley Stowers, Eliot Neil and Gaston Lloyd, Gager confirms that Paul was not anti-Semitic as had been claimed by other scholars. He did not fear disagreeing with anyone who was interested in pursuing beliefs that would divide the church. In his letters to the gentiles, he demonstrates that there is no need of coming up with stringent measures to bar the non-Jews from enjoying salvation. As a gentile, Paul believed that salvation was to be open to everyone. Being that it was introduced amongst the Jews does not mean that it could not be availed to other people. For this reason, he openly disagreed with Peter and his allies who insisted that the Jewish laws had to be mandatory to anyone who wanted to get salvation. Actually, the salvation was a very contentious issue in the early church. It was quite difficult to come into an agreement on exactly how it was to be managed. Whereas the Jewish apostles like Peter believed that Christianity was a Judaic sect that had to fuse elements of the Mosaic Law, the gentiles such as Paul held the view that Christianity was to be declared as a new religious outfit that had nothing to do with Judaism. So, it was to be more accommodative and friendly to both the Jews and gentiles alike. Usefulness of Historical Studies The information retrieved from Reinventing Paul demonstrates that a historical study is necessary in the 21st century. It can help in resolving inherited characterizations as well as assumptions constructed by scholars regarding certain matters. More often than not, scholars and researchers do disagree over certain issues. This might be necessitated by their findings, perceptions, ideologies or beliefs. For instance, many scholars have differed over Apostle Paul’s teachings because of their religious stances. While others criticize him for being anti-Semitic who launched a war against Judaism, others believe that he was a loyal apostle who as mainly targeting the gentiles in his teachings. To address such controversies, historical studies should be conducted. It can help in providing a new knowledge that can be relied upon to understand an informed and impartial version of the concept under study. Had Gager not written this book, the confusion that had ensured on Pauline Studies would not have been resolved. Such studies can remedy misconceptions on “the man whose mission has been distorted by twenty centuries of Pauline scholarship based on a faulty “old” paradigm influenced by anti-Semitism” (74-75). It is only through his new approach that apostle Paul is viewed not as anti-Semitic as earlier alleged. Instead, it opens the readers’ minds to acknowledge that Apostle Paul was exclusively addressing the gentiles to whom such information was invaluable. Read More