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This book is novel in its questioning of the adequacy of interpreting Paul from the perspective of the Reformation and in its application of sociological methods to the New Testament.
- Sales Rank: #5453812 in Books
- Brand: Brand: Cambridge University Press
- Published on: 1986-09-26
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.50" h x .71" w x 5.43" l, .9 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 255 pages
- Used Book in Good Condition
Review
'One of the most interesting books on Paul to appear in recent years ... Watson offers a fresh and innovative reading of Paul, page after page of perceptive comment, and the best exegetical critique of the Lutheran position now available.' E. P. Sanders, Journal of Jewish Studies
'A bold and provocative thesis, presented clearly and readably.' Journal of Theological Studies
'A timely contribution, offering a reassessment of the New Testament texts behind the Reformation and encouraging us to see them differently.' Theology
'The great asset of this important book is that it brings coherence into the Pauline writings from Galatians to Romans.' The Heythrop Journal
'In the past few years or so Paul's theology, especially his relationship to Judaism, has become a highly controversial topic in NT studies. In this book Watson launches into that controversy with one of the most important and adventurous contributions to date, which is sure to spark off further controversies in its wake ... that he has managed to produce strikingly novel but not wild or idiosyncratic results is a measure of his rigorous methods of argument.' Themelios
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful.
A good critique of a Lutheran Paul, a poor reconstruction of a sociological Paul
By Tyler
It has often been debated what exactly Paul is arguing against in Romans and Galatians. What is the "faith" vs. "works of law" controversy? The traditional approach to this question, perhaps even the "orthodox" approach after the reformation is that "Paul is attacking the idea that salvation can be earned by acts of obedience to the law. . . He himself [Paul] preaches a gospel of salvation solely by the grace of God, and the idea that salvation is to be earned by man's achievement is therefore anathema to him" (1). Thus, in essence Paul's gospel is an attempt at salvation theology, which is set in stark contrast to the legalist religion of Judaism. Francis Watson is convinced that "the Reformation tradition's approach to Paul is fundamentally wrong" (1). Drawing from some of the exegetical work of the historically conscious "reformed" Bultmann and Käsemann as well as the sociological/historical readings of F.C. Bauer and Krister Stendahl, Watson attempts to read Paul sociologically. His thesis: "The social reality which underlies Paul's discussions of Judaism and the law is his creation of Gentile Christian communities in sharp separation from the Jewish community" (19). Thus, Paul's theology is driven by sociological necessity.
The book puts forth a new idea while drawing from some of the major Paul scholars of the last century. Watson is dependent upon Sanders on some notable points. (1) The fundamental critique of Paul against Judaism is not "earning salvation" but "the covenant." (2) "Paul does not oppose Judaism because of any theoretical shortcomings it may or may not have, but simply because it is not Christianity" (21). Again, his work draws from F.C. Bauer for historical reconstruction as well as Bultmann and Käsemann for exegetical detail. It is interesting, as N.T. Wright points out, that there is no mention of Albert Schweitzer. After briefly surveying some of the major trajectories of Pauline thought in the last century of scholarship Watson puts forth his "sociological approach."
The Argument:
After establishing that Acts is of little to no historical value for reconstructing the life of Paul particularly in relationship to the Gentile mission Watson gives his five stage argument for Paul's aims. He writes, "Acts therefore gives us virtually no reliable information about the origins of the mission to the Gentiles" (28). Since acts is virtually worthless for understanding Paul's main purpose (the apostle to the Gentiles) Watson only deals with Paul's letters (except when Acts suits his purposes cf. 32, 36, 51, 58, 84). The process of Paul's aims comes in five stages: (28)
(1)Paul began his Christian career as a missionary to Jews and not Gentiles.
(2)Paul first preached to Gentiles in response to the failure of his preaching among the Jews
(3)Paul and those with him did not require submission to the law from their Gentile converts, particularly parochial laws of circumcision, Sabbath and diet.
(4)The reason for this (# 3) is because Paul wanted to make it easier for Gentiles to come into the church thus ensuring the success of the gospel.
(5)The result of Paul's lax law enforcement required "the separation of Pauline Gentile Christians from the Jewish community" (28).
Thus, Watson finds the social situation to be the origin of Paul's theology of the law, "not his conversion experience [Luther], his psychological problems [Räisänen], or his insight into the existential plight of humanity [Bultmann]" (28).
Where does the "sociology" come in? These five stages makes sense when Paul's movement is understood as a transition from a "reform-movement into a sect" (38). "The essential difference between the two is that the reform-movement adopts a hopeful attitude towards society, believing that with divine help it will be able to transform it, whereas the sect adopts a hostile and undifferentiated view of society" (39). Since Paul was advocating a separation (from Judaism) he needed a theology to legitimize this separation. The legitimization takes places in three stages:
(1)Denunciation: opponents (in this case Judaism) may be attacked either for their general moral depravity or their crimes against the sect (i.e. Gentile Christianity).
(2)Antithesis: Categorical distinctions between those in the sect and those outside (i.e. the righteous and the unrighteous).
(3)Reinterpretation: the sect begins to see itself as the only legitimate possessor of the truth. Traditions are reinterpreted around the sect.
Watson argues that these three stages can be seen in Qumran, the Johannine community and Paul. After setting up his basic reconstruction of Paul he seeks to put his theory into practice by interpreting Paul through this reconstructive lens. Watson spends about forty pages (49-87) on Galatians, Corinthians and Philippians. The rest of the book is devoted to Romans.
Strengths:
Watson does a very good job of critiquing the weaknesses of the Lutheran approach to understanding Paul. For too long Paul has been seen as strictly a "theologian." He has been read as a theologian addressing the universal problem of man. Unfortunately, this view makes little attempt to read Paul in his context. Theology for Paul could not be separated from history. While Watson too heavily critiques "theology" his analysis makes a very valid point. "New Testament scholarship should abandon, not theology indeed, but the philosophical idealism which has provided the framework for so much Pauline theology, and should embrace, not indeed materialistic reductionism, but a realism in which belief and life are held firmly together." Theologians and Pauline scholars must take a more accurate look at the context of Paul's writing and mission.
The context of Paul's mission seems to me explicitly related to Jew and Gentile relations. One of the fundamental questions Paul struggled with was how to bring Jews together in worship with Gentiles under the Lordship of Jesus. This is both a theological and a sociological problem. He makes some strong arguments about the origins of the church in Rome (91-98). Taking account of sources outside the NT, Watson shows that there was clearly an issue within Judaism relating to Christianity. Also, Watson has one of the strongest readings of Romans 2 I have seen. Rather than offering a hypothetical critique of Jews in their inability to live out the law, Paul is using the obedience of the Gentile Christians to attack the self-righteousness of the Jews. Finally, Watson clearly shows that Paul's theology was not sola gratia via sola fides. There is more involved than simply arguing for the grace of God.
Weaknesses:
Despite the clarity of Watson's argument and the strength's mentioned above there are some serious weaknesses to his work. It seems to me that Watson's book has three main weaknesses. First, the book demonstrates very little attention to methodology. The book purports to be "very thoroughly written from the standpoint of a much more rigorous historical and sociological perspective" (ix), but there is very little in the way of actual sociological analysis. There is "no reference at all to any primary texts in the discipline of sociology itself, no discussion of different models and their strengths and weaknesses, and no mention of some of those New Testament scholars . . . who have made special contributions here" (Critique by N.T. Wright in Journal of Theological Studies). In addition, there is little in the way of sociological "data." There are little to no references to sources outside the NT to support his thesis (brief mention of Tacitus and Suetonius). There are no references to inscriptions, archeology, or comparative analysis. It almost seems as if Watson set out to prove Lutheranism wrong and just haphazardly decided sociology could help him do so. This is a serious methodological weakness that detracts from the argument significantly.
Second, Watson's discounting Acts as historical information about Paul's mission to the Gentiles is suspect. As mentioned above, why is it that Acts can be appealed to when it supports his thesis (32, 36, 51, 58, 84), but disregarded otherwise? His arguments against Act's historicity are hardly convincing. Against the Cornelius narrative (Acts 10.1-11.18) he gives four reasons: (1) Luke shows interest in centurions elsewhere (cf. Lk 7.4f; Acts 27.1, 3, 31f, 42ff). Thus, "This is simply one aspect of Luke's generally favourable attitude towards Roman authority" (24). (2) Luke likes to portray divine guidance through angels (Acts 10.1-8; cf. 8.26; 27.33f; Lk 1.8f). (3) Luke likes to give direct messages from the Lord (Acts 10.9-16; cf. 7.55; 9.10; 22.6ff; 26.13ff; etc.). (4) the outpouring of the Spirit is proof of apostolic authority (10.44f; cf. 2.1ff; 4.31; 8.14ff; 19.1ff). Thus, Watson concludes that since the narrative portrays specifically lucan elements it is therefore not historical. Perhaps it is because the book was written in 1984, and published in 1986 but this argument seems too incredible to take seriously. However, I do think that the question of how Acts might be used for a historical reconstruction of Paul's life is a good one. Sadly, it isn't answered very well here.
Third, Watson's does not adequately prove his argument. Particularly weak is Watson's argument that Paul failed as a missionary to the Jews and thus went to the Gentiles but did not force the Law on them so that he could have success. If this were the case then the accusers in Galatia were right, Paul would be a "man pleaser" (1.10). It also ignores the massive amount of Jewish argument the Paul brings to his letters. Furthermore, it begs the question, why did Paul care for the Jewish Christians at all if he was only interested in the success of his gospel? Why maintain any Jewishness at all? Aside from these unanswered questions what about 1 Cor 9.20? "To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews" (NIV). His treatment of the passage (29) completely disregards the text itself. This is a prime example of Watson forcing his argument when the evidence does not support it.
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