Presbyterians Read: Paul, His Letters and Anti-Judaism
Reading Paul’s letters through the lens of John Gager’s book The Jewish Lives of the Apostle Paul disputes the view of Paul as an enemy of Judaism
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This study focuses on Paul’s role in the history of anti-Judaism within the Christian church. This study provides some historical background on how first-century followers of Jesus came to be called “Christians” and how Paul and his letters have been appropriated to support anti-Jewish views in the church.
The study consists of two parts:
- Part one studying John Gager’s book Who Made Early Christianity? The Jewish Lives of the Apostle Paul
- Part two studying Paul’s letters to the Galatians and the Romans.
The intent of the study is to contextualize the emerging church within Judaism in the Roman Empire and to address the problem of Paul’s writings in the history of anti-Judaism.
As we engage in this study, we can examine our own conceptions of Paul’s letters to the Galatians and the Romans and how these writings can serve as an inspiration to inclusion rather than a treatise on Christian triumphalism.
