Paul, the Law, and the Covenant
This is a significant contribution to the ongoing discussion of the place of the Jewish law in the theology of the Apostle Paul. Aware of the new look in Pauline studies, and of the view of works-righteousness to which it is opposed, Dr. Das offers observations on a third way to view the law from the Pauline perspective. The argument is presented in a measured and judicious manner, and will repay careful reading.Paul J. Achtemeier, Union Theological SeminaryThis book is an important exploration of the current debate about Paul s understanding of the Jewish Law in the light of the reevaluation of the issue connected especially with the scholarship of E. P. Sanders. Andrew Das reexamines the Jewish and Pauline texts and explores the nooks and crannies of the recent debates with a sharp eye for dubious arguments. He makes a good case that it is time to move beyond the covenantal nomism theory and combine Sanders s new perspective with a realization that Paul, after all, was concerned about self-righteousness.David M. Hay, Coe CollegeAndrew Das has written an ambitious and wide-ranging study that offers a serious sustained critique of the new perspective on Paul s teaching about the Law. He joins Schreiner and Westerholm in challenging the currently popular view of Dunn, Wright, and others that Paul s critique of Law is aimed primarily at Jewish particularistic nationalism. Das has done an impressive job of sifting through the voluminous secondary literature on Paul and the Law, forming intelligent critical judgments, and maintaining a consistent position of his own while engaging most of the key passages in Paul s letters. This book is a solid and professional piece of work that needs to be heeded in contemporary debates about Paul and the Law. I have certainly learned in reading it to be more nuanced in some of my own formulations.Richard B. Hays, Duke University --Review