A Jew to the Jews: Jewish Contours of Pauline Flexibility in 1 Corinthians 9:19–23

by David J Rudolph, Richard Bauckham (Foreword)

David J. Rudolph raises new questions about Paul's view of the Torah and Jewish identity in this post-supersessionist interpretation of 1 Corinthians 9:19-23. Paul's principle of accommodation is considered in light of the diversity of Second Temple Judaism and Jesus' example and rule of accommodation.

314 pages, Hardcover

Published October 21, 2016

Reviews

[Lindsay John Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just how Jewish was Paul after his conversion? Didn’t he renounce his heritage? Didn’t he say that we are under grace, not the Law? To many, Paul effectively rejected his Jewishness and became a circumcised Gentile. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 is the smoking gun. Here, Paul’s Jewishness appears nonessential, optional. He simply adopted or discarded it for missionary purposes. But what if we’ve misread this passage? In A Jew to the Jews, David Rudolph confronts this reading of Paul. He specifically targets 1 Cor 9:19-23 and proposes that Paul remained a fully-observant Jew in Christ.

Full review here:
http://mydigitalseminary.com/a-jew-to...

[Larry Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though a heady read for a "layman", this book excellently vindicates Paul from the traditional interpretation of 1 Corinthians 9. Paul was a Torah observant Jew and remained as such with each group. An excellent addition to the growing body of new Pauline studies.

[Justin Wheaton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know Dr. David Rudolph. He is the Dean of my department at the university that I attend and I have spoken to him numerous times and he has even given me very helpful scholarly advice. I have also had classes taught by him and let me just say, he is nothing short of brilliant. Likewise, this book is an amazing read and truly enlightening. It masterfully brings back Paul's Judaism, something that was lost to him long ago. This book makes sense of what Paul means when he says he is a Jew to the Jews and a Gentile to the Gentiles, something that Christians struggle explaining to this day. I would recommend this book to any serious student of the Biblical text and those wanting to see Paul's true Jewish roots. However, this book is extremely technical and Dr. Rudolph goes deep into Greek and Hebrew so be prepared for that. He is a true scholar.