God’s punishment for their failure to observe the Torah. They concluded that instead of defying the Roman authorities and endangering the Jewish community, it was better to devote themselves to observing the commandments stringently, trusting that God would ultimately reward their fidelity. Only thus could they hasten the Messianic Age in which God would restore the honor of his people.20 This was probably Paul’s view; he seems to have been a recognized Pharisaic leader and may have instructed diaspora Jews residing in Jerusalem to resist assimilation to the Greco-Roman ethos and avoid any
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