Overview

Paul and Jewish identity after Christ Paul believed Israel's Messiah had come. But what does this mean for Israel? Debate rages over Paul and supersessionism: the question of whether--and if so, to what extent--the new covenant in Christ replaces God's ""old"" covenant with Israel. Discussion of supersessionism carries much historical, theological, and political baggage, complicating attempts at dialogue. God's Israel and the Israel of God: Paul and Supersessionism pursues fruitful discussion by listening to a variety of perspectives. Scot McKnight, Michael F. Bird, and Ben Witherington III consider supersessionism from political, biblical, and historical angles, each concluding that if Paul believed Jesus was Israel's Messiah, then some type of supersessionism is unavoidable even if it is not necessarily a replacement of Israel by the church. Lynn H. Cohick, David J. Rudolph, Janelle Peters, and Ronald Charles respond to the opening essays and offer their own perspectives. Readers of God's Israel and the Israel of God will gain a broader understanding of the debate, its key texts, and the factors that shaped Paul's view of Israel.

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9781683596080

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Reviews

This bold book puts all the main issues on the table. And the main issues are complex and urgent indeed, ranging from whether or in what sense non-Messianic Jews are still in a covenantal relationship with God, to what the Messiah Jesus accomplishes for Jews and Gentiles, to the status of Torah observance in Christian communities, to the significance of the experience of Messianic Jewish synagogues, to the meaning of 'supersessionism' and its relation to the horrific persecution and violence committed against Jews (in the name of Jesus Christ!) by Christians over the centuries. I heartily commend this book as a deeply illuminating and instructive starting point for anyone who wishes to enter into this crucial conversation. --Matthew Levering, Mundelein Seminary This is an important collection of essays exploring what constitutes a faithful representation of the views and practice of Paul the apostle on the basis of his own testimony in the face of significant pressures in academic circles to affirm a two-covenant theology and make Paul a witness to the same. The principal essayists seek to nurture a response to contemporary Jews that is sensitive to the deplorable history of (Christian) violence and prejudice against them while also not withholding from them that for which Paul passionately prayed--their deliverance in the one Messiah of Jew and Gentile. There is enough here to challenge both those who have espoused the naive and arrogant supersessionism that Paul opposes in Romans and those who have sought to deny the universal claims Paul makes on behalf of Jesus the Christ and a gospel that is 'for the Jew first and also for the Greek.' --David A. deSilva, Ashland Theological Seminary Is supersessionism merely a bully club to hammer those who disagree with orthodox theology? Or is it a theology that misconstrues Paul and has led to the erasure of Jews from the church and the world? Unlike some multi-author volumes discussing important issues, here there is real debate among scholars who differ in substantial ways. Recommended for all who want to know if Jesus and Paul thought God ended his covenant with Jewish Israel and transferred it to the gentile Church. --Gerald R. McDermott, author of Israel Matters and Jesus Across the Millennia Mike Bird and Scot McKnight have assembled an outstanding group of scholars to address an important and controversial topic: supersessionism. What I especially appreciate about this book is the care with which this complex concept is defined and contextualized. Readers will come away with a much clearer understanding of what the apostle Paul--himself a devout Jewish follower of Jesus--has to say about historic Israel and its relationship to the church. --Craig A. Evans, Houston Christian University

Author Information

Michael F. Bird is academic dean and lecturer in theology at Ridley College, Australia, and author of numerous books, including An Anomalous Jew and Introducing Paul. Scot McKnight is Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament at Northern Seminary, Illinois, and author of numerous books, including Reading Romans Backwards.

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