Grace and Agency in Paul and Second Temple Judaism: Interpreting the Transformation of the Heart

385 Pages·2014·1.69 MB·English

by  Kyle B. Wells

Grace and Agency in Paul and Second Temple Judaism
Novum Testamentum,
Supplements
Executive Editors
David P. Moessner (Forth Worth)
Margaret M. Mitchell (Chicago)
Editorial Board
H.W. Attridge (New Haven)
C. Breytenbach (Berlin)
J.K. Elliott (Leeds)
C.R. Holladay (Atlanta)
D. Marguerat (Lausanne)
M.J.J. Menken (Tilburg)
J.C. Thom (Stellenbosch)
P. Trebilco (Dunedin)
VOLUME 157
The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/nts
Grace and Agency in Paul and
Second Temple Judaism
Interpreting the Transformation of the Heart
By
Kyle B. Wells
LEIDEN | BOSTON
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wells, Kyle B. (Kyle Brandon), 1980–
 Grace and agency in Paul and Second Temple Judaism : interpreting the transformation of the heart / by
Kyle B. Wells.
  pages cm. — (Supplements to Novum Testamentum, ISSN 0167-9732 ; Volume 157)
 Includes bibliographical references and index.
 ISBN 978-90-04-27728-1 (hardback : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-27732-8 (e-book)
 1. Bible. Epistles of Paul—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Bible. Epistles of Paul—Relation to the Old
Testament. 3. Paul, the Apostle, Saint—Theology. 4. Grace (Theology)—Biblical teaching. I. Title.
 BS2650.52.W45 2014
 227’.06—dc23
2014026701
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issn 0167-9732
isbn 978-90-04-27728-1 (hardback)
isbn 978-90-04-27732-8 (e-book)
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Contents
Acknowledgements  ix
1 Introduction  1
1.1 Paul, Grace, and Agency  1
1.2 Method of Investigation  9
Part 1
Jewish Scriptures: Restoration Agency in Deuteronomy,
Jeremiah, and Ezekiel
2 Deuteronomy 30: God and Israel in the Drama of Restoration  25
2.1 Reading 1: The Priority of Israel in Restoration  26
2.2 Reading 2: Divine Priority in Restoration  28
2.3 Conclusion  39
3 Heart Transformation in the Prophets: Jeremiah and Ezekiel  41
3.1 The Heart and Its Transformation in the Book of Jeremiah  41
3.2 Ezekiel and the Recreation of Moral Agents  53
3.3 Conclusion  61
Part 2
Early Jewish Interpretation and Theology
4 The Septuagint  65
4.1 Introduction  65
4.2 Initiative and Agency  65
4.3 Heart Operation  67
4.4 Conclusion  71
5 The Dead Sea Scrolls  73
5.1 Introduction  73
5.2 Scriptural Engagement  75
5.3 The Sectarian Community: Larger Considerations  107
5.4 Summary and Conclusions  126
vi contents
6 The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha  134
6.1 Baruch  134
6.2 Jubilees  147
6.3 Second Baruch  163
6.4 Fourth Ezra  173
6.5 Summary and Conclusion  187
7 Philo  188
7.1 Introduction  188
7.2 Deuteronomy 30 and Restoration  188
7.3 Philo and Heart-Circumcision  200
7.4 Conclusion  204
Part 3
Paul
8 Paul’s Reading of Deuteronomy 30 in Romans 2:17–29  209
8.1 Introduction: Establishing the Connection  209
8.2 The Way to Life and Fulfilling the Commands  211
8.3 Heart-Circumcision and the Reconstitution of the Moral
Agent  215
8.4 Conclusion  221
9 Paul’s Reading of Restoration: Further Considerations  224
9.1 Romans 7:5–6: A Critical Link  224
9.2 Moral Agents in Eschatological Contrast  225
9.3 Life in the Flesh: Moral Agents in the Old Aeon  227
9.4 New Creation: The Reconstitution of the Human Agent in
Christ  253
9.5 Summary and Conclusions  275
10 Paul’s Reading of Restoration Outside Romans  276
10.1 Competency and the New Covenant: 2 Corinthians 3:5–6  276
10.2 Brief Excursus on Letter/Spirit Contrast  278
10.3 Heart-Circumcision and Worship in Spirit: Philippians 3:3  282
10.4 The Circumcision of Christ: Colossians 2:11–12  284
10.5 Summary and Conclusions  288
contents vii
Part 4
Conclusions
11 Conclusions  293
11.1 Conclusions Regarding Paul’s Reading of Scripture  293
11.2 Conclusions Regarding the Pauline Integration of Grace and
Agency  295
11.3 Implications for Pauline Theology  301
11.4 Implications for Paul and Judaism  307
Bibliography  313
Index of Ancient Literature  346
Index of Names  366
Select Index of Subjects  373

Acknowledgements
This work would not have been possible without the efforts of many, whom I
now have the privilege of recognising. The thoughts behind this project were
seminally formed under the winsome instruction of the faculty at Covenant
Theological Seminary. Their refusal to play off grace and obedience in either
theory or practice set me thinking on precisely how the two topics integrate. A
particular word of thanks goes to David Chapman, Jack Collins, Greg Perry,
and Jay Sklar for their encouragement throughout this process.
The project itself was guided by many sage minds. The bulk of the research
for this project took place while pursuing a Ph.D. at Durham University. I could
not have found a better secondary supervisor than Loren T. Stuckenbruck. His
expertise in the Jewish materials proved to be of incalculable value; his interac-
tion with me went beyond the call of duty. Prof. Stuckenbruck, along with
Matthias Henze, Jason Maston, Joshua Moon, and Preston Sprinkle, kindly pro-
vided me with pre-published material. Seulgi Byun, William Kynes, Jonathan
Moo, and N.T. Wright read portions of the thesis and provided feedback.
Surprisingly, however, none would take credit for any mistakes that might
remain.
I would also like to thank Robert Gundry for kindly reading the manuscript
in its entirety. Dr. Gundry gave me encouragement as well as a substantial les-
son in English grammar. My examiners, Lutz Doering and Richard Bell, and the
anonymous readers at Brill, all made helpful comments that have contributed
to the final version of this work. There are a few others to mention: Matt Day
for research assistance, Ryan Kelley for the indexing, Liv Leonard for proof-
reading, and Molly Riley for helping to retrieve books in a timely manner.
Little did I know when I arrived in Durham what a tremendous privilege it
would be to study under Prof. John M.G. Barclay. It is hardly imaginable that
one could acquire a better supervisor. I could speak of his proficiency as a
scholar: his comprehensive knowledge of the field, his keen ability to read
texts, his aptness to cut to the heart of complex subjects, and his skilful employ-
ment of language. These things are widely known, however, as his own work
speaks for itself. Perhaps unknown to most are his untiring labours as a super-
visor. I could speak of the late hours he spent re-reading chapters that he had
already read several times over, of how he investigated the primary and sec-
ondary sources to ensure that he was interacting with my work in the most
informed way, of how he would send recommendation letters at a few days
notice without even a hint of being inconvenienced. I could even speak of the
hours upon hours of joyous and stimulating conversation we spent in dialogue