Channels, Fall 2016

Channels • 2016 • Volume 1 • Number 1 Page 27 affirms that this Second Temple Judaism understanding is also Paul’s who warns the recipi- ents of his letters that they are justified. They are true members of God’s covenant, not by practicing “works of the law,” distinct Jewish practices, but by having faith in Christ. 24 One cannot deny that there is certain correlation between the 4QMMT and Paul’s writings in Romans and Galatians. After all, Paul lived during the Second Temple Judaism period and its context is the same as Paul’s epistles. For this reason, evidence such as the 4QMMT must not be overlooked since it plays a fundamental role in interpreting Pauline literature. Fur- thermore, different Jewish regulations are mentioned throughout the letters such as Titus not being forced to circumcision although he was a Greek (Gal.2:3), Peter separating him- self from the Gentiles after eating with them fearing the circumcision party (Gal. 2:11-14), and the mention of the value of circumcision (Rom. 3:1). In addition, particularly in the book of Galatians, Paul seems to be dealing with Gentile believers that were being influ- enced by Judaizers to submit under Jewish regulations after having placed their trust in the true gospel of Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:6-10). For these reasons, Wright and Dunn are not wrong in emphasizing the one aspect of “the works of the law” as boundary markers separating Jews and Gentiles, which were indiscriminately an important issue in the first century. However, they are mistaken in concluding that social norms must be the only meaning re- garding the deeds of the law. Membership rules are only one aspect of the Law; nevertheless, it is clear that Paul has the entire Law, the Torah, in mind when using the term “works of the law.” When utilizing such wording, he is referring to the Pentateuch as a whole, where the concept of the Law was first introduced in the Scriptures. Although the 4QMMT is an important document that helps us understand the context of Second Temple Judaism, in this case, it should not be the deciding interpretive factor since it only speaks about “some of the works of the law” and the term, “works of the law,” in itself, is an OT concept 25 . Therefore, one must understand the role of the law and faith throughout the Pentateuch in order to comprehend Paul’s us- age of the term. The Old Testament scholar John Sailhamer writes concerning this topic in his book The Pentateuch as Narrative. According to Sailhamer, “faith versus the works of the law” is central to the theological purposes of the Pentateuch. 26 The lives of Abraham and Moses are contrasted, portraying the former as the righteous one, the one who kept the Law, even though he lived before the given of the Law. The latter is portrayed as the one who lived under the Law, the one who died in the wilderness because of his unbelief. Sailhamer, then, concludes that one of the purposes of the Pentateuch is to show the way of faith and the weakness of the Law (Gen 15:6; 26:5; Num 20:12). 27 As Westerholm puts it, “the law can only condemn and curse transgressors, and hand them over as captive to sin 24 Ibid., 104-132; The entire article wishes to explain the context of justification by elaborating on the topics of covenant and eschatology in MMT and Paul. Wright’s main conclusion is that the dualistic context, covenant and eschatology, are found both in the 4QMMT and in Paul’s writings. Therefore, it seems reasonable to af- firm that the usage of the term “works of the Law” were the same in both writings. 25 John H. Sailhamer, The Pentateuch as Narrative: a Biblical Theological Commentary, Library of Biblical In- terpretation (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992), 61. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid., 59-79.