The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

142 James' words describe a lifestyle which is consistent. What Paul was communi– cating by his actions was that his personal lifestyle was one of Law observance. By definition , one does not keep the Law part of the time. If a Jew kept the Law while he was in the presence of Jews but abandoned the Law when with Gentiles he was not a keeper of the Law but a breaker of the Law. 241 If this was not the case , none of the Jewish believers would have been convinced by Paul ' s actions. Consistency is a necessary component of the concept of keeping the Law. Although the text affirms that Paul joined in the vow in order to affirm his consistent Law observance , what it does not affirm is why Paul observed the Law in the fir t place . Did he "walk orderly and keep the Law" on a voluntary basis alone or because he fe lt it was the proper way for a Jewish believer to express his obedience to God? Although thi text does ~ t speak to the issue of motive we would suggest that the passage could accomodate the latter meaning. James ' parallels the necessity of Jews keeping the law with the necessity of Gentiles to keep the Apostolic decree (21 :25). 242 Paul may well have been acting, not merely out of expedience but out of conviction. required attitude of man to the d ivine covenant, Ex. 19 :5 etc., and to the culti tatute , la , commandment , admonition and warning ; in th i en e it becom a t chni al t rm in the legal tradition from x. to Dt," G . Bertram, "<j>u11acrcrw , " TDNT, 9:2 6-40 . It u ag in th w Te tament corre pond to that in the Old . 241 f . Howard . Kee, "After th tianity and Rabbini Judaism, ed. Her hel oc1ety, 1 2), 10 . rucifi ion- hri tianit Thr ugh Paul ," hank (Wa hin ton, D . . : Bibli 1 r h 242 Int r tin 1 , th m rd <j>u11acraw , i u d in dis mm t1 n th Ap t li d r " th w nt n th d li r d to them/ or ob rvan e ( <)>u11aaa 1 ) th a o ti nd Id s wh w r t J ru 1 m."