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

150 system of sacrifices provided a gracious means whereby a man, when he sinned, could attain forgiveness. In fact, observance of the law implied (Lev 4-5; 16-17) the offering of sacrifices for the atonement of sin, and the temple in Jerusalem "stood as a monument to the belief that Yahweh was a forgiving God who pardoned his people when they sinned." 15 Put simply, if Paul is using the quotation from Moses with its original sense it does not support the traditional interpretation as espoused by Luther or Moo. 16 E. P. Sander's criticism is identical to Hiibner's in this regard except that it comes from the perspective of Judaism rather than the Law per se. His first monograph, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, rightly called a "watershed in pauline studies," 17 argues that first century Judaism took seriously the grace of God in the election of Israel and did not under– stand Torah as a mass of regulations which, when kept perfectly, merited favor with God. 18 That is, if Luther was correct and Paul was speaking of the Jewish people as those who were .., "of the works of the law" then he either misunderstood Judaism and/or Old Testament theology. 15 George Howard, Paul: Crisis Galatia: a Study in Early Christian Theology , Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 35 (Cambridge : Cambridge University Pre , 1979), 53. 16 chlier agrees that Paul does not reason according to the original en e of Deuteron– omy, "Das mach darauf aufmerksam, daB die Schriftstelle im Sinn de Paulu nicht die Ur ache angeben soll , um deretwillen iiber denen, die aus den Ge etze werken leben, der Fluch liegt, wobei als der entscheidende Gedanke erganzt werden miiBte : e erfiillt ni mand das e etz bzw . e kann niemand es erfiillen," chlier, Galater, 132-33. 17 Dougla Moo, "Paul and the Law in the La t Ten Year , " cotti h Journal of Theology 40 (1 87): 287. 18 • P . and r , Paul and Pal tinian Judai m: A ompari on of Pattern of Reli ion ( ondon: M , 1 77), 180, "Th o r 11 patt rn of Rabbini r ligi n a it ppli d t I ltt . . . 1 th1 · d ha cho n I ra 1 and I ra 1 h pt d th 1 ti n . . . 1 ng a h (the I r ht ) m intain hi d ir t n nt, h h d o n mal p rm , m ludin li in th h int nti n o ed1ent on t1tute th ondition n nt, but th d not rn it "