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

155 law" as "covenantal nomism, " 33 further defining it as the "particular observances of the law like circumcision and the food laws. " 34 He rightly notes that these observances were distinctly Jewish and served a significant sociological function to "identify their practitioners as Jewish" in the eyes of contemporary society. 35 They thus served as "badges of covenant membership. " 36 Concentrating on the phrase "works of law" in Galatians 2: 16 as a test case he asserts that the phrase simply means "covenant works-those regulations prescribed by the law which any good Jew would simply take for granted to describe what a good Jew did. " 37 Paul's argument against "works of the law" according to Dunn is founded in the epochal change brought about in Christ. Since the dawn of the new age in Christ, He, and not Torah, has become the "badge" of membership in God's people. Therefore, Gentiles who have faith in Christ must not be excluded from membership in God's people by their failure to become "covenantal nomists." Thus, Paul's statement in 2: 16 may be understood not as a ., rejection of Judaism ("not by the works of the Law") necessarily but as an affirmation of Messiah ("but by faith in Christ") . "Works of the law" were never evil and are not even now necessarily inappropriate for the Jewish believer, but they are no longer the identifying mark of God 's people, particularly for the Gentile who is saved by his direct participation with 33 f. note number 27 on page 154. 34 Dunn, 'The N w Per pective on Paul ," 107. 3 Jame D . . Dunn, "Work f th Law and th ur 14) ," ew e tament tudie 31 (1985) : 524-26. 6 Dunn .. he ' ti on Paul," 10 1 1 1d ., 111. 'In h rt , on in P ul e m mu h 1 ur and mu h m r flrml m t u h ith th r ht f ir t I a e th u ht ," 1 id . f th La ( lati n : 10- m n f 1 th ntur ntur Jud 1 m th n m n