Paul

by Hans-Joachim Schoeps, Harold Knight (Translator)

Short description: A major study of the apostle to the Gentiles, combining exceptional scholarship with an unusual approach. Schoeps interprets Paul's theology in the light of his Jewish background, which coloured and conditioned his Christological teaching.

Genres: Christianity

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1979

Reviews

[Fred Kohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned of the author from several essays in the book Paul and the Philosophers. One that especially caught my attention was Inverse versus Dialectical Theology, by Hent de Vries. Apparently Schoeps is pretty influential among the philosophers of Paul. I had never heard of him before, despite making a habit of reading biblical scholarship. Maybe that’s because most biblical scholars are Christians and they tend to favor the opinions of other Christian scholars.

Although Schoeps acknowledges Paul's brilliance, he thinks Paul is responsible for a lot of misunderstanding of the Jewish religion and has led Christianity down a very dark path. If you are a Christian who is likely to be upset by these types of criticisms, you may want to skip this book. That would be a shame, though, because Schoeps' towering scholarship is very informative, even if somewhat dated. Not only is he learned in the N.T., but his Jewish background makes him perfect for understanding Paul in the light of Jewish opinion in the 1st century.

It is an open question whether I will read anything more by Schoeps. There is just so much to read!