Where Is Boasting?: Early Jewish Soteriology and Paul's Response in Romans 1-5

This important work challenges the validity of the New Perspectiveon Paul and Judaism. Working with new data fom Jewishliterature and a fresh reading of Romans 1-5, Simon Gathercoleproduces a far-reaching criticism of the current approach to Pauland points a new way forward.Building on a detailed examination of the past generation ofscholarship on Paul and early Judaism, Gathercole's work followstwo paths. First, he shows that while early Judaism was not trulyoriented around legalistic works-righteousness, it did consider obedienceto the Law to be an important criterion at the final judgment.On the basis of this reconstruction of Jewish thought and arereading of Romans 1-5, Gathercole advances his main argument-- that Paul did indeed combat a Jewish perspective that saw obedienceto the Law both as possible and as a criterion for vindicationat the final judgment. Paul's reply is that obedience to the Law isnot a criterion for the final judgment because human nature makesobedience to the Law impossible. His doctrine of justification cantherefore be properly viewed in its Jewish context, yet anthropologicalissues also take center stage.