The Dual Torah, Part I
Seminars in Restitutionist Primitivism, #1.1
Reeks: Seminars in Restitutionist Primitivism
Andy C. Ho, PhD
- For
- centuries,
- the
- Church
- has
- insisted
- that
- salvation
- comes
- through
- faith
- in
- Jesus,
- not
- by
- observing
- the
- Law.
- But
- is
- this
- what
- the
- Scriptures
- actually
- say?
- In
- fact,
- Jesus
- said
- that
- he
- did
- not
- come
- to
- abolish
- the
- Law,
- which
- was
- to
- last
- forever,
- and
- that
- he
- came
- instead
- to
- fulfill
- it
- (Matt
- 5:17-19).
- And
- critically,
- it
- is
- never
- said
- anywhere
- in
- Scripture
- that
- Jesus
- fulfilled
- the
- Law
- for
- you,
- such
- that
- you
- would
- not
- have
- to
- observe
- the
- Law
- for
- yourself,
- which
- is
- precisely
- what
- the
- Church
- teaches—even
- as
- Jesus
- emphasized
- how
- every
- follower
- of
- his
- was
- to
- adhere
- to
- the
- Law,
- even
- in
- the
- smallest
- detail
- of
- the
- least
- of
- its
- commandments
- (Matt
- 7:21-23).Still,
- preemptively
- denouncing
- anything
- to
- the
- contrary
- as
- 'legalism,'
- the
- Church
- has
- always
- taught
- that
- Paul
- proclaimed
- a
- 'Law-free'
- gospel.
- Why?
- Could
- it
- be
- that
- Paul's
- message
- has
- been
- sorely
- misunderstood?
- This
- volume
- argues
- that
- to
- grasp
- Paul's
- true
- intent,
- we
- must
- consider
- the
- rabbinic
- teaching
- that
- God
- gave
- Moses
- not
- only
- the
- Law
- written
- in
- stone
- but
- also
- a
- second
- Law
- to
- explain
- the
- first
- one.
- Down
- the
- generations,
- teacher
- was
- to
- pass
- down
- the
- second
- Law
- to
- student
- orally,
- which
- required
- all
- parties
- involved
- to
- memorize
- it
- by
- heart.
- That
- came
- to
- be
- named
- the
- Oral
- Law,
- which
- was
- not
- to
- be
- put
- down
- in
- writing
- so
- as
- to
- keep
- it
- out
- of
- Gentile
- hands.This
- notion
- of
- the
- dual
- Torah—the
- Written
- Law
- of
- Moses
- and
- the
- Oral
- Law
- of
- the
- Pharisees—would
- have
- suffused
- Paul's
- mind
- as
- a
- Pharisee-in-training,
- such
- that
- his
- teachings
- on
- the
- Law
- for
- Gentiles
- ought
- to
- be
- understood
- in
- the
- light
- of
- this
- andcognate
- rabbinic
- concepts.
- When
- that
- is
- done
- assiduously,
- it
- becomes
- apparent
- that
- Paul
- never
- advocated
- a
- Law-free
- gospel.
- Rather,
- his
- message
- was
- always
- closely
- aligned
- with
- Jesus'
- emphasis
- on
- obeying
- the
- Law.Incredible?
- Prepare
- to
- have
- your
- long
- held
- beliefs
- challenged
- as
- you
- explore
- the
- nuanced
- relationship
- between
- faith,
- works,
- and
- the
- Law
- in
- Paul's
- genuine
- letters
- as
- sketched
- out
- in
- this
- book
- which
- delves
- into
- the
- rabbinic
- context
- of
- and
- the
- rabbinic
- content
- in
- Paul's
- thoughts
- about
- the
- Law.
- The
- latter
- have
- made
- for
- a
- 2000-year-old
- puzzle
- of
- why
- Paul
- criticized
- the
- Law
- at
- every
- turn
- but,
- in
- gross
- self-contradiction,
- also
- praised
- it
- at
- other
- turns.This
- work
- invites
- you
- to
- reconsider
- long-held
- assumptions
- about
- what
- Paul
- taught
- about
- the
- Law
- by
- examining
- those
- teachings
- as
- embedded
- in
- the
- rich
- matrix
- of
- rabbinic
- thought.
- You
- will
- be
- prompted
- to
- reconsider
- whether
- Paul
- ever
- advocated
- the
- Law's
- abrogation—which
- would
- have
- cleared
- contradicted
- Jesus.
- Do
- you
- have
- the
- gumption
- to
- explore
- this
- material,
- which
- may
- well
- pivot
- your
- perspective
- a
- full
- 180 degrees?
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