Paul’s disinterest in the fulfilling of the law - a new reading of Pauline theology

English: The most important purpose of any investigation of Paul’s theology of the law is to explain why Paul believes that the law cannot give life. An overview of such studies shows that the failure to fulfil (keep) the law has always been the answer given by Pauline scholars, even though there might be a difference of opinion amongst them as to the reason for such a failure. In this regard, even the New Perspective was not really new. If a failure to fulfil the law were the reason for Paul’s problems with the law, it would mean that his interest lies in showing such a failure or the impossibility of fulfilling the law, which would basically constitute an anthropological approach as the problem of the law would then be related to humankind. However, Paul never refers to the impossibility of fulfilling the law perfectly in any of his letters. Instead this study shows that the answer that Paul gave to this question did not focus on humankind but on the essential nature of the law. Paul was interested in revealing the identity of the law in redemptive history, an issue for which human failure to fulfil the law was not important. Accordingly, this study introduces the following two very important Pauline ideas that have not been considered adequately by scholars before, namely the personal nature of the law and the plural nature of the law. The first one implies that fulfilling the law in the sense of being obedient to the law is unavoidable, and failing to do so is impossible. Thus a failure to fulfil the law was not what Paul was interested in. The second one implies that life and death are not determined by human failure in fulfilling the law but by the identity of the particular law that is served. By means of an intertextual reading it is showed that, for Paul, Deut. 30 hints at Gen. 3. In Rom. 7, he presents this redemptive historical framework, hinting at the two texts (Gen. 3 and Deut. 30) in a circle of intertextuality in the following way: For Paul, the two trees of death and life in Eden and the two laws of curse and blessing on Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim overlap. Furthermore the Torah and the word of Christ overlap with the two laws of blessing and curse. The Torah is thus linked to the commandment of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, as well as to the law on Mt Ebal, whereas the word of Christ is linked to the lost commandment of the tree of life and to the lost law on Mt. Gerizim. This means that the Torah cannot give life regardless of one’s fulfilling of the law. Once again, it is clear that the fulfilling of the law as such is not what Paul is interested in. Lastly, the study shows that the fulfilling of the law that Paul refers to (Gal. 5:14, 6:2; Rom. 13:10) should not be regarded as his response to the issue of the failure to fulfil the law, either. In this instance, the focus does not fall on humankind, but on the divine side of things. It refers to the relationship between the Torah and (the word or the law of) Christ. The Torah is fulfilled (transformed) to become the law of Christ. Once again it is clear that Paul is not interested in the fulfilling of the law. This study focuses on texts that are generally interpreted by scholars as referring to the impossibility of fulfilling the law. In Part A, the study shows how scholars have interpreted texts in this way by means of a historical overview. The presuppositions and basic ideas in this regard are considered and a new approach is suggested. In Part B, the study focuses on Paul’s disinterest in the fulfilling of the law in Galatians, and highlights Paul’s views on the personal nature of the law in this letter. In Part C, the study focuses on the same issue in Romans, focusing on the plural nature of the law, as well as on its personal nature. The two opposing laws, the Torah and the law of God (mind and life) are discussed. Finally, in Part D, the study deals with the meaning of the expression ‘fulfilling the law’. T he study concludes that Paul is not interested in the fulfilling of the law and that current explanations of Paul’s views of the law focus on something that Paul was not interested in himself.