Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

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MrMacSon
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Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

Post by MrMacSon »

An interesting tie between Paul and Josephus's Antiquities 18; and references to 'righteousness'-
In the latest issue of JBL is an article by Paula Fredriksen on “Paul’s Letter to the Romans, the Ten Commandments, and Pagan ‘Justification by faith,’” JBL 133.4 (2014): 801-7.

Fredriksen attempts to understand “justification by faith” beyond its usual theological discourse and identify the meaning of the phrase in its original social context. Her starting point is Josephus, Ant. 18.116-19 with John the Baptist’s preaching of “piety” and “righteousness” which correspond to the two tables of the Ten Commandments: commands 1-5 (piety toward God) and commands 6-10 (justice towards others).

Fredriksen points out that while Paul insisted that Gentiles did not convert to Judaism and obey the Jewish law, even so, he still urged them to adopt Jewish practices like monotheism, avoiding fornication, and idolatry. So Paul does “judaize” them in some sense. Fredriksen contends that dikaiosyne for Gentiles involves conforming them implicitly to table 1 of the decalogue (with faith in one god) and explicitly to table 2 of the decalogue (in righteous conduct towards others).

She concludes:
  • When Paul’s pagans, then, adhered steadfastly to the good news brought by his message (“believed in the gospel”), they ceased worshiping their own gods and committed themselves to teh god of Israel through his Son (the cluster of ideas around pisteuo). Made right by God toward God, they were likewise pneutmatically enabled to make right toward each other by acting rightly toward each other, “not like the ethne who do not know God” (1 Thess 4:5; cf. Rom 1:18-32). Their pistis in Christ (confidence that he had died, had been raised, and was soon coming back) righteoused them (through the giving of pneuma, which also effected adoption) so that they could “fulfill the law,” specifically, the Law’s Second Table, diakiosyne. Thus, in the same place where Paul reviews the sins of the flesh that Christ-following pagans have left behind (Rom 13:13-14), and where he speaks urgently of the impending end (Rom 13:13-14), and where he speaks urgently of the impending end (1311-12), he also lists the commandments of the Second Table (13:9-10). “Righteoused” pagans, spirit-filled, enabled by their commitment to Christ and, through him, to God, act “righteously” toward others in community. This is what Paul meant by “justification by faith.” (p.808).
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/euangelion ... -by-faith/
Antiquities 18.116-9

Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him.
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Last edited by MrMacSon on Thu Feb 26, 2015 12:08 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

Post by MrMacSon »

some commentary here - John the Baptizer and Prophet: A Sociohistorical Study by Robert L. Webb
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

Post by Peter Kirby »

Faith and righteousness, corresponding to the two tables of the decalogue. Interesting.

Romans is naturally Fredriksen's point of departure.

You'd get a different answer looking only at Galatians, and a different answer again looking at James, which have a more particular emphasis.
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

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Sounds like a bunch of bullcrap to me.
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

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ericbwonder wrote:Sounds like a bunch of bullcrap to me.
Out of the mouth of babes. :D

Yes, "mainstream" scholarship has to put itself through its own particular hoops in order to keep generating new ideas while staying rigidly "mainstream."
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

Post by ericbwonder »

She sounds like a Christian influenced by 'theological discourse' really trying not to sound like a Christian influenced by 'theological discourse'.

For example,

'adhered steadfastly to the good news brought by his message (“believed in the gospel”)'.

Just say 'believed in the gospel'.

'Made right by God toward God, they were likewise pneutmatically enabled to make right toward each other by acting rightly toward each other'

Really? 'pneumatically enabled'?

NT scholars are a joke to me, I'm starting to think. Not all. But many. It's reflected not only in their scholarship but in the very way they talk while trying to pretend they don't have obvious underlying theological agendas...as they endlessly shuffle through the same texts arguing about the same things over and over and over again. Seriously, who gives a crap about another stupid view on Paul's 'theology' of 'justification by faith' that really doesn't sound much different from what's been said by centuries of theologically baggaged interpretation anyways.

I'm pissed tonight, if you couldn't tell.
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

Post by toejam »

^Fredriksen I believe is a former Catholic turned liberal Jew...
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ericbwonder
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

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If true, that makes perfect sense.
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

Post by Diogenes the Cynic »

ericbwonder wrote:She sounds like a Christian influenced by 'theological discourse' really trying not to sound like a Christian influenced by 'theological discourse'.

For example,

'adhered steadfastly to the good news brought by his message (“believed in the gospel”)'.

Just say 'believed in the gospel'.

'Made right by God toward God, they were likewise pneutmatically enabled to make right toward each other by acting rightly toward each other'

Really? 'pneumatically enabled'?

NT scholars are a joke to me, I'm starting to think. Not all. But many. It's reflected not only in their scholarship but in the very way they talk while trying to pretend they don't have obvious underlying theological agendas...as they endlessly shuffle through the same texts arguing about the same things over and over and over again. Seriously, who gives a crap about another stupid view on Paul's 'theology' of 'justification by faith' that really doesn't sound much different from what's been said by centuries of theologically baggaged interpretation anyways.

I'm pissed tonight, if you couldn't tell.
When you read enough NT scholarship, you really start to see how fluffed up with air everything is and how often it looks like they're just engaging in hypothetical exercises (like above) in order to publish something.

For anyone who hasn't read it, I would recommend Hector Avalos' The End of Biblical Studies which exposes how dry the well really is and how much make-work (like above) is done just to keep dribbling the ball.
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Re: Fredriksen on Josephus & Paul's Justification by Faith

Post by MrMacSon »

Diogenes the Cynic wrote: When you read enough NT "scholarship", you really start to see how fluffed up with air everything is and how often it looks like they're just engaging in hypothetical exercises (like above) in order to publish something.

For anyone who hasn't read it, I would recommend Hector Avalos' The End of Biblical Studies which exposes how dry the well really is and how much make-work (like above) is done just to keep dribbling the ball.
I think people like Fredriksen get stuck in a rut. But I was still intrigued she related a biblical text to a text of Jospehus.
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