Lecture given at Yale university to undergraduates. Very insightful.

The Apostle Paul’s description of the Jewish Law in his letter to the Galatians demotes it from being an expression of Jewish faith to an object of idolatry (!!) and one that imprisons those who follow it. Paul is careful to nuance this position, however, in his letter to the Romans.

In Romans, it seems that Paul is defending himself against charges of being antinomian. Perhaps Paul treads carefully in order to ensure that his deliverance of a donation to the Jerusalem church from the gentile churches is received in a spirit of church unity.

00:00 – Chapter 1. Paul’s Demotion of the Jewish Law in Galatians

23:42 – Chapter 2. Paul Nuances His Position in Romans

32:00 – Chapter 3. The Social Context of the Letter to the Romans

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses This course was recorded in Spring 2009.

Categories: Bible, Christianity, Jerusalem, Jesus, Judaism, New Testament scholarship, Salvation