God's Saved Israel: Reading Romans 11:26 and Galatians 6:16 in Terms of the New Identity in Christ and the Spirit - eBook

God's Saved Israel examines identity in the Pauline corpus in terms of how Paul expresses the new identity in Christ in relation to the identity of ancient Israel. In this study, the way in which Paul uses the terms "Israel," "Israelite," and "Judean" is approached on the basis of the way in which these terms were used in the second temple period by both insiders and outsiders, rather than presupposing that Paul used it in a different way. By thoroughly engaging with the New Perspective on Paul and the Radical New Perspective on Paul, Paul's conception of identity is pursued mainly along theological-exegetical lines, especially in terms of the contrast between flesh and S/spirit. While Rom 11:26, which points to "all Israel" that "will be saved," and Gal 6:16, which points to "the Israel of God" who are blessed, are often utilized in a paradigmatic way to interpret the rest of Paul, the approach in this book is the other way around. These two texts are approached by first assessing Paul's conception of identity in the whole of the Pauline corpus and then by interpreting Rom 11:26 and Gal 6:16 with a larger understanding of identity in Paul at hand.