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The Continuing Quest For Jewish Legalism, Kent L. Yinger

Faculty Publications - Portland Seminary

In spite of widespread acceptance of the nonlegalistic character of first-century Judaism (following E. P. Sanders), some Pauline scholars continue to interpret the apostle’s statements against a backdrop of Jewish legalism. Rather than accuse Paul of misconstruing his own religious heritage, they choose a variety of paths to rediscovering legalism in Judaism. This article highlights seven of these approaches to rediscovering legalistic Judaism, all of which are deemed thus far unsuccessful, largely due to inadequate definitions of legalism.