Justification and Variegated Nomism. Volume 1. The Complexities of Second Temple Judaism. .

Justification and Variegated Nomism. Volume 1. The Complexities of Second Temple Judaism. Edited by D. A. Carson, Peter T. O'Brien, and Mark A. Seifrid. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001. xiii and 619 pages. Paper. $44.99.

For some years the "new perspective" on Paul has challenged the correctness of a "Lutheran" interpretation of justification by faith. In no small measure this "new perspective" has been built on the 1977 book by E. P. Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, especially on his thesis that the pattern of religion of second temple Judaism is best characterized as "covenantal nomism" rather than legalism or works-righteousness. The volume under review puts the thesis of covenantal nomism to the test. A projected second volume will address the consequences for our reading of Paul himself.

The volume contains twelve studies by various scholars on the Jewish literature of the second temple period, divided mostly according to genre, plus articles on the Pharisees and on righteousness language with an introduction and conclusion by D. A. Carson. The results are mixed. In most cases the authors find that covenantal nomism provides a partial description but is not fully adequate or may even be misleading. Judaism was too complex to fit into one theological pattern. Almost all the studies agree that Jews believed their salvation was dependent on God's gracious election. But how they related this belief to obedience is far more difficult to characterize in any common way. Carson in his conclusion, however, seems to be more negative than most of the contributors when he asserts that much of the Jewish literature did embrace a theology of merit and works-righteousness. Just because there are flaws in the thesis of covenantal nomism does not mean that a thesis of Judaism as legalistic is substantiated.

This is a technical book that assumes a fairly extensive knowledge of second temple Judaism. For those who want to dig deeply into the current debates about justification in Paul, this volume provides the fullest available assessment of the Jewish theological context.