Paul’s Political Gospel, Pt. 3
By timgombis http://timgombis.com/2012/10/16/pauls-political-gospel-pt-3/ Saul the Pharisee would have shared the vision of salvation elaborated in the previous post. The Pharisaic hope was in the God of Israel fulfilling his promises to set Israel free from oppression and to restore the nation to its rightful place as God’s chief agent of salvation and rule over creation. The God of Israel would return and install the nation as the throne from which he ruled over the nations. Because he was passionate about this hope, Israel’s current domination and oppression at the hands of Rome was intolerable. It needed to be set right. This desperate need set the agenda for the Pharisees. As Saul read the Scriptures of Israel, therefore, he understood that the nation had been sent into exile for unfaithfulness to God, for idolatry, for neglecting the Mosaic Law and its practices. The logic made perfect sense to him and it fired his zeal....