March 20, 2025

Matthew Thiessen: the Jewish Paul

1 hour 8 minutes

In this episode, Tripp hosts New Testament scholar Matthew Thiessen to discuss his book on The Jewish Paul and explore a fresh understanding of Paul's letters within their proper Jewish context.

Conversation Highlights:

Paul's Jewish Identity: Matthew explains how we should understand Paul not as someone who left Judaism for Christianity, but as a Jew who maintained his Jewish identity while believing Jesus was the Messiah.

The Law and Gentiles: The conversation explores the complex debates in early Christianity about how the Jewish law applied to Gentile believers, with Paul arguing that while the law remained important for Jews, certain aspects (like circumcision) were not required for Gentiles.

Paul's Pharisaic Background: Matthew discusses how Paul's identity as a Pharisee shapes his understanding of the resurrection and how Jesus being raised from the dead modified but didn't abandon his pharisaic worldview.

Resurrection Theology: The discussion examines how Paul's understanding of Jesus's resurrection as the "first fruits" reflects his Jewish eschatological hope, even while grappling with the surprising gap between Christ's resurrection and the general resurrection.

Rethinking Christian Tradition: Tripp and Matthew discuss how recovering Paul's Jewish context challenges many modern Christian theological assumptions and opens up new possibilities for understanding his message.

Reading Paul in His Context: The conversation explores how modern readers often misunderstand Paul by projecting post-Enlightenment concepts onto his writings rather than understanding his ancient cosmology and worldview.

Check out Thiessen's previous visit to the podcast: Jesus & the Forces of Death

You can WATCH the conversation on YouTube

Matthew Thiessen is a professor at McMaster University specializing in early Judaism, Christian origins, and the relationship between early Christianity and Judaism. His work focuses on the rise of Christianity, particularly as it relates to early Judaism and the questions related to ethnicity and identity construction.

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Through the lens of his letters and historical context, we will explore Paul’s understanding of Jesus’ Life-Vision, his interpretation of the Execution-and-Resurrection, and their implications for nonviolence and faithful resistance against empire. Each week, we will delve into a specific aspect of Paul’s theology and legacy, reflecting on its relevance for our own age of autocracy and political turmoil. . For details and to sign-up for any donation, including 0, head over here.

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