Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
General Christian
History and Religion
A Tribute to E. P. Sanders

A Tribute to E. P. Sanders

Last updated on: January 29, 2023 at 10:45 pm by B. J. Oropeza

A Tribute to E. P. Sanders 2023-01-29T22:45:04-07:00 B. J. Oropeza

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

E. P. Sanders's book, Paul and Palestinian Judaism

My own picture of my own copy of Paul and Palestinian Judaism. The copy looks well worn because I have read and consulted it many times!

E. P. Sanders, perhaps the most influential New Testament scholar in the last 50 years, passed away on November 21. Ed Parish Sanders was 85.

Sanders’s Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion (Fortress Press, 1977) became a trend-setting work that sparked the new perspective on Paul. Prior to this work, many Christian scholars, especially those influenced by Lutheran and other Protestant traditions, taught that first-century Judaism was typically a legalistic religion of righteousness by works.

Sanders’s work undermined this perspective by showing through ancient Jewish-Palestinian literature (c. 300 BCE to 100 CE) that the Judaism of Paul the Apostle’s day was a religion of grace. It did not generally seek to secure God’s approval through human merit.

E. P. Sanders’s Covenantal Nomism

For Sanders, these Jews held to covenantal nomism: “Briefly put, covenantal nomism is the view that one’s place in God’s plan is established on the basis of the covenant and that the covenant requires as the proper response of man his obedience to its commandments, while providing means of atonement for transgression.”[1]

In Sanders’s own words: “The ‘pattern’ or ‘structure’ of covenantal nomism is this: (1) God has chosen Israel and (2) given the law. The law implies (3) God’s promise to maintain the election and (4) the requirement to obey. (5) God rewards obedience and punishes transgression. (6) The law provides for means of atonement, and atonement results in (7) maintenance or reestablishment of the covenantal relationship. (8) All those who are maintained in the covenant by obedience, atonement, and God’s mercy belong to the group which will be saved. An important interpretation of the first and last points is that election and ultimately salvation are considered to be by God’s mercy rather than human achievement.”[2]

A covenant relationship with God and adherence to Mosaic law (the Torah) are central to understanding rewards and punishments from God. For God’s elect people, the aspect of “getting in” a covenant relationship with God happened as a sheer act of grace. Jewish people were to keep the Torah in obedience to God, which constituted their “staying in” that covenant relationship. For Sanders, works are thus the condition of staying in, even though they do not merit salvation. In short, Israel’s salvation is by grace and its judgement is according to works.

Sanders’s Perspective

With covenantal nomism intact, Sanders taught some other influential points regarding Paul the Apostle, such as:

When Paul became a Christ-follower, his experience led him from solution to plight. He started with God’s redemption in Christ (solution) and then attempted to explain why humans were in need of salvation (plight). This view makes it unlikely that what is at stake with the Torah for Paul is not that it is impossible to obey or that it leads to self-righteousness. He agreed with Krister Stendahl that Paul did not have a troubled conscience as a Pharisee struggling to keep the Torah. Rather, he could claim to have confidence in his status and considered himself “blameless” regarding righteousness in the Torah (Phil 3:4-6).[3]
Justification for Paul involves salvation through participation in Christ. Sanders prefers to interpret the verb dikaioȏ (δικαιόω) as “to righteous” rather than “to justify.” The accent is not to be placed on the forensic aspect of God’s declaration of acquittal but on a person being “righteoused” by participation in Christ. The righteoused person is transferred over into the community of God’s people in Christ.
Paul’s negativity towards the Torah in his letters resulted from his conclusion that faith in Christ was the only way to salvation. He objected to the Law because for him it attempted another way of righteousness. It is not that Judaism is legalistic. Rather, “this is what Paul finds wrong in Judaism: it is not Christianity.”[4]
For Paul, to remain a member of God’s covenant people, God’s will is to be fulfilled, not by particularisms of observing things such as Sabbath and food laws, but by loving one’s neighbor.

The New Perspective on Paul and Sanders’s Legacy

E. P. Sanders’s viewpoint influenced scholars such as James D. G. Dunn and N. T. Wright, who helped shape this new perspective on Paul. Likewise, the new perspective influenced other viewpoints such as the radical new perspective, better known these days as the Paul within Judaism perspective. Post-new perspectives, such as those of Douglas Campbell, Francis Watson, and John Barclay likewise are influenced by Sanders and the new perspective, as are those who seek to find common ground between the new and more traditional perspectives, such as Bruce Longenecker, Mike Bird, Stephen Chester, Brandt Pitre, and others.

Here are Some of Sanders’s Most Influential Publications:

(1977). Paul and Palestinian Judaism: A Comparison of Patterns of Religion. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1977.

(1983). Paul, the Law, and the Jewish People. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Publishers.

(1985). Jesus and Judaism. London: SCM Press.

(1989). Studying the Synoptic Gospels. (with Margaret Davies). Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 1989.

(1992). Judaism: Practice and Belief. London: SCM Press.

(1993). The Historical Figure of Jesus. London: Penguin Books.

(2001). Paul: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

(2015). Paul: The Apostle’s Life, Letters, and Thought. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

(2016). Comparing Judaism and Christianity: Common Judaism, Paul, and the Inner and the Outer in Ancient Religion. Minneapolis: Fortress Press.

Notes

[1] Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, 75; cf. 180.

[2] Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, 422.

[3] See further on this and other points about Sanders in B. J. Oropeza and Scott McKnight, “Paul in Perspective: An Overview of the Landscape More Than Forty Years after Paul and Palestinian Judaism,” in Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker Academic, 2020), 1–23 (esp. 1–6).

[4] Sanders, Paul and Palestinian Judaism, 552.

Jewish

History and Religion

Religious Events

New Perspective on Paul

Paul within Judaism

Pauline Theology

Post-New Perspective on Paul

covenantal nomism

death of E. P. Sanders

E. P. Sanders

new perspective

New Perspective on Paul

Paul within Judaism

Pauline Theology

About B. J. Oropeza

B. J. Oropeza, Ph.D. University of Durham, England, is a Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies whose many publications include Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker Academic). In this book he addresses E. P. Sanders and the New Perspective on Paul, among other perspectives. The book includes discussions among top scholars from five different perspectives on Paul. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

November 25, 2022

Junia: A Woman Apostle in the Bible (Romans 16:7)

Next Post

December 11, 2022 Isaiah’s Servant in Paul: The Hermeneutics and Ethics of Paul's Use of Isaiah 49-54

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "in Christ" 1 Corinthians 1 Enoch 1 John 2:19 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 1Peter 2 Corinthians 2 Timothy 400 years of silence A. I. A. M. Hunter Abraham Achilles Tatius Acts 13 Acts 19 Acts 22 Acts 26 Acts 9 addiction adultery Aesop's Fables Affliction afterlife allegiance allusions amanuensis Amen Ananias Ancient Biography Andrew Wilson Andronicus Angels anger Anglicanism anointing aorist tense Apep apocalypse apocalyptic Apocrypha apologetics apostasy Apostle Apostle Paul Aquinas archaeology archangel Ardel Caneday Arminianism armor of God article from journal artificial intelligence Asbury ascension atlas atonement Augustine Augustus authorship Awakening awards baptism Battle of Armageddon beasts behemoth Belial Beliar belief Benediction between Testaments Beverly Roberts Gaventa Bible Bible discrepancies Bible Gateway Bible reading Bible reading plan Bible Study Bible translations Bible version Bible versions biblical inerrancy Biblical Theology blasphemy blindness Boethius boldness Book of Acts Book Review Born Again bravery burial Caesar calling Calvinism canon canon Cassius Dio Catholics Channing Crisler charistmatic Christ Christian behavior Christian origins Christian theology Christians Christology church church fathers Church of England Chuza Cleopas Commandments Commentaries congregation conversion Corinthian letters coronavirus courage Covenant covenant theology covenantal nomism coveting COVID-19 Craig Keener Crescens crocodile Cross crucifixion curse custom Cyprian Daily Bread Dale Allison Damascus Damascus Experience Damascus road David Moffitt Day of Atonement deacon dead Dead Sea Scrolls death Deity of Christ Demas demonology demons determinism Deuteronomy Devil devotion dinosaur Dio Chrysostom divided I Divine Christology divine punishment divorce Do not fear Doxology dragon E. P. Sanders Eastern Orthodox Ebeneazer Urga echoes ekklesia election Elijah the Prophet Elymas embodiment of the gospel embodying the gospel emperor empty tomb Encouragement end times enlightement Ephesians Ephesus Epistles of Paul eschatology eternal life Ethics (Christian) euchlaion Eusebius of Caesarea evangelical evangelism evidence exile extreme unction Ezekiel faith falling away false prophet fate father Father's Day favorite Fear film Final Judgment Flood foreknowledge foreordain forgiveness fornication freewill from Saul to Paul Galatians Gary Cooper Genesis Gentile studies Gentiles geography giants gift gift giving global perspective Glossa Ordinaria God God perception good news gospel gospel 2.0 Gospel of John Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospels grace gratitude Great Awakening Greco-Roman Greco-Roman world Greek Greek classic literature Greek lexicon Greek Orthodox Greek prepositions greetings guilt Habakkuk hair Halloween head covering head coverings healing heaven Hebrew Hebrews hermeneutics Hesed high Christology Higher Christology highlights holiness holy Holy Bible Holy Scriptures Holy Spirit Homer hospitable hospitality how to read the Bible human effort I Am sayings imperialism in Adam In Christ inspiration intercession Interpretation intertestamental period Intertextuality Interview intimidation Isaiah Israel Israel (land of) James James D. G. Dunn Jason Staples Jerome Jesus Jesus sayings Jesus traditions Jesus: Studies Jewish literature Jewish names Jewish Scripture Jewish studies Jews Joanna Job John John 3:16 John Chrysostom John Hyrcanus John Mark John of Damascus John the Baptist John Wesley Josephus joy Judaism Judgment day Julia Junia Justice justification kerygma King Kingdom kingdom of God Krister Stendahl lament Law lecture hall letter writing Letters of Paul Leucippe et Clitophon Leviathan Leviticus light Logical fallacy looting Lord Lord's Prayer lose salvation Lot Lotan love lovingkindness Lucifer Luke lust Luther LXX maenads Malachi Marcion marginalization marital affair marriage martyrdom Mary Matt Damon Medieval theologians Medieval theology memorization mercy Michael the Archangel miracles Mishnah missiology mission missionary missions monergism monogenes monster monsters Mysterious Ways mythology N. T. Wright name change names narrative Nephilim New Birth new covenant new covenant pneumaism new creation New Perspective on Paul New Testament New Testament use of Old Testament Noah Noah's ark non-Christian oath obedience Odysseus Odyssey oil Old Testament only begotten Origen Outpouring pagan pagans parable paraceratherium Parousia participation in Christ Pastoral Letters patristic theology Paul in prison Paul letter of Paul teaching Paul the Apostle: Studies Paul within Judaism Paul's calling Paul's conversion Paul's death Pauline Theology persecution perseverance perseverance of the saints Persis personal devotion pesher Peter Abelard Philo philosophy Phoebe Pink Floyd pistis Plague plutarch pneuma pneumagism popular culture sayings Porneia Post-New Perspective on Paul praise prayer preaching predestination Prisca Priscilla Prison Epistle Prophecy prophets Psalm Psalms Pseudepigrapha Q Q source quest for the historic Jesus quotations Rabbi Pinhas be Yair Rabbinic literature Rainer Riesner raised from the dead rapture reading missiologically reading plan recipients reciprocity reconciliation Red Herring red letter edition redemption Reformation Regeneration rejoicing reminder renewal repentance restoration resurrection revival righteousness riot Roman Antiquity Roman names romance Romans Romans 12-16 Romans 16 Romans 4:25 Romans 7 Rome Rufus's mother sacrificial system salvation Salvation/Soteriology sanctification Satan Satan's fall Saul the Pharisee SBL Scholars school Scripture Second coming of Christ Second Temple Judaism secretary Septuagint Sergeant York Sergius Paulus Servant in Isaiah sex and sexuality sex ethics sexual immorality sheep sick sin sinful nature single Christians and dating social justice Society of Biblical Literature sons of God soteriology spinosaurus spiritual gifts spiritual renewal spiritual warfare Stephen Wilson struggle Study Bible studying the Bible Suetonius suffering Suffering Servant suggestive commentary Survey synergism Synoptic Gospels Tacitus teacher teaching telos temptation Tertius The Chosen the flesh Theology Thomas Aquinas Thomas Robinson Thomas Schreiner Thorn Thucydides Timothy Titus tongues Top 10 top 12 Torah trust Tryphaena Tryphosa Tyrannus U2 Ugaritic Ukraine Ukrainian Uncategorized unconditional love unforgiving Union with Christ unity/solidarity unpardonable sin Valentine's Day veils vice vices victory warnings Watchers witnessing Woman ministers women women ministers women speakers women teachers word of God works works of the law worship writing YouVersion Zen Hess

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your ____.

Select your answer to see how you score.

Actions Heart Spirit Mind