You Belong To Christ by J. Brian Tucker

Reviewed by Ben Wolinsky

I have to admit that after spending 18 years studying the bible, there was so much about it that I didn’t realize. It probably wasn’t until I was in my 30’s that I saw how different each part was. Take for instance the difference between the first five books and the book of Joshua; the writing is far different, and if you’ve been taught to read modern Hebrew, the Prophets will be far easier to read than the Five Books.

    The bible isn't an altogether pleasant read. The Old Testament is full of wrath, punishment, and divine revenge, while the Gospels have a far sweeter disposition. They’re all about kindness and love compared to the wrathful stories of Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, Isaiah, and Daniel. But what I often wondered the most about was the story of Paul of Tarsus. If he was a Jew, then would his outlook have more to do with Judaism or Greco-Roman thought?

    The author quotes the scholar James Walters’ view that Paul’s days in Corinth had a lot to do with peace and a lack of external conflict. If the people are less distracted by a foreign enemy, does that leave them more time for introspection? We’ve had times like that in the USA, when we weren’t bogged down in foreign wars; take the period of 1993-2001, as an example. Our nation was highly productive at the time, and we made great advances in technology (have we forgotten the dot-com explosion?) and in the arts (we haven’t forgotten the indie film explosion, have we?) for the nation.

    The Corinthians, according to this book, were somewhat independent, and with less pressure from the Roman Emperor and war, they were free to choose. That, in essence, is what Paul was all about; he preached that we all had the choice between good and evil, forgiveness and wrath, etc. Was Paul’s message truly in conflict with Judaism? Let’s keep in mind the Seven Laws of Noah, which even the Jewish Amoraim and Tanaim agreed should apply to non-Jews as well. Noah’s laws prohibited animal cruelty and idolatry, and promoted justice. It was unusual for a Jew to preach to gentiles, but then again, didn’t the Creator send Jonah to preach to the people of Ninveh in Assyria? The Jews may not have agreed with Paul’s message, but keep in mind that Judea, occupied or not, was a mess at the time. In the years before the Roman occupation, it was a corrupt state, ruled over by the corrupt Hasmoneon Kings, themselves descended from the corrupt Hasmoneon Priests.

Some Jews believe that the Messiah will come during a time of great disorder. Maybe, maybe not, but it’s clear from this book that Paul’s greatest success was in places of great peace and order, when there was less distraction and more time for healthy introspection.