The Apostle Paul always felt himself to be a Jew. When describing what he experienced as an agent of the Gospel, he begins his "curriculum vitae", that is, the account of his "running" by saying, "Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I!" (2 Cor. 11:22-31) To the Philippians he tells slightly more briefly about his background and begins by saying: "I was circumcised on the eighth day and I am of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the Law a Pharisee -- but whatever was to my profit, I consider loss for the sake of Christ. So I really count everything as loss compared to that surpassingly precious thing, knowing Christ Jesus my Lord" (Phil. 3:5-8).

However, he understood his own identity as having deepened through the fact that he believed in Jesus as Messiah. "The man is a Jew who is one inwardly, and true circumcision is circumcision of the heart in the Spirit"(Rom. 2:29). Jeremiah says in the same way that a man can be "circumcised and yet really uncircumcised" (Jer. 9:25 and 4:4). "For not all who are of Israel are Israel" (Rom. 9:6). This leads one to ask what is Israel's position in the new "post-Messianic" situation. Has God rejected his chosen people? Do the Bible promises still apply to Israel? And will they again experience national spiritual renewal?

Sometimes one wonders that rabbinically educated Paul was chosen to be apostle to the Gentiles and Peter was authorized to be apostle to the Jews. Perhaps this was partly due to the fact that Paul had a better knowledge of Greek thought and of the Roman Empire. On the other hand, it is true what Paul says in his letters to the Corinthians. He says that "Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom" (1 Cor. 1:22). Therefore the obstacle to faith, the "veil when the old covenant Scriptures are read has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away." This "veil covers their hearts; but when their hearts turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away" (2 Cor. 3:13-16).

Christians often have the extraordinary idea that Jews are especially wise and that they have a good knowledge of the Bible. Often it is true, most often it is not. One can say by way of contrast that they are people of the heart. But due to the long national road of suffering they have to take shelter within their shell until they are sure of another person's sincerity. In addition, Gentiles should first be taught the Old Testament "derekh eretz" or the "world of values" and the Messianic predictions of the prophets before they can believe in Jesus as Saviour. For this Paul had received special training.

In Paul's time, the basic problem was whether a Gentile should first become a Jew in order for him to be a Christian -- nowadays people ask whether a Jew should first become a Gentile in order for him to be a true Christian. And should a believer in Jesus, a Messianic Jew, still observe the six hundred and thirteen precepts of the taryag and the interpretations given to them by the rabbis?

We have already stated in many contexts that in the matter of salvation "there is no distinction" between Jew and Gentile. On the other hand, Paul observed those instructions which Jews had already used in their own proselyte work. God is holy. He "does not show favouritism." "Trouble and distress for every man's soul who does evil, first for the Jew, then also for the Greek" (Rom. 2:9). And Christ is the "goal of the Law" (Rom. 10:4 and 1 Tim. 1:5). He has fulfilled the demands of the Torah, and he has died for our transgressions. This "pro nobis" applies without distinction to all, Jews and Gentiles. The Law creates knowledge of sin. Through it man repents and experiences a "change of mind". God "justifies the ungodly" (Rom. 4:5). Both the Old Testament and Jewish interpretative literature speak of this main task of the Messiah.

The believer is united with Christ. "In him we live, move and have our being." He is the protective fence, the "seyag", within which the believer is secure. Only in eternity will the entire creation be liberated from the "slavery of corruption." Thus "our old man", the "yetzer ra" in us, is finally conquered. In this Messianic era the "world travels its normal track," "ha-olam ke-minhago noheg." This is all connected with the "mystery of Christ", which Paul proclaimed "as one entrusted with the mysteries of God."

But Paul also spoke of the "mystery of Israel". Romans chapters 9-11 tell of the future of the chosen people. They are, as has been said, the "Magna Carta" (Lat. "great charter of liberty") of the Israel question. There Paul says, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brethren, so that you may not be deceived, that Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, and so all Israel will be saved" (Rom. 11:25-26). With these words are linked questions which it is good to study more closely.

At the beginning of chapter nine Paul says that he has "great sorrow and unceasing pain in his heart" and that he could wish himself to be "cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of his brothers." This is a reference to the synagogue's most severe punishment, the "herem", when a person might no longer have any contact with the Jewish community. On the other hand, these words bring to mind Moses, who prayed that God would forgive his people: "But if not, then blot me out of the book you have written"(Ex. 32:32). Even at the beginning of the next chapter Paul says, "My heart's desire and and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." Jews have the "advantage" that they have by nature "the adoption as sons, the glory, the covenants, the receiving of the Law, the temple worship and the promises" (9:4). By glory is evidently meant the "shekhinah" or God's Spirit and "presence". The word "covenants" in the plural may refer to the covenants of Noah, Abraham and Sinai. Nowadays in Israel believers in Jesus, Messianic Jews, use of the whole Bible, including the New Testament, the phrase "sefer britot", that is, "the book of the covenants".

However, Paul reminds his readers of the repeated Old Testament idea: "Though the number of the children of Israel be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved." And of that remnant too "a second harvest will be gathered." God will leave behind the "meek and humble, who trust in the name of the LORD. The remnant of Israel will not do wrong; they will speak no lies." One day God "will purify the Levites" and Israel will once again become a priestly people.¹⁶²

Now the Jews have "stumbled over the 'stumbling-stone'. As it is written: 'See, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' " (Rom. 9:32-33) This prophecy from Isaiah 28:16 is, according to both RaSHI and Targumic tradition, "the Messiah-King, who will become the touchstone of Zion." The original Hebrew says that the believer does not hurry or be hasty, because the coming of the Messiah will not take place immediately. Paul, however, quotes the Greek Septuagint, according to which the believer in the touchstone of Zion will not be put to shame.

The "hardening", "porosis", of Israel has happened, in Paul's words, only "in part", until "the full number of the Gentiles have come in" (Rom. 11:25). The Greek word "porosis" means in modern language "osteoporosis, brittleness of the bones." Old Testament Hebrew uses of "hardening" expressions meaning hardening of the heart, inflexibility or indifference.¹⁶³

Jesus too spoke of the fact that "Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled" (Luke 21:24). In each verse is the same idea of fulfilment (pleroma, fullness and plerothosin, will be filled). As we will remember, the so-called Elijah tradition speaks of two thousand years of the time of the Law and two thousand years of "the days of the Messiah", of a special Messianic era.

These considerations are very important. It is a question of God's salvation history. The time of the Gentiles is this Messianic phase, when "this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). When this phase is fulfilled, Israel's visitation will begin again. And "so all Israel will be saved." Of this future cultural crisis and spiritual revival Paul writes, "If their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" (Rom. 11:15)

Paul argues these ideas all along the line from the background of justification through faith. But in describing the relationship between other peoples and the Jews, he maintains his iron logic. The wild olive shoot which is "grafted in among the natural branches" must not be proud beside the natural branches. We do not support the root but the root supports us. Other peoples have been "cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature grafted into a cultivated olive tree." A gardener does not graft a wild branch into a cultivated fruit tree, but vice versa. "How much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!" This midrashic style of argumentation is intended to convince the readers that the Jews are the most natural ground for the Gospel.

But may a Christian witness to a Jew about his faith? This sensitive question ran loose at the turn of the 1960s. In 1958 the well-known Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr had written in the Jewish periodical CCar about his views on the relationship between Christianity and Judaism. In his opinion, these two faiths were "in spite of their differences sufficiently similar that Jews can more easily find God within their own religious heritage than by yielding to feelings of guilt, which inevitably appear as soon as they convert."

Niebuhr received many replies to his article, of which perhaps the most significant was written by Rabbi Arthur Gilbert. He said that at first he was happy about Niebuhr's article. He indeed saw weaknesses in it, for example, in his opinion that "a Jew earns his redemption, while a Christian receives redemption through his faith."

But having read Niebuhr's article two or three times, he declared that "it does not give sufficient grounds for the Christian to stop his missionary activities." Instead "one should inspect the ways of missionary work." The main emphasis should be placed on the "testimony of a (Christian's) life." And he continued: "The tension between Christian and Jew is not due to the fact that they have spoken about what is deepest in life, but of the way it has been done. Mission is witness to faith, and that both Jew and Christian should do." "Because this is the vision of my own life, I cannot deny it to others."

Christianity and Judaism indeed arise from the same soil and they are based on the same Old Testament writings. The difference is only that Christians believe that the Messianic prophecies have already been fulfilled in Jesus.

Paul continues his witnessing by referring once again to Isaiah: "no one who believes in him will be put to shame. Here there is no distinction between Jew and Greek -- for everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how will they call upon what they do not believe? And how can they believe on what they have not heard? And how can they hear without a preacher?" For this reason we need those who take the Gospel without distinction "to all creatures" (Mark 16:15).

When Paul speaks of our obligation to preach the Gospel to the Jews, he three times quotes Deut. 32:21: "I will make you envious by those who are not a nation, I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding." Because of the Jews' temporary fall "salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious."

Paul acted "somehow to arouse to envy" those who were his people "in order to save some of them" (Rom. 10:19, 11:11 and 11:14). In Deuteronomy the Hebrew text uses two verbs - "aqniem belo-am, begoi naval akhisem" - that is, "I will make them envious by those who are not a (Jewish) people; and I will make them angry by a Gentile people that has no understanding." This is what preaching the Gospel is always about: we should live in such a way that people envy us -- but at the same time we should remember that truth always arouses opposition.

Therefore Paul wrote to the Galatians, "The Gospel I preach is not man's gospel -- if I still wished to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ" (Gal. 1:10-12). The Gospel should now be preached to the Gentiles, so that they in turn can communicate it to the Jews.

And Paul's words that "all Israel" will one day be saved? What was the basis of this belief? Paul refers in this connection to the promise in Isaiah 59:20f of a Saviour coming from Zion and to the words about the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31ff. Isaiah writes about this salvation, "'The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,' declares the LORD. 'As for me, this is my covenant with them,' says the LORD. 'My Spirit, who is on you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth, or from the mouths of your children, or from the mouths of their descendants from this time on and for ever,' says the LORD." Jeremiah again emphasises of the new covenant that "this is my covenant with them... for I will remember their sins no more." Paul thus combined, in accordance with Hillel's custom, these two related words in the same "family".

The word "all" occurs twice in the last chapter of the book of Daniel in connection with the future renewal of Israel. Then there will be "a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people -- everyone whose name is found written in the book -- will be delivered." "When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." (Dan. 12:1 and 7b)

Jesus too used this word "all" when he told the parable of the fig tree and of the future renewal of Israel. "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near -- Truly, I say to you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away" (Matt. 24:32-35, Mark.13:28-31 and Luke 21:29-33). Similarly, when speaking of "the final generation" (Heb. "dor aharon") and the renewal of Zion, the Messianic Psalm 102:19 uses words that occur in three Gospels - "heaven and earth" will pass away (verses 26-27). When "the fullness of the Gentiles" has come in and the Messianic phase relating to the Gentile peoples is over, "all Israel will be saved", "those who are written in the book."

Daniel 12:7b says in Hebrew, "kekhallot nappets yad-am-qodesh", that is, "when the breaking of the hand of the holy people is concluded," all these things will happen. The Swedish Bible has translated this figuratively: "när det heliga folkets makt har blivit krossad i grund," "when the power of the holy people is thoroughly broken" these things will all happen. The French translation, for instance, is exactly the same. Similarly, English Bibles mainly observe this interpretation. Only the Germans differ, speaking of "the ceasing of the dispersion."

RaSHI and Metsudat David explain that "Israel's power" and "the power of the holy people" will be broken. At the same time it refers to Deut. 32:36, where it says that God will have mercy on his servants "when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left." Here are used the words "yir'e ki-azlat yad", that is, "he sees that the hand (that is, power) has ceased." The Hebrew expression "everything is at an end", "efesh, atzur ve-azuv", means literally "nil, stopped and rejected." This means that God has mercy on his servants when they feel that they are quite brought to nil, stopped and rejected. Just then they are acceptable to God.

The Talmud also refers to the hymn of Moses and to Daniel 12:7 in discussing the Messianic tribulation of the end-time.¹⁶⁴ This appears most beautifully, however, in the interpretation of Psalm 45. In verse 2 it says that "my song is of the king"; the rabbis here see the Messiah-King. And the Midrash on the Psalms says, "Thus believers in the Messiah (ha-tzadiqim le-atid lavo, the future righteous ones) will one day praise the glory of God's presence, as Psalm 16:11 says, 'There is abundance of joy before your face'... and the Israelites asked,'When will you save them?' He answered them, ' When you descend to the lowest degradation, at that moment I will save you ... and as this rose blooms and opens its heart upwards, so you, when you repent before me and your hearts turn upwards like this rose, at that moment I will bring you a saviour.' "¹⁶⁵

The phrase "the lowest degradation", "ha-yerida ha-tahtona", means that Israel will be renewed through a national crisis. The same mystery is mentioned in the 6th-century Midrash of Pesiqta Rabbati: "To the downcast of Jacob ("yerudim") I will give my Kingdom."¹⁶⁶

The Midrash on the Psalms mentioned above continues: "As for the prophecy of the Messiah, Hannah said of it (1 Sam. 2:6), 'The LORD gives death and gives life; he takes down to Sheol and raises up'; thus they have to descend until their feet reach Sheol, and when their feet touch Sheol, then I shall immediately exalt them."

Paul concludes his discourse proper about Gentiles and Jew with a beautiful "hodayah" or "praise". This is what the Jews should do in all letters and prayers. "God's gifts and his call are irrevocable." Israel too will yet be saved. Therefore he says, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! -- For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever! Amen."

In the next chapter Paul further deals with church ministries and spiritual gifts. Then he exhorts his readers to be obedient to the authorities -- "for they are God's servants to do you good." And "love is the fulfilment of the Law" (13:10). In his long "exhortatory section" he again presents the motif of his teaching speeches: "Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope" (15:4). And again he returns to the main motif: "For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: 'Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name'." --

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 15:8-9,13). This "hodayah" is in Rabbi Paul's "handwriting" and testifies how exactly he observed the way of presentation of contemporary scholars. Still at the end of his letter Paul leaves his "signature": "To the only wise God be glory for ever through Jesus Christ! Amen."
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162.    See Isa. 10:21-22, 16:14, 28:5, Jer. 6:9 Ezek. 6:8, Zeph. 3:12-13, Zech. 8:12 and Mal. 3:3.
163.    Hizqei lev Ex. 7:22 or Ezek. 2:4, sherirut-lev Ps. 81:13 or Jer. 3:17 and qashuah-lev Isa. 63:17.
164.    Sanhedrin 97a and 98a.
165.    Midrash Tehilim 45,4.
166.    Pesiqta Rabbati 13.