Matthew V. Novenson, "Paul and Judaism at the End of History" (Cambridge UP, 2024)

Sep 13, 2025

Matthew Novenson, a leading New Testament scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary, dives deep into the intriguing paradox of Paul's Jewish identity and thought. He discusses how Paul sees the end of history not as a future event, but as a present reality post-resurrection. The conversation explores the intricate relationship between Jewish traditions and Paul's distinct teachings, highlighting his unique approach to inclusion and righteousness. Novenson also unpacks Paul's complex theological frameworks regarding law, identity, and the transformative power of faith across cultural boundaries.

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ADVICE

Bracket Modern Categories When Reading Paul

Avoid assuming modern categories 'Judaism' versus 'Christianity' when reading Paul.
Bracket those assumptions to see how Paul's own framing of religion and time resolves apparent contradictions.

INSIGHT

Eschaton Experienced In The Present

Paul treats the eschaton as present, not merely future, because he claims to have seen the risen Jesus in his lifetime.
That present-tense end shapes his statements about law, Israel, and Gentiles in ways that seem paradoxical to modern readers.

ANECDOTE

Schweitzer Sparked A New Reading

Novenson recounts how Albert Schweitzer's reading prompted him to see Paul's resurrection claim as implying an immediate eschaton.
That historical insight reoriented his interpretation of Paul's theology and letters.

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The apostle Paul was a Jew. He was born, lived, undertook his apostolic work, and died within the milieu of ancient Judaism. And yet, many readers have found, and continue to find, Paul's thought so radical, so Christian, even so anti-Jewish – despite the fact that it, too, is Jewish through and through. This paradox, and the question how we are to explain it, are the foci of Matthew Novenson's groundbreaking book, Paul and Judaism at the End of History (Cambridge University Press, 2024). The solution, says the author, lies in Paul's particular understanding of time. This too is altogether Jewish, with the twist that Paul sees the end of history as present, not future. In the wake of Christ's resurrection, Jews are perfected in righteousness and – like the angels – enabled to live forever, in fulfilment of God's ancient promises to the patriarchs. What is more, gentiles are included in the same pneumatic existence promised to the Jews. This peculiar combination of ethnicity and eschatology yields something that looks not quite like Judaism or Christianity as we are used to thinking of them.

Matthew Novenson is the Helen H. P. Manson Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is also an honorary fellow in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, where previously he held the Chair of Biblical Criticism and Biblical Antiquities. His monographs include Christ among the Messiahs (Oxford University Press, 2012), The Grammar of Messianism (Oxford University Press, 2017), Paul, Then and Now (Eerdmans, 2022), and Paul and Judaism at the End of History (Cambridge University Press, 2024).

Jonathon Lookadoo is Associate Professor at the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in Seoul, South Korea. While his interests range widely over the world of early Christianity, he is the author of books on the Epistle of Barnabas, Ignatius of Antioch, and the Shepherd of Hermas, including The Christology of Ignatius of Antioch (Cascade, 2023).

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