Hard Sayings Of Paul, by Manfred T. Brauch

It is difficult to review a book like this without appearing to damn with faint praise. Truth be told, this book is not nearly as bad as it easily could have been, and aside from some obvious blind spots arising from the mistaken heretical antinomian worldview of the author (specifically in being hostile to kosher laws and the biblical Sabbath), the book is otherwise a very sound and principled analysis of the problem passages of Paul. It therefore merits qualified praise for tackling an exceedingly difficult subject well within its limitations.

The introduction of the book very wisely pronounces that the author is examining problematic passages from Paul’s writings (48 problem verses in all, none of them from Hebrews, from which it can be inferred that the author does not wish to enter into the vexing problem of the authorship of Hebrews), over the course of 275 pages of text. In particular, the author takes the wise approach of examining problem verses first within the close context of their nearby passages, then over the whole context of Paul’s writings, and then over the even larger context of biblical and rabbinical context (and often outside of this to nonbiblical but contemporary context). As a result of the author’s fine attention to context, a great many of the passage are given reasonable examination.

There are a couple of weaknesses with the approach of the author that keep this from being an even warmer recommendation of the book. For one, as mentioned previously, the author has an animus towards biblical law that prevents him from recognizing the true ground of some of the problem passages in Colossians and Galatians, and in failing to take into account the ascetic nature of eating and drinking restrictions and the pagan concept of auspicious days into account in his zeal to impugn the Sabbath as worthless. Additionally, the author makes the (mistaken) assumption based on Greek thinking that Paul can only have one thing in mind in a given passage and that something must mean either one interpretation or another and not both, when in fact a great many biblical passages have dual (or more) fulfillment.

For the most part, though, the book manages to provide sound interpretations that ground the text into questions of general or occasional applicability. That is not to say that his mostly sound conclusions would be readily accepted by a Church of God audience, even if his bogus pronouncements are turned aside. The author and I share a specific view, based on the totality of the Bible, that the Bible authorizes the participation of women in a far larger role than that often assumed by the Church of God culture.

This perspective is furthermore ground in the (again, biblical) knowledge that traditional hierarchical authority has been replaced by a godly model of servant leadership that transforms abusive institutions full of injustice into mutually loving and caring redeemed institutions that allow for the respect and opportunity of all to develop their God given gifts and abilities as members of God’s family toward whom God shows no partiality or distinction. In that light, there are a lot of people who would be shocked at the consistent focus of the author (and I believe a warranted one) on the transformational aspect of Christianity on human institutions so that the Church becomes a model for the outside world at large, just as ancient Israel was intended to be. Neither physical nor spiritual Israel has done a very good job as an alternative to ungodly and abusive heathen ways of behavior and practice.

So, overall, I give this book a qualified recommendation. It has a lot of wise words to say, though the reader must discern some weaknesses because of a faulty worldview concerning the proper relationship of law and grace. We cannot be saved by our obedience to God’s law (on that Paul is extremely clear), but a faith in God and Jesus Christ will lead to an obedience of His laws (including the Sabbath and food laws) through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in faith. If the author had understood this point better, it would have been a vastly better book. But, as is so often the case, one must sift and weigh and balance the book in light of knowledge of the truth of God’s scriptures, and find it mostly good, but with clear and fairly obvious flaws. It should be read with caution, but as a book it nonetheless is of value to the discerning reader.