Irrevocable Call of God: An Inquiry into Paul's Theology of Israel, The

Trinity Journal, Spring 2007 by Brown, Paul J

Richard H. Bell. The Irrevocable Call of God: An Inquiry into Paul's Theology of Israel. WUNT 184. Tubingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005. xxv 550 pp. $175.00.

Richard Bell seeks to contribute to NT studies by answering the question, "What is Paul's theology concerning Israel?" Bell's goal is to argue, contra his earlier work, for an optimistic theology regarding Israel's future, focusing especially upon Paul's thought as expounded in Romans 911.

Chapters 1 and 2 survey Paul's personal history. Bell confirms the traditional understanding concerning Paul's identity, when he lived, and the influence of his rabbinic training. An exegesis of 1 Thess 2:16 concludes the survey, explaining that Paul sees the Jews as under judgment for their historical role in the death of Jesus. Bell points out that theologically, God is the cause of Jesus' death (p. 80). Chapter 3 interacts with the "new perspective" on Paul. Bell parts ways with Sanders, Dunn, and others and embraces a more traditional Lutheran view.

The heart of this volume, chs. 4-7, is a careful exegesis of Galatians 3-4, 1 Cor 10:1-18, and portions of Romans. He concludes that Paul's theology developed from the writing of 1 Thessalonians to Romans to such a degree that he entirely changed his mind concerning the future of Israel. The crux of Bell's thesis is Romans 9-11, especially the meaning of the important phrase, "all Israel" (Rom 11:26). At this critical juncture, Bell's methodology falters. He typically makes decisions exegetically, with theological considerations working in harmony. In defining "all Israel," however, he proves lexically that it cannot mean "the whole nation, including every single member" (p. 261). Yet, against the biblical and extra-biblical evidence, he feels "on theological grounds, there are strong reasons for believing every Jew will be saved" (p. 263). Later the reader discovers that the theological grounds are rooted in the interpreter's judgment (p. 332-34). Bell also seems to be playing the theological versus historical categories against each other as he did with his exegesis of 1 Thess 2:16. Yet, in this case, he seems to conflate the categories historical and lexical. He also understands "all Israel" to indicate every Jew throughout history (diachronic), rather than every Jew alive at the Parousia (synchronie) (p. 264). He gives two reasons. First, he cites five Jewish texts to demonstrate lexically(l) that "all Israel" can be used diachronically (m. Sank. 10:1, T. Benj. 10:11; Midr. Ps 21, Let], t. Num. 24:17 (103a), Targ. Yer. Il to Ex. 12:42). None of them, though, is conclusively diachronic. Furthermore, several texts are unhelpfully late-dated. secondly, he adds, "[I]f the gifts and call of God are irrevocable (Rom. 11.29) it would seem natural to take [all Israel] ... as diachronic" (p. 265). Such a universalistic understanding is "natural" to Bell probably because of his theological inclination, since his argument is exegetically thin at this point. Bell does not see the salvation of Israel through a Sonderweg (cf. Schmidt, Mussner, Klappert; p. 267), but says that they will be saved like Paul was on the Damascus road -through the gospel, by faith at the sight of Christ (p. 270).

In ch. 8, Bell seeks to demonstrate a coherent theology for making sense of Paul's change in theological position. For this, he appeals mainly to Sachkritik (theological criticism) and the Praferenzknterium of Luther seeking what promotes (treiben) Christ. "The truth of Paul's message ultimately depends on whether Christ is glorified through it" (p. 334). Truth then is what the interpreter makes it, since it is a judgment imposed upon the text rather than arising from the text. For Bell, the truth about Israel's universal salvation finds its most inspired expression in Romans 9-11, especially Rom 11:25-32.

Bell concludes the work by offering two chapters addressing contemporary questions. He asks if Pauline theology is to blame for the Holocaust, answering negatively. He addresses the questions of land, the millennium, and the church's mission to evangelize the Jews, all of which are treated briefly.

Albeit colored by his presuppositions, Bell's exegesis is generally clearheaded and helpful, drawing upon the richness of German and British scholarship. The overarching methodology weakens his argument that Paul expounds a positive theology of Israel, but notwithstanding, Bell's work is thought-provoking and worthy of consideration.

Paul J. Brown

Trinity Evangelical Divinity School