| In recent years, much attention has been given to both the OT and Jewish backgrounds of the Pauline epistles. As part of this research, many scholars have examined early Jewish monotheism and its implications for the Pauline epistles. In a recent article in the Tyndale Bulletin, Kim Huat Tan has identified two functions of monotheistic statements in the NT in general that can also be applied to Paul's letters. First, monotheistic statements in some way identify Jesus with Israel's God. Second, monotheistic statements define or redefine the covenant people of this God. In discussions of Paul's letters, much attention has been devoted to the first function, especially by those who argue for the inclusion of Jesus in the identity of God in 1 Cor 8:6. Significantly less attention, however, has been given to the second function suggested by Tan. In Rom 3:30 and Gal 3:20, however, Paul's use of the phrase "God is one," which is rooted in Deut 6:4, clearly links Israel's monotheistic confession and the inclusion of the Gentiles in the people of God.;In light of this situation, this study will trace the OT background of the phrase "God is one" and its links to the non-Jewish nations, beginning with the Shema of Deut 6:4, and then examining Zech 14:9 and Mal 2:10. Following this, it will examine other early Jewish texts that connect the phrase "God is one" and the Gentiles. Finally, the study will turn to two key Pauline texts that link the confession of God as one with the inclusion of the Gentiles, Rom 3:30 and Gal 3:20.;We will observe a significant discontinuity between the consistent OT and Jewish interpretations of this phrase and Paul's use of God is one with respect to the Gentiles. In both the OT and early Jewish literature, the phrase "God is one" functions as a boundary marker of sorts, distinguishing the covenant people and the Gentiles. The key exception to this pattern is found in Zech 14:9, which looks forward to the confession of God as one expanding to the nations. In Romans and Galatians, however, the phrase does not function as a boundary marker between Jew and Gentile, but rather grounds the unity of Jew and Gentile.;The context and arguments in Rom 3:30 and Gal 3:20 lead to several conclusions that may explain these differences between Paul and his contemporaries. First, Paul's understanding of the confession of God as one has been fundamentally altered in light of the decisive event of Christ's coming. As Paul has come to see it, monotheism must be now understood in light of the Christ event. Second, because of the coming of Christ and the new era inaugurated by it, the Gentiles as Gentiles now relate to the one God of Israel by faith alone. Gentiles no longer need identify with the nation Israel in order to be considered true members of the people of God; rather, the crucial issue is faith. When we consider the possible textual backgrounds of this data, we find that Zech 14:9 may play a significant role in Paul's use of God is one as a ground for Gentile inclusion. Regardless of whether or not the argument was directly influenced by Zech 14:9, Paul's arguments in Rom 3:30 and Gal 3:20 illuminate Paul's dynamic and relational understanding of monotheism. |
