To the Jew First or to the Jew at Last?
Romans 1:16c and Jewish Missional Priority in Dialogue with Jews for Jesus
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2013
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Publisher's Description
Many missions to the Jewish people, such as Jews for Jesus, use Romans 1:16 as a text-proof to encourage the evangelization of the Jewish people in priority: "to the Jew first, and then to the Greek" (Jewish Missional Priority). Is this a legitimate interpretation? After considering when this idea first appeared, the author exposes and evaluates the arguments commonly used to promote it. His thorough exegesis of Romans 1:16-17 resolves the question. He finally takes the opportunity to explore some possible eschatological implications developed from Romans 9-11 and the parables of Jesus. Will the first be also the last?
Endorsements (5)
“Antoine Fritz's provocative and well-argued thesis is a pioneering study of the history of the interpretation [of Romans 1:16]. . . . His own radical proposals for its interpretation and missiological application must be taken seriously by all who are concerned for the meaning of the gospel, the salvation of Israel and the nations, and the right response to the scriptural mandate, 'to the Jew first.'”
“Antoine Fritz provides us with a unique, exhaustive survey of past and contemporary writing on the use of Romans 1:16 to support making positive mission to Jews a priority for Christians today--and then subjects the arguments he surveys to rigorous historical, biblical, and theological critique.”
“Antoine Fritz has produced the most thorough investigation available to date of the priority of Jewish people in the evangelization of humanity. He analyzes the conviction and practice of the Apostle Paul in his mission to his fellow Jews within his calling to be apostle to the Gentiles. . . . Fritz argues a correct understanding of Romans 1:16 is a prerequisite for evangelical mission to Jewish people today.”
“A timely book on Jewish evangelism that I believe masterfully settles a two-hundred-year debate on Paul's enigmatic phrase, 'to the Jew first,' in Romans 1:16. . . . Antoine Fritz's study is comprehensive and incisive, drawing from a vast array of historical and exegetical sources, and displaying solid missiological learning.”
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