Seder 154: Acts 21---Paul the Vow-Keeper

 In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on July 29, 2023, Kyle Kettering explained that the apostle Paul has often been misunderstood.  A major source of misunderstanding, he said, was the influential work of antisemitic German scholars of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, who saw first century Judaism as legalistic.  Their views have been corrected by more recent scholarship of the "New Perspective on Paul" and the "Paul within Judaism" schools.     

One statement of Paul's that is often misread is his "all things to all men" statement in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.  On the basis of this passage, some have characterized Paul as a kind of chameleon, an insincere "people pleaser."  An important corrective to this characterization appears in Acts 21:17-26, where Paul confers with James and agrees to sponsor the Nazirite vows of four men.

Kyle made several points about this passage:

1. James the Just, the brother of Jesus, led the apostolic community in Jerusalem until 62 AD (see Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History).  James had had a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus, as had Paul (1 Cor 15:7).
2. The messianic community rejoiced at God's work among non-Jews (Acts 17:20).
3. There was also a large movement among Jews.
4. Zeal for the Torah did not conflict, in their minds, with following Jesus.
5. Nothing in the Torah opposes Jesus, and no teaching of Jesus is in opposition to the Torah.
6. Paul keeps his vow and helps others keep theirs.  He places himself under the authority of the Temple.  

Paul later describes himself as a Pharisee (not an ex-Pharisee) and confirms that he remains a faithful Jew (Acts 23:6; 28:17).  The book of Acts supports the idea of a Torah-observant Paul.  He was not a chameleon but a faithful keeper of his commitments.

Seder 106: Numbers 6:1-21---the Nazirite Vow

 Numbers 6:1-21 describes the Nazirite vow, a way in which one could separate oneself to God at a high level of holiness for a specified period of time.  During the time of the vow, a Nazirite was to partake of no wine or grape products, was not to have a haircut, and was to have no contact with a corpse.  

These requirements have some parallels with the requirements for an Israelite high priest, who also was to have no contact with a corpse.(Lev 21:11) and was not to drink alcoholic beverages while on duty (Lev 10:9).  Both high priests and Nazirites had a special head covering.

One might undertake such a vow to express devotion or gratitude to God.  One might also promise to become a Nazirite if a certain prayer was answered.  

Any Israelite, male or female, could become a Nazirite.  For example, Queen Helene of Adiabene promised to do a 7-year vow if her son Izates, who had gone to war, returned safely.  He did, and see carried out the vow (m. Nazir 3:6; b Nazir 19b ). 

 Another female Nazirite mentioned in the Mishna and Talmud was Miriam of Palmyra (m Nazir 6:11; b Nazir 47a)

A third was Herod the Great's great-granddaughter Berenice.

The completion of a Nazirite vow was commemorated with a series of offerings (Num 6:13-21).  There has been much discussion among Jewish commentators about why one of them was a purification offering (v 16). One suggestion is that the purification offering was for the fact that the vow was now ending.  Another is that the purification offering is for all the good things that the Nazirite could have been enjoying during the time of the vow.  A better suggestion, I think, is that this purification offering is like those accompanying a priestly ordination.  The Nazirite would carry out a priestly act in placing his hair on the altar (Num 6:18), and he or she was making a transition to a new level in his or her relationship with God.

Since the offerings were expensive, it was considered to be a mitzvah to help a Nazirite finance them.  Paul once acted in this capacity (Acts 21:17-26) and also carried out a vow of his own (Acts 18:18).  These are some of the data supporting the assertion that Paul remained Torah observant after he was called as an apostle.