Turning Toward the Heart: Converting to the Way of Love
This account from Acts is familiar to many of us that grew up in the church: Saul on the road to Damascus, the “conversion” of Paul — his literal “come-to-Jesus” moment. Saul, a Pharisee, took pride in fulfilling the commandments of his tradition which, for him, was a way to anchor Jewish identity and culture as a marginalized group living under Roman occupation as much as it was the fulfillment of his own covenant with G-d as a Jew. It is largely through Saul that Jews get interpreted through New Testament readings as primarily or overly legalistic, serving a punitive G-d. The G-d of the “Old Testament” seemingly gets replaced by the G-d of the New Testament, love prevailing over law. This becomes a very Jews bad, Christians good trope. Common interpretations depict Saul’s conversion as mirroring this supercession: this neurotically law-abiding Jew is shown the error of his ways through divine revelation, drops the old Jewish Way, and becomes a Christian — right?
No.
