religion of first-century Judaism as ‘covenantal nomism.’ Covenantal nomism means the keeping of the Law (Gk. nomos) not as a way of getting in but of staying in the covenant: doing the Law is what those chosen by a gracious God do after they are in covenant relationship. It has also become a scholarly convention, under the influence of such scholars as James Dunn, to refer to certain distinctive Jewish practices—especially circumcision, calendar observance (i.e., observing the Sabbath and festivals),
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