"GETHSEMANE, The Hour Is Near" by Anthony Falbo
This recently came in from a friend of mine; I post it here for future reference:
I came across this free PDF file study on Galatians on the www.bereansonline.org So far I have just looked at the initial chapters which set the historical context of the letter to the Galatians. These chapters are particularly insightful with respect to the "18 Articles" which were issues of contention between the Schools of Shammai and Hillel, prior to the incarnation of Christ but carrying on into 1 Century Judaism even up to the destruction of the temple. I think that a re-reading the gospels/apostolic scriptures against the backdrop of the debate around these 18 Articles, regarding Gentile/Jew relationships, will clarify many of the passages that are used to support anti-nominism and could be a helpful piece in the puzzle of reconstructing faith. It seems to me that many 1st Century Jewish believers needed a paradigm shift, away from the influence of these 18 articles. Hence the thrust of Paul's letters was against the 18 articles and not against the Torah. (Paul talks in Romans 14 about 'disputable matters'. He wouldn't have seen the Biblical kosher standards, and festivals as disputable matters.) You might want a look-see into it.
She also subsequently sent me this link with additional discussion regarding the 18 articles.
