Footnote 1 – Paul and Judaism: 5 Puzzles

When Paul used the Greek word nomos, he almost always meant the Mosaic Law, or the Torah. Indeed, it is safe to assume that in Paul’s letters nomos refers to the Law (with a capital L) unless there are reasons to think otherwise (see Romans 3:27, 7:21). Therefore, Paul’s criticisms of the nomos are directed toward the Mosaic Law (at least the misunderstanding and misuse of it), not toward law in general. For a good survey, see D. Moo, “Paul and the Law in the Last Ten Years,” Scottish Journal of Theology 40 (1987), pp. 287–307.