E.P. Sanders

E.P. Sanders is a respected scholar of religious history who specializes in early Christianity and Judaism. He is known for his research on how first-century Jewish groups understood the Torah and their relationship with God, challenging earlier ideas that Judaism was solely based on strict legalism. Sanders introduced the concept of "covenantal nomism," which means that Jewish people followed the law out of their desire to maintain their special relationship with God, not just to earn salvation. His work helped deepen understanding of the context for Christianity's emergence and emphasized the diversity within Jewish religious practice during that period.