Paul’s premier sense of self was as “apostle to the pagans.” Only his letters from midcentury survive. By that time, he would have had to explain to his own ex-pagan congregations, as well as to himself, why the Kingdom was already “late”—some twenty-five years after Jesus’ resurrection—and why many other Jews were not persuaded by this messianic reading of their ancient scriptures. In Romans, Paul lays out his two-phase explanation. Israel would have received the gospel, had God wanted them to. But instead, God was currently and deliberately preventing most of Israel from so doing, for strategic reasons: to give Paul (and other apostles) more time to reach out to the pagan nations. Once the “full number” of gentiles came over, God would cease this strategic hardening of Israel, and then history’s finale could begin. At that point, “a Deliverer will come from Zion / he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.” It was the outreach to the gentiles—the time it was taking to turn pagans from their gods to Paul’s god (sic) —that was holding things up. -Paula Fredricksen, When Christians Were Jews, p.118-119