Paul and Palestinian Judaism compares Judaism, understood on its own terms, with Paul, understood on his own terms. Sanders aims to:

Consider methodologically how to compare two (or more) related but different religions

Destroy the view of Rabbinic Judaism which is still prevalent in much, perhaps most, New Testament scholarship

Establish a different view of Rabbinic Judaism

Argue a case concerning Palestinian Judaism as a whole

Argue for a certain understanding of Paul

Carry out a comparison of Paul and Palestinian Judaism