Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - Re: The purpose of the law in salvation-history

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Dieter Mitternacht" <dieter.mitternacht AT teol.lu.se>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: The purpose of the law in salvation-history
  • Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 17:17:19 +0200



Mark Nanos wrote in response to Loren Rosson:

>
> I realize that you are merely following Sanders' lead, but he was working
> within a framework that was shaped by the way the issues had been approached
> in the theological tradition he sought to challenge. We are still in the
> early phases of learning to practice historical and rhetorical criticism in
> our approach to Paul's texts. Perhaps you are needlessly accepting
> limitations of the received way to organize the issue, and thus needlessly
> limiting the possibilities? Anyway, the challenge that your post brings to
> mind is the need to rethink where to even begin...
>


I agree with Mark Nanos that there is a need for rhetorical criticism with
regard to theological assertions in Paul's letters.

Ever since Betz's commentary on Galatians we have become aquainted with
accepting Paul's character vilifications in Galatians as good hellenistic
rhetoric, i.e. not meaning much except exaggeration. It is simply how a
diatribe preacher would go about his business. And anyway, Paul had no
choice, he is simply reacting appropriately to the tone and techniques used
by the 'opponents.' "What can he do against the spells and charms his
opponents have cast upon the Galatians" (Betz, 132). Thus, "This caricature
of course... means next to nothing,..." 229-30, cf. 270). So, finally we can
put aside uneasy suggestions by Wrede and others that Paul must have been
driven by hatred as he wrote Galatians.

Of course, no one can produce evidence that the influencers in Galatia were
using Paul's rhetorical style (unless we want to return to the mirror reading
game). Neither is there any other player in the NT, not even the Lukan Paul,
who argues in manner comparable to Gal.

What *can* be demonstrated from the rhetorical strategy throughout Gal,
however, is that Paul is not interested in arguing a "fair" case. He is
interested in establishing his ethos as superior to anyone else, including
Peter, James, Barnabas, all the Christ-believing Jews at Antioch, and
especially the influencers in Galatia. Everybody who does not agree with his
position is slandered more or less and in the end there is only one person
who is completely flawless, unselfish and Christ-like. Guess who? And guess
whether such a construction is credible by any standard?

Is it a matter of parental exaggeration, then? Is Paul treating the Galatian
kids like a desperate father/mother, exaggerating danger for their own best?
Maybe, maybe not, maybe partly. I have been discussing these issues with Mark
and Loren on this list earlier and refer whoever is interested to that
disccussion.

What does all this have to do with Paul and the law? Maybe we should be a
little more relaxed with regard to Paul's theological assertions, identify
obvious exaggerations and take them for what they are. In any case, I don't
think that it is a coincidence that the most problematic theological
statements of Paul are found in Gal.

Maybe his most prominent concern was to convince Gentile Christ-believers
that they should accept the call to imitate the sufferings of Christ (3.1-5,
4.12-14) and not hide in the socially and politically safe bossom of Judaism
(since his eschatological schema requires *both* Gentiles and Jews). And so,
as a means to a specific end, he took the liberty of exaggerating not only
with regard to his character descriptions but also with regard to his
theological assertions.

Dieter Mitternacht
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lund University, Dept of Theology, Allhelgona kyrkogata 8, S-223 62 Lund,
SWEDEN
e-mail: Dieter.Mitternacht AT teol.lu.se
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page