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  • From: "Hyam Maccoby" <h.z.maccoby AT leeds.ac.uk>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Eating with gentiles
  • Date: Thu, 29 Aug 2002 16:11:50 +0100


Dear Bob,

Many thanks for your reply. I was rather expecting you to bring in the
question of the Eucharist. As you may know, I am of the opinion that the
Jerusalem Church did not practise the Eucharist, which they regarded as
instituted not by Jesus but by Paul. So it is quite possible that Peter, as
you suggest, withdrew from the meal in Antioch when he became aware of its
Eucharistic aspect (though this is only one of many possible reasons for his
withdrawal, and I am not even sure that the Eucharist had yet been
instituted at that time).
But this leaves my main point unaffected. Peter's withdrawal from the
meal cannot possibly have been motivated by Exodus 12:48, because the meal,
even if Eucharistic, did not count in Jewish law as a Passover meal, but
only (possibly) as some kind of simulation of one. The prohibition in
Exodus 12:48 applies only to one part of the meal - the most important
part - the sacrificed lamb, which could be sacrificed and eaten only in
Jerusalem.

With best wishes,

Hyam











____________________________________________________________________________
_________


Dr.Hyam Maccoby
Research Professor
Centre for Jewish Studies
University of Leeds
Leeds.LS2
Direct lines: tel. +44 (0)113 268 1972
fax +44 (0)113 268 0041
e-mail: h.z.maccoby AT leeds.ac.uk




----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob MacDonald" <bobmacdonald AT shaw.ca>
To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2002 3:10 PM
Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Eating with gentiles


> Thank you, Hyam, for this clear response which is in accord with what I
have
> understood from Jewish friends.
>
> You wrote
> >>I think you are suggesting that of all the days of the year, the day on
> which Peter visited Antioch happened to be the day of Passover, and that
> therefore the meal was a Passover meal, which Peter would not ordinarily
> share with uncircumcised people.
>
> Response:
> I was thinking about the liturgical practice of the Eucharist. The
Eucharist
> is a Passover feast in an image. The sacrifice of the Lamb of God is once
> for all. For this reason the Passover does not need to be in Jerusalem
since
> the remembrance of it is for all. Christians would celebrate this every
> week, perhaps as part of a meal every day. If Peter was taking part in
this
> liturgical act with the uncircumcised, then he had cause to be concerned
> about disputation with Jews whether Christ believers or not. In this case
> (Galatians 2:12), being early in the history of the sect, these Jews from
> James would be believers in Christ. If their doctrine had not yet
recognized
> the effective circumcision of gentiles in the sacrifice of Christ
> (Colossians 2:11), Peter might well withdraw either out of liturgical
> uncertainty or out of concern for disputes with those who were not yet
> believers in Christ. I think the former is likely. Even today there are
> those Christians who read the texts with a closed Eucharistic table in
mind.
> (No one may participate who is not recognized as a believer, the invisible
> equivalent of circumcision).
>
> I am very glad to have heard your view on this and would like to know
> further if any have considered the growth of doctrine around the Eucharist
> to be relevant to this dispute.
>
> Bob
>
> mailto::BobMacDonald AT shaw.ca
> + + + Victoria, B.C., Canada + + +
>
> Catch the foxes for us,
> the little foxes that make havoc of the vineyards,
> for our vineyards are in flower. (Song 2.15)
> http://bobmacdonald.gx.ca
>
>
>
> ---
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