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  • From: "Mark D. Nanos" <nanosmd AT comcast.net>
  • To: Corpus-Paul <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] Questions on Galatians
  • Date: Wed, 28 May 2003 21:03:53 -0500


> Billy Evans wrote:
> "I think it is
> best to consider circumcision as meaning what some arguments of the spies in
> the text mean: Gentiles had to keep the whole law of Moses."

Billy,
It is interesting to note that what the so-called "spies," which I translate
"inspectors," were bringing pressure to circumcise, at least the threat to
report to the authorities for whom their services were enlisted. They seem
to seek to ensure that the leaders of this coalition recognize the need to
make proselytes of non-Jews if they are going to be regarded as full-fledged
members. That sounds like pressure to comply with standing Jewish norms of
the time for any Jewish group.

Jerry Sumney wrote:
> It seems to me that the discussion is made more difficult by this reading of
> the position of the teachers Paul opposes in Galatians. Ithink Gal 5:2-3
> shows that the teachers being rejected did NOT require the whole Law.
> Saying the circumcision commits one to the Law is one of Paul's arguments
> against listening to those teachers. The Acts 15 people may well (probably
> did) require that Gentiles take on the whole Law. But they seem to be a
> different group than those teachers in Galatia.

Sticking with Gal 5:3 implications, it seems to me that there is good reason
to suppose that both the influencers and the addressees know this fact--it
is so common as to be trite. I doubt it means that once the addressees were
proselytes they would not be required to observe the whole Law. I do not
think that they "did NOT require the whole Law."

But I agree, although for different reasons, with your statement: "Saying
the circumcision commits one to the Law is one of Paul's arguments against
listening to those teachers." The point seems to be made in order to
reorient the gravity of that part of the proposition being considered that
is not as salient at the moment, since it is the gaining of acceptance that
proselyte conversion seems to offer that is at the top of the addressees'
minds (and Paul implies, to the fore in the influencers' rhetoric).

Again I think an analogy with parents and teenagers is useful. When the
parent asks ironically whether the children have counted the cost beyond the
desire to be accepted, tying to bring long-term consequences to the fore in
a situation when the children are perceived to have short-term goals only in
view by the "compromising" behavior they are contemplating or exemplifying.
Often implicitly, if not explicitly, the intentions of the other children
are called into question for not helping the children think about the
gravity of the long-term consequences (I am thinking of parents facing a
teenager getting something like a tatoo or ring on their face, who argue,
"but all the other kids are doing it, and their parents don't mind--I won't
fit in...").

In the same kind of way Paul's patronizing comment suggests to me that he is
engaged in undermining the intentions of the influencers: "the influencers
do not have your best interests in mind, or they would have emphasized this
too"; Paul asserts elsewhere similar bad motives (cf. 5:7-12 and
6:12-13)--whether that is true or not from the influencers' point of view,
or by their (actual) actions toward the addressees to date is another
matter. I suppose the weight of his approach is based on this putting them
on their heals if the addressees take Paul's advice, since this is likely a
value that they share with Paul, it is certainly one that is common in
Jewish writings about proselytes being warned of the weight of their choice.
So Paul seeks to undermine shared values--a perfect time to employ this kind
of rhetoric.

Regards,
Mark
--
Mark D. Nanos, Ph.D.
co-moderator





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