Corpus-Paul

[Jonathan Ryder <jpr1001 AT cam.ac.uk>]

Dear List Members,

Philip Esler, in his recent book in Galatians (Routledge 1998), states
that Paul had not been successful in persuading the Antioch church that
he was right in this incident (p41). I've come across this idea before -
indeed I think it is somewhat of a consensus view.

My questions are:

1) who was the first to propose that Paul was unsuccessful in convincing
the Antioch church of the rightness of his position, and what are their
arguments for this position? (references will suffice)

2) does anyone hold the opposite position - that Paul was successful in
convincing the Antioch church of the rightness of his position? (again
references will suffice)

3) what difference might either of the above make on the function of
Paul's retelling of this incident in this letter?

Jonathan Ryder
Tyndale House
Cambridge
UK