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corpus-paul - Re: THi ELEUQERIAi in Gal 5:1

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  • From: Carlton Winbery <winberyc AT popalex1.linknet.net>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: THi ELEUQERIAi in Gal 5:1
  • Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 21:34:04 -0500


>Carlton Winbery wrote:
>
>> While Paul did not allow (re: Titus, not Timothy) gentiles to be made
>> Jewish converts, he did maintain his own Jewishness (see Stendahl, Paul
>> among Jews and Gentiles). He apparently thought it ok himself to continue
>> participating in the Jewish ritual practices and even in Rom. 11 says, "I'm
>> a Jew."
>
>The problem is that Paul never says in Rom. 11 that "I'm a Jew". What
>he actually says is that "I'm myself an Israelite". This is an interesting
>distinction that should not be overlooked or glossed over. As far as I
>recall Paul never calls himself a Jew. Why? Because the designation
>appears to have had bad associations for him. In this he is in good
>company with the author of GJohn. Paul preferred to call himself an
>Israelite or a Hebrew (just like "John" - if GJohn 1:47 is any good
>indication).

He identified himself very closely with his "brothers and kinsmen." I see
no reason to think he made a distinction between Jews and Israelites. I
fear that is more a modern way of dealing with history.

I am well aware that Acts is secondary, but I do use Acts to study certain
events and seek to use details in that account critically, but I think the
picture of Paul in the speeches of Acts 22 & 24 is essentially accurate
even if composed in the final form by the writer of Luke/Acts. Having said
that I think that the writer certainly saw Paul as Jewish. (See 21:39;
22:3, etc.) Paul also went to the Temple to worship, took a vow of
purification and paid for four others to do the same - a perfectly Jewish
thing to do. Was it entirely a pretense?

>As for Krister Stendahl (fellow countryman) and his book "Paul among
>Jews and gentiles" I must admit that his efforts to make Paul more
>"jewish" than he actually was are not totally convincing. Among other things
>I think his idea that Paul believed in an equally valid convenant for Jews
>and Christians (Jewish-Christians+Gentile-Christians) has absolutely no
>support in the texts. I seem to recall that Lloyd Gaston has influenced
>him in this direction.

And the position that Paul considered that he had ceased being a Jew is
equally without support in the text.


Dr. Carlton L. Winbery
Foggleman Professor of Religion
Louisiana College
winbery AT andria.lacollege.edu
winberyc AT popalex1.linknet.net
Ph. 1 318 448 6103 hm
Ph. 1 318 487 7241 off






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