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corpus-paul - Re: Paul as apostate (was:Paul Not a Pharisee?)

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  • From: "Mark D. Nanos" <nanos AT gvi.net>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Paul as apostate (was:Paul Not a Pharisee?)
  • Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 05:54:19 -0600


Hi Sakari,

I hope that it does not seem too critical to push the point one more time in terms of your response. We may actually agree, but the way that you continue to put the matter makes me uncertain, and I think the difference is important to be clear about, if it is there.

The Ebionites did not accept Paul, because their tradition
of interpreting the Torah was different.

The point I would make is not that their tradition of interpreting the Torah was necessarily different, but that they understood Paul to interpret it differently. This is based upon a "construction" of Paul that in my view does not tell us about Paul, but about their view of him. The question is whether they got Paul right!


>But I do not know
> from Paul's letters that he 1) had opponents, at least in
the context
> of supposed apostasy from Torah, or 2) that they had a
different view
> of Torah, or 3) of any groups that regarded him as an
apostate of the
> Torah, exact word used or not. In this sense my response
to your
> previous post has not changed at all, and I do not see any
data that
> would warrant such.
Well, here we are again. Paul had opponents that accused him
at least for accepting the Gentiles to become converts
without circumcision. According to these opponents this was
against the Torah. Is that right?

Yes, Torah would provide the grounds upon which both Paul and any "opponents" would stake their alternate views. But to apply to my point any supposed opponents would have to be Paul's contemporaries to carry the weight of the comment to which I initially objected. And the way you put it is not clear to me that this is their "opinion" that it was against Torah; whether it was or not is another matter, and that which I want to remain open about in the investigation of Paul on his own terms.

Regards,
Mark Nanos
Kansas City





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