Corpus-Paul

["moon-ryul jung" <moon AT saint.soongsil.ac.kr>]

Mark,
I feel so good because I "have no questions".

> To return to 5:13, they are thus tempted, from Paul's perspective, to 
> use their freedom (i.e., for these gentiles, their standing as 
> righteous ones apart from proselyte conversion, free to understand 
> themselves in these "new age" terms) as "an "occasion"/"opportunity"/ 
> clearer is "incentive" [AFORMHN; as dative of advantage] for the 
> flesh, that is, for the agonistic quest for status that Paul sees 
> represented in these gentiles seeking to overcome the social problem 
> they face by conforming with "human" conventions, instead of an 
> incentive to serve each other as they brave the problems that this 
> causes together, walking straight toward the truth of the gospel, 
> whatever the cost. The rest of the letter sets out the program for 
> suffering together in this task of remaining faithful, as did Christ 
> and Paul, at great social cost from those who do not share their view 
> of reality.
> 
CLEAR ENOUGH!

> Is that clear at all? As I read this passage, since Paul has not 
> proposed any Law-free gospel, there is no reason to be concerned with 
> concomitant antinomianism. The fear for Paul remains the same here as 
> in the rest of the letter. Will these gentiles, because of social 
> constraints associated with their identity claims, comply with the 
> dominant Jewish or pagan communal interpretations of what is "right" 
> for them, either turning back to some practices of pagan life in 
> order to survive since they are not proselytes entitled to abstain 
> therefrom, or of becoming proselytes in order to completely eliminate 
> the problem, since they no longer regard themselves as pagans, and 
> cannot really go back since becoming Christ- and thus Spirit-people? 
> Paul opposes both options, and calls them to understand who they now 
> are in Christ, righteous ones of God, and thus to what they must 
> suffer and yet continue to affirm in their lives together as they 
> "wait for the hope of righteousness" (5:5).
> 

Makes a good sense!
> 

For the first time, I have an interpretation of Galatian that is not 
"paradoxical". It feels good.
 

> If you wish to raise the issue of Rom. 6 after this explanation, then 
> we can move at that time from Galatians to Romans. 

Yes, I would be very much interested in how you would respond to my
second reply. 

Moon
Moon R. Jung
Associate Professor
Sogang University
Seoul, Korea
> Regards,
> Mark Nanos
> Kansas City