Corpus-Paul

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

Mark,
an excellent speech indeed! Paul's message seems to come alive. 
See my comments below.
Moon

On 03/28/00, ""Mark D. Nanos" <nanos AT mail.gvi.net>" wrote:
>  Does this 
> belief imply that they as Jews by nature have stepped-down to 
> becoming gentile sinners by this faith, or by their action of 
> indiscriminate table-fellowship with these gentiles in Christ? Has 
> Christ become the agent of making Jews by nature into gentile 
> sinners? May it never be! Rather, if we build-up this indiscriminate 
> table-fellowship as a witness to our belief that the age to come has 
> dawned in Christ after having torn it down when you withdrew out of 
> fear, then we make ourselves to be those who stand-in for Christ in 
> the present age (helping gentiles step-up instead of Jews step-down), 
> walking straight-toward the truth of the good news of Christ for the 
> present age. 

[Moon] Let us assume that v 2.18 is part of Paul's speech to Peter. Then
"I" in "If I build what I tore down" actually refers to Peter. So, we 
have "If you, Peter, build again what you tore down, it makes you a 
transgressor" (trying to be righteoused in Christ and thereby having 
indiscriminate table-fellowship with Gentiles is NOT what makes you a
transgressor). It seems somewhat unnatural for Paul to refer to his
action of correcting what has gone wrong, while he is rebuking Peter.

Also the idea of "substitution" can still work if we take v 2.18 as I do.
Paul's being crucified with Christ, his no longer living, Christ's living 
in
him, all of them can be construed to explain "For through the Law I died
to the Law", whose main point is that Paul's perspective has changed, i.e.
he is Christ-oriented, with Christ living in him.  

My humble opinion.

Moon R. Jung
Associate Professor
Sogang Univ, Seoul, Korea
   
  

For we through the Law of Christ bringing the 
> indiscriminate table-fellowship of the age to come have become 
> oblivious (died) to the criticism of the agents of the traditional 
> interpretation of the Law for the present age on this matter, for we 
> are no longer living for our own honor, but in the place of Christ, 
> we are continuing his task, as shameful as it may seem at times to 
> those agents. In this way we are living to God.