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  • From: "Elli Elliott" <ellielliott AT email.msn.com>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Galatian situation
  • Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2000 19:54:42 -0600


Regarding the discussion on Gal 4:8-10:

Troy Martin's argument points in a useful direction, but without seeing the
content of the pagan context in central Anatolia. It's not actual apostasy
to paganism that Paul is addressing but a rhetorical equation of
circumcision with the pagan practice of self-castration by the galli of the
Mother of the Gods. In these verses and throughout the letter, Paul equates
the decision for circumcision with a "return" to devotion to the deities and
divine forces that ruled their lives as central Anatolian gentiles, and most
particularly devotion to the ubiquitous Mountain Mothers. The problem that
motivates the letter and structures Paul's rhetorical strategy in it is the
similarity of circumcision as a ritual of entry to the self-castration of
the galli of the Mother of the Gods, a ritual which indelibly enslaves them
to her for life. Circumcision would mean re-enslavement to the Law,
presented as a Mountain Mother in 4:21-31.

That's a snip of my proposal based on the particular forms of "paganism"
that were prominent in the world of the audience, in any case.

Elli Elliott (elli AT ria.net)
Pastor, Zion United Church of Christ, Sterling, Colorado
PhD, New Testament & Early Christianity, Loyola University Chicago
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark D. Nanos" <nanos AT gvi.net>
To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2000 8:49 AM
Subject: [corpus-paul] RE: voluntary associations/Galatian situation


> >Loren Rosson wrote:
> >I agree with Mark that Gal. 4:8-10 seems
> >clearly to refer to Greco-Roman pagan practices
> >("formerly you were enslaved to pagan deities; how can
> >you now turn back to these deities, observing the
> >relevant days, months, seasons?"). On the other hand,
> >Gal. 5:2-6 alludes to the requirements of Jewish
> >(proselyte) conversion,
> >_________________________
> >Jerry Sumney wrote:
> > It seems to me that in Gal 4:8-10 Paul polemically equates Jewish
> >observances with pagan observances as part of the argumentative strategy
of
> >the letter. I argue this at more length in my essay on the opponents of
> >Galatians. Of course, Troy Martin is perhaps the most vocal advocate for
> >the Galatians turning back to paganism.
>
> This seems like a good opportunity to extend the conversation from
> voluntary associations to the Galatian situation, linking the two
> issues with more discussion of the dynamics. My proposal involves a
> two-sided approach, since I imagine that those whom Paul addressed
> were struggling with identity issues that arose in both Jewish and
> pagan communal terms (ala the two-front theories of Lutgert/Ropes,
> although very different in substance). It is necessary to develop
> this a little, since it is a new proposition; sorry it is still so
> long.
>
> Certainly the prevailing view is that which Jerry and Dave suggest
> here (which I formerly thought as well, taking the parallel as
> ironic), but I now believe Troy has made the case for a pagan point
> of reference for the time-keeping scheme Paul appeals to in 4:8-10.
> Martin takes this to indicate that the Galatian addressees have
> actually turned back to paganism because they have been convinced by
> the influencers that Christ-faith also includes the need to become
> proselytes, a proposition which the addressees reject for themselves,
> and thus they abandon Christ-faith entirely to turn back to paganism
> (he believes with the consensus that these influencers are
> Christ-believing Jewish people, although I do not). I believe that
> this part of Troy's construction is mistaken, that the rhetoric
> indicates Paul's appeal is to addressees who still hold to the value
> of the meaning of the death of Christ for themselves. Instead, what
> they have failed to perceive is that their faith in Christ is
> implicitly subverted by following the advice of the influencers to
> become proselytes (which also suggests that the influencers have not
> explicitly opposed Paul; I doubt that they are particularly concerned
> with him, but rather regard him as someone who passed through, but is
> gone; the issue is the [mistaken] notions of these gentiles about
> what they are entitled to apart from proselyte conversion). The
> addressees have thus decided to proceed with proselyte conversion
> alongside faith in Christ in order to gain acceptance by the
> influencer's standards as well as Paul's, thinking--much as (for
> example) adolescents are often able to convince themselves to
> conclude--that they can have it both ways, gaining acceptance by both
> courts of reputation.
>
> The pressure to return to pagan practices comes about, I suggest,
> when the influencers respond to the claims of these gentile
> addressees, who are "pagan guests" in their view, that they are still
> obliged to observe whatever pagan communal norms constrain their
> lives among family and neighbors (such as imperial cult and other
> public idolatrous practices, which are measured in just the kind of
> time-keeping scheme to which Paul appeals). This will be the case
> until they are in fact declaring themselves proselyte candidates, and
> thus legitimately excused from continuing life as pagans according to
> the pagan communal norms the apply. For the minority Jewish
> communities are constrained to comply with these norms when
> interacting with "pagan guests" seeking to identify with the
> community in a deeper way, if they are to protect their own communal
> interests, which include being absolved from joining in such pagan
> communal practices as observing imperial cult "days, months, seasons,
> years." I see the subgroups of believers in Christ functioning within
> the domain of these minority Jewish communities, and thus their
> claims/social actions are a live concern of the other interest groups
> within the larger Jewish communities of the region, which are
> themselves concerned with compliance with the norms of the dominant
> Graeco-Roman "pagan" society within which they co-exist (this is
> where the voluntary association material is helpful for understanding
> the communal politics of group norms, expectations, interaction,
> etc.).
>
> Thus the concern in the letter to call the addressees to resist the
> pressure to conform with prevailing norms as though they were pagans
> (4:8-10; 5:1), and to resist the pressure to conform with prevailing
> norms for leaving behind pagan life to become righteous ones by
> initiating participation in the ritual process of becoming proselytes
> (e.g., 3:1-5; 5:2-6). The point Paul wants to re-iterate without
> allowing any compromising solution to still stand is that they must
> not accept either side of this solution. On the one hand, they are no
> longer pagans, since God knows them as non-pagan righteous ones, even
> if the other "human" communities of the present age (Jewish or pagan)
> do not, and thus should not continue or return to any idolatrous
> practices that others believe they are still obliged to observe, even
> if the other pagans, for example family and friends, fear that their
> own interests are thereby threatened by such withdrawal, and take
> measures that lead to suffering. And on the other hand, they are not
> to see themselves as beginning the process of proselyte conversion to
> become righteous ones either, since this would deny that they already
> are such by way of the meaning of the good news of Christ announced
> by Paul, in which they have already believed, which has been
> confirmed by the Spirit (even miracles) in their lives (3:5). Both
> choices would compromise the meaning of Christ for themselves.
> Instead they are to, like Christ, and Paul, suffer the consequences
> of believing something that is not shared by the (other/human)
> leaders and communities of the present (evil) age who do not look to
> the revelation of God in Christ to (re)set their norms, that the age
> to come has dawned in Christ, thus changing their identity according
> to the norms of the age to come, wherein the nations join with Israel
> in the worship of the One God of all Creation.
>
> Regards,
> Mark Nanos
>
>
> ---
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