Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - RE: Galatian situation

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Mark D. Nanos" <nanos AT gvi.net>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Galatian situation
  • Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 09:39:52 -0500


Mark Nanos wrote:
> 1. Paul arguable did [acknowledge the
>authority of the Jerusalem apostles], see 2:1-3, 9-10! His
trip to subordinate his
> gospel is an acknowledgement of their authority, whatever
else it
> might also be.

Sakari responded

I would question the idea that Paul wanted to _subordinate
his gospel_. In fact, whose gospel it was that was discussed
in Jerusalem? I would tend to see Paul here representing his
own community in Antiochia, as he was an Antiochian attachÈ,
together with Barnabas. My question is thus: What kind of
meeting was that in Jerusalem - a negotiation between two
equal communities that had different views on Gentile
converts and perhaps on the validity of the Law, or a trial
of Paul which aimed from his side that his work among
Gentiles would be accepted by the highest possible authority
of Jesus-believers? Or had it some other meaning? Was Paul
only a private person with two companions (Barnabas and
Titus) or was he sent to Jerusalem by the believers in
Antiochia? One should
also take into account that when writing Galatians, Paul was
more independent than at the time when he had visited
Jerusalem with Barnabas from Antiochia. Obviously he had a
need to highlight his independency from any community (see
Gal. 2,2).

Sakari,
I do not understand. Paul wrote the account in Gal. 2:2, and could choose any language he wished to ensure that the question of his independent equality or even superiority remained clear, but he writes of his subordination, that he "laid [ANETHEMHN] before them...lest somehow I should be running or had been running in vain"! (NRSV)

If someone from Jerusalem had written this of Paul, fine, there would be good reason to question if that accurately represented Paul's opinion of his action as subordination, but we have Paul's account here, an account in which he does not shrink from expressing himself quite boldly where his relationship to others is concerned (cf., he writes quite differently that he challenged Peter to his face at Antioch, 2:11). And as you note, this is written later, and not to Jerusalem but to Galatia. Why then subordination language here at 2:2, instead of challenging language at at 2:11?

Regards,
Mark Nanos





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page