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  • From: Loren Rosson <rossoiii AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: The symbolism of '14 years'
  • Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2001 05:20:04 -0800 (PST)


Richard,

You make a strong case for a Paul-Jacob parallel, at
least as applied to Gal. 2:1. Generally speaking, of
course, Paul preferred comparing himself to Moses (II
Cor. 3:7-11, etc.).

> Jacob worked for Laban for 'fourteen
> years' in order to prove himself
> (Gen 29). As Josephus puts it, "that,
> having given a specimen of his virtue,
> it might be better known what sort
> of a man he was". Only after the
> fourteen years did Jacob receive Laban's
> approval. Paul, like Jacob, needed to
> prove himself. He laboured in the regions
> of Syria and Cilicia (Gal 1.21),
> and only after the 'fourteen years'
> (Gal 2.1) did he receive the
> endorsement of
> the Jerusalem leaders (Gal 2.7-9).

This “14-year period” has always bothered me. What was
Paul doing all that time in Syria and Cilicia? By my
recontruction, his first missionary journey took about
1 ½ years, the second about 2 ½ years, and the third
about 4 ½ years. That’s 8 ½ years for all that ground
to be covered (more than once, or even twice)
throughout Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Achaia -- as
compared to a supposed 14 years spent in the two
regions.

> Before his fourteen years, Jacob
> had a dream at Bethel (Gen 28) in
> which he was told "your offspring
> shall be like the dust of the earth, and you
> shall spread abroad to the west and
> to the east and to the north and to the
> south; and all the families of the
> earth shall be blessed in you and
> your offspring".

Nice comparison; I find it persuasive.

> Before Paul's 'fourteen years'
> (Gal 2.1), he had received a revelation
> of his gospel, which he was to preach
> among the nations, and thus become
> father in the faith to many.

And I think we should be very skeptical that it took
14 years for Gentile controversies to erupt and
finally bring about the first apostolic conference.

> All this raises the possibility that
> Paul saw parallels between himself
> And Jacob, and referred to the 'fourteen
> years' to remind his readers of
> those parallels. This creates some
> doubt (in my mind) as to whether the
> fourteen years were literal or
> metaphorical. Perhaps it is hazardous to
> use Paul's letters as a primary source
> when constructing the chronology of his
> life! ;-)

Point counterpoint to John Hurd. John actually seems
aware of the “14-year” problem, and I’ll concede that
one advanatage to his chronology is that it gets Paul
out of Syria and Cilcia fast. Here’s a snip of his
timeline:

> Missionary work in Syria (Antioch) and
> Cilicia (Tarsus) (Gal. 1:21).
> [Missionary work in Cyprus and
> Pisidian Antioch (Acts 13).]
> [Missionary work in southern Galatia,
> i.e., in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe
> . . . [By-passed Ephesus and went
> to Macedonia via Troas (Acts 16:6-12)?]
> Founded Church in Philippi "in the
> beginning of the Gospel" (Phil. 4:15; 1:5)
> . . . Founded church in
> Thessalonica (2 Thess. 2:13-15; Phil. 4:16)
> [cf. Acts 17:1-9]. . .Founded church in
> Corinth with Silvanus and Timothy
> (2 Cor. 1:19; 10:14;
> 1 Cor. 3:6; 4:15) [cf. Acts 18:1-18].

According to John, all this takes place before the
Jerusalem conference, in which case the “14 years” is
no longer a problem. (On the other hand, radically
revising Acts is an even bigger problem.)

If, indeed, the “fourteen years” reported in Gal. 2:1
are metaphorical, Paul’s conversion probably happened
much later than 33 -- perhaps by even a decade. A
plausible timeline might run like this:

42 Paul’s Conversion – to Arabia soon after
45 First Jerusalem visit (Gal. 1:18)
46 To Syria and Cilicia
Late 47 Second Jerusalem visit (Acts 11/Gal 2:1-10)
Early 48 First missionary journey begins
Mid 49 Antioch incident (Gal. 2:11-14)
Late 49 Third Jerusalem visit (Acts 15)
Early 50 Second missionary journey begins
Late 52 Third missionary journey begins
57 Captured in Palestine

Just speculation at the top of my head. But I think
Richard is on to something with the Jacob parallel. It
helps condense that “14 year” period during which not
much seems to have happened.

Loren Rosson III
Nashua NH
rossoiii AT yahoo.com

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