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corpus-paul - Re: The symbolism of '14 years'

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  • From: Richard Fellows <rfellows AT intergate.ca>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: The symbolism of '14 years'
  • Date: Sun, 01 Apr 2001 23:47:24 -0700



Frank wrote:
<<This has been a discussion that doesn't seem to go anywhere. I am
neither particularly convinced of the argument that 14 years had some sort
of symbolic character, nor that Paul would care to assert that in the
context of the narratio of Galatians. Does anybody really think that Paul
would assert as facts things that he knew to be fictitious?>>

I agree that Paul would not assert as facts things that he knew to be
fictitious. I am assuming that the readers would have understood the phrase
to be symbolic, and that Paul knew that they would not take it literally.
Paul, I am suggesting, used the phrase 'through fourteen years' to remind
his readers of things that he had told them in person about the parallels
between his own experience and that of Jacob. 'Through fourteen years'
might then signify something like 'following a long period of hard work,
like that of Jacob, which served to prove my virtue and thereby allowed me,
like Jacob, to gain the endorsement that I needed to fulfill my destiny of
becoming a father to many nations, like Jacob'.

As I said before, there is no real problem of 'communicability' here. If,
as I suggest, Paul compared himself to Jacob, then it would not be
surprising for him to discuss it with the Galatians when he visited
Galatia. We know that Paul made extensive use of stories from Genesis when
writing to the Galatians, so we can assume that he did the same when
speaking to them in person. So the readers would then have been fully aware
of the symbolism when they received the letter.

Regards,

Richard Fellows
Vancouver





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