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  • From: "moon-ryul jung" <moon AT sogang.ac.kr>
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: "we" and "you" in Galatians
  • Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2001 02:39:41 -0400


Billy wrote:

What about NT Wright's take that the law was given for the purpose of
exposing and locating and piling up sin in a place where it could be
dealt with once and for all. In his view the tension seems to me to be
resolved. The law doesn't consign the humanity to sin; the world is
already consigned to sin. It consigns Israel to sin which is
representative of humanity, therefore when Jesus takes Israel's curse,
he takes the world's curse as well. He takes the "we" in Galations to be
Jews and the "you " to be gentles which seems to me to be be the most
natural reading.

Because the interpretation of Galatians depends very crucially
on who are the referents of "we" and "you", it seems worthwhile
to discuss the issue.


There are three options:
(1) "we"= Jews, "you" = gentiles
(2) "we" ="you" = Gentiles except for Gal 2:15, where there is an
explicit indicator (Also, it could be taken to be a direct speech).
(3) "we" = Jews or Jews+Gentiles, "you"=Gentiles.

At the moment, I prefer (2), while I am open to (3).
Because (1) looks like the most difficult reading, I am surprised
that Billy thinks it is the most natural reading.

(i)
I have not read Wright. So, Billy could you explain how he handles
"you" in Gal 3:28?

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,
there is no male and female. For all of you are one in Christ Jesus.
[PANTES GAR hUMEIS EIS EN CRISTWi IHSOU]"

For this sentence to make sense, shouldn't "all of you" include
both Jews and Gentiles in its referent? Otherwise, the predicate
"are one in Christ" does not seem to make sense at all.

(2) Gal 4:5-6 is also difficult for Wright's position.

"so that he may redeem those under the law, so that
we may receive the sonship [hUIOQESIAN].
Because you are sons, GOd sent the Spirit of his son into our
hearts, crying "Abba Father"

Here "we" received the sonship and became sons in 4:5. In the next
verse, Paul says "because you are sons, God..."
Here "we" and "you" are sons. There is no indication
that the referent of "we" and "you" are different here.
Moreover, 4:6 reads "because YOU are sons, God... into OUR hearts".
I do not see how the referent of "YOU" and "OUR" could be
different here.

The postion (2), which I prefer, has problems as well. But I think
I can defend it.

Moon
Moon R. Jung
Sogang Univ, Seoul, Korea




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