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  • From: "Dieter Mitternacht" <teol-dmi AT cassandra.net.lu.se>
  • To: "Corpus-Paul" <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] Timothy/Titus and circumcision
  • Date: Thu, 8 Jan 2004 16:12:15 +0100

>
> Perhaps I've been living near Washington DC too long, but I have
> to wonder why Paul said "not *compelled* to be circumcised" rather
> than simply "not circumcised." Did Titus agree to it voluntarily
> while reserving the right that it was not necessary?
>
> Stephen Carlson
> --
A valid question in my opinion even from a different geographical or
rhetorical location.

FF Bruce, Galatians (1985) 111-12 makes the following comment: "The meaning
of the statement might be: (i) Far from their requiring the circumcision of
Gentile believers, not even Titus was compelled to be circumcised; or (ii)
Not even Titus was compelled to be circumsised; he was cricumcised indeed,
but on his own initiative (or on Paul's)."

As far as I know, the view that Titus was actually circumcised was first
suggested by J. Weiß Urchristentum (1917) 20.

In none of the three accounts reported in Gal 2 (circumcision of Titus,
Jerusalem agreement, Antioch incident) does Paul inform his readers about
the outcome? I think M. Nanos has argued that the reason for this "odd"
silence lies in the fact that bragging about success would have been bad
rhetoric in an evil eye culture (right Mark?). That is certainly one way of
reading the silence.
I think one needs to make up one's minds about what may have been the
purpose for including ch 2 in the letter. To me it seems that Paul's main
concern was to affirm his unwavering character, to convey that he would
never compromise his Christ-obedience for whatever threatening
circumstances. Thus he reports three incidents where he did not give in.
Whether or not things went his way in the end is not really relevant for the
point he is trying to make. And so he happens to leave the outcome out of
his narrative.

Dieter Mitternacht
Centre for Theology and Religious Studies
LUND UNIVERSITY
Allhelgona kyrkog. 8
SE-223 62 Lund
+46 46 222 90 56
dieter.mitternacht AT teol.lu.se
http://www.teol.lu.se/nt/forskning/mitternacht.html






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