Corpus-Paul

["Carr, Rick" <carr AT ti.com>]

Ian,

To be sure many will read Nanos and remain unconvinced, I am not one of
them, but it would be nice if more people on the list interacted with
his ideas. Often I am perplexed that he is not brought into the
discussion at all.

May I ask a few questions about your reasons for remaining
"unconvinced?"  

You suggest that Galatians 1:6-9 implies that the influencers are
believers in Christ; that in fact they are "preaching the message about
Christ." But doesn't this argument depend on reading "gospel" as a
rather technical Christian term and isn't such reading anachronistic?
You also state that "the curse in 1:8 only applies to self-consciously
Christian teachers." But if one does not read "gospel" as "preaching the
message about Christ" and renders it simply as "good news" indeed
"another good news" does the curse then only apply to self-consciously
Christian teachers?

Regarding your second reason for remaining unconvinced, suppose for sake
of argument (a point which I believe to be fact) that Paul was a Torah
observant and Christ believing Jew who yet suffered persecution from the
synagogue leaders. If so, then might his punishment possibly have been
for allowing/encouraging Christ believing Gentiles into full fellowship
without circumcision? And if so, then would not non-Christ believing
Jews expect and fear similar treatment were they to allow Paul to have
his way?  

Also, why must it follow that 6:12 implies that the influencers were
Christ believers. Doesn't this ignore 6:13 where Paul asserts that those
who are making the trouble are "circumcised?"  Doesn't Paul normally
refer to "those who are circumcised" to indicate non-Jesus believing
Jews?

You stated several reasons for not agreeing that Paul required "full
observance of Torah for Jews." But don't you think Nanos' argument with
regard 5:3 bears any weight at all?  He suggests that Paul's argument in
5:3 would have no teeth if he himself were not still Torah observant.
Wouldn't you agree that if Paul were not fully Torah observant that the
readers would simply appeal to Paul's own life as why they too should be
able to be circumcised (and receive the benefits thereby) and still not
be fully Torah observant?  

With regard to the allegory, I look forward to Nanos' treatment of this
one.

Peace,
Rick Carr
carr AT ti.com