Corpus-Paul

["Mitternacht Dieter" <dieter.mitternacht AT teol.lu.se>]

As far as I am aware there is no way of knowing whether Paul got a verbal or a letter report from Galatia. According to 1 Cor 16:1 Paul was expecting a contribution from Galatia to his collection for Jerusalem. In Gal 2:10 the collection is hinted at. One guess is that Paul received the news from an envoy he had sent for the contribution. Another guess, based on 4.15-17, is that the envoy may not have received what he came for.

 

Continuing the guessing.... We can suspect that the visit of the envoy was rather brief, which would tie in with the idea that the information Paul got was not very detailed but rather general. This latter suggestion is based on the noteable lack in the letter of detail and precision when Paul addresses the problem he is reacting to. The lack of detail seems significant since Paul recounts quite a few details and also specific names in other matters, such as the Jerusalem meetings, the Antioch situation, his visit to Galatia and references to his own person.

 

Whether or not - and if yes how - the Jerusalem apostles were involved in the situation is a matter of debate, where I would suggest Yes, but not as initiators or collaborators of the initiators of the problem. Rather, it seems plausible to me (as Mark Nanos has suggested) that the problem was home made. I believe though that the Galatians may have sought advise from Jerusalem (especially Peter) on how to deal with the problem. The latter inference I base on the way I perceive the rhetorical function of the narratives in ch's 1-2.

 

Dieter

 

.•º°~..........................................................
Dieter Mitternacht
LUNDS UNIVERSITET

----- Original Message -----

From: Richard Fellows

To: Corpus-Paul

Sent: Wednesday, February 16, 2005 6:56 AM

Subject: [Corpus-Paul] Paul's information about Galatia

Dear listers,

How had Paul got his information about the situation in Galatia at the time
when he wrote Galatians? Was the letter written in response to:
a) a verbal report from a Galatian envoy
b) a verbal report from an associate of Paul
c) a verbal report from one of the infiltrators
d) a second hand verbal report, e.g. the infiltrators informed the apostles,
who informed Paul.
d) a letter  or letters sent to Paul
e) a letter or letters sent to the Jerusalem apostles and read by Paul?

I have not read much discussion of this issue. Has a study been done?

Richard.


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