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| Subject: Lecture 1 | |
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Author: Jim |
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Date Posted: 14:01:16 03/18/02 Mon Lecture 1: Galatians 1:1-9 The situation in Galatia that Paul addresses is a simple one. Through his ministry, he has founded churches there. He has now moved on. Others have followed him there. They have preached a gospel that the Galatian Christians have found attractive. Paul has learned of this, and finds fault with that gospel. The explanation for this situation is not quite so simple. Some detective work is required. Such work raises a quite fascinating possibility, and this is what we will explore together today. A place to start is Paul’s description of what was, in his mind, an agreement reached in Jerusalem some time previously. This is found at Galatians 2:7-9. We have to pay close attention to the Greek wording here (or else consult the faithful old AV). The basic agreement is found in 2:9: Paul’s mission would be to the Gentiles, that of James, Peter and John to the Jews. What is interesting is that in Paul’s mind this also involves two gospels. The AV brings out the Greek of 2:7 well: “… they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision (i.e. for the Gentiles) was committed to me, as the gospel of the circumcision (i.e. for the Jews) was to Peter;” How could Paul have thought that these two missions would involve two different gospels? A moment’s thought about 1st century Judaism suggests a possible answer. 1st century Judaism (in spite of the caricatures of it) was essentially a religion of grace and faith. The righteous person lived by believing in God’s help, and by trusting in the sacrifice that God provided. Those who formed this community of faith also had certain traditions, Biblical traditions, by which they expressed their common identity: circumcision, food laws, Sabbath, etc. These traditions were not opposed to faith; rightly understood they encouraged faith. However, from time to time the prophets had had to remind the people of this. In essence, the message of these prophets was, Not tradition, unless also faith. Jesus of Nazareth was of this tradition. Following his life and death, those who believed also in his resurrection, that he was the Messiah, took this message to the fellow members of their tradition. The first Christian gospel was proclaimed by Jewish people to Jewish people. This gospel was not different in kind from the basic ideas of 1st century Judaism. The message was still that the righteous person lives by believing in God’s help and trusting in the sacrifice that God provided. It was just that this sacrifice was now to be found in that of the Messiah, in what was considered the fulfilment of the whole sacrificial system. (And God’s help was found in a specific experience of the Holy Spirit.) In other words, this first gospel was, in form, simply the old message of the prophets: Not tradition, unless also faith. The first Christians, Jewish Christians, had faith in the Messiah, while continuing to circumcise their children and observe the food laws, Sabbath, etc. Paul, on the other hand, believes that his mission is to those outside his own tradition, to the Gentiles. His gospel to the Gentiles is subtly different from the gospel of and for Judaism. Technically, he pushes what is a relative negative until it becomes an absolute negative. To the Gentiles, who have no background in Jewish tradition, he preaches, Not tradition, but rather faith. In other words, Paul does not require his Gentile converts to be circumcised, observe food laws, Sabbath, etc. In all likelihood he was confirmed in this way of thinking by the observation that they were experiencing the life of the Holy Spirit without these things (just as Jewish Christians were experiencing the life of the Spirit in these things). I think these are the two gospels, and the two missions, that Paul has in mind at Galatians 2:7-9. So what happened in Galatia? I suspect that the Jewish mission has simply, and in good faith, ended up in the same towns in which Paul has established his Gentile congregations. In good faith, the Jewish mission preaches its gospel. The only problem is that, for Paul’s Gentile Christians, it is the right gospel for the wrong group. There was such wisdom in this two gospel approach. For those within the tradition, no unnecessary offence is caused by asking them to drop dearly-held traditions. It is an example of contextualisation in mission. For those outside the tradition, no unnecessary “baggage” is added. Again, this is contextualisation in their case. Problems only arise when either gospel is preached to the wrong group. So far, so good. When we turn to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, then, we should find a calm letter, written with a quiet chuckle, which tells the Galatian Gentile Christians, that there has been a misunderstanding, and that if they only check with the Jewish mission, that mission will confirm that it has strayed into the wrong territory. Instead we find violent passion, extreme language, and the great missing argument – Paul will not refer the matter to the authority of the Jewish mission. Why is this? Could it be because Paul’s understanding of a prior Jerusalem agreement is rather different from the understanding of those he met there? Is it possible that the Jewish mission disagrees with Paul, and thinks that certain traditions are required of the Gentile converts because those traditions are, well, Biblical? Has the Jewish mission thought through the implications of Paul’s gospel, and concluded that what is argued for the Gentiles could logically prove fatal for Judaism? In that case, Paul’s gospel, with all its implications, is not being worked out in happy agreement and to general applause; rather, it is having to stand its ground in the first great missionary bun fight. [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |