From Galatia To Rome

1. From Galatia To Rome Reading Paul as Paul would be read January 12, 2014

2. Important Principles • Use only Paul’s undisputed letters • Paul “called” rather than “converted’ • Pam’s Rules on “How to read Paul” Based on understanding of ancient Judaism Paul does not condemn Jewish Law per se Paul’s apocalyptic orientation: “The end is near!”

3. Understanding Judaism God offered to enter a covenantal relationship with Abraham and with Abraham’s descendants For a Jew, “Justification” is sustaining that right relationship with God The Law does NOT establish this relationship Law describes the relationship Law provides means to restore relationship

4. Analogy with Marriage Marriage establishes a relationship between two people Can the marriage bond be broken? Yes Do all failings break the bond? No Couples develop rules for reconciliation Neither rules nor actions establish the relationship – marriage vows did

5. Important Principles • Use only Paul’s undisputed letters • Paul “called” rather than “converted’ • Pam’s Rules on “How to read Paul” Based on understanding of ancient Judaism Paul does not condemn Jewish Law per se Paul’s apocalyptic orientation: “The end is near!”

6. Important Principles • Use only Paul’s undisputed letters • Paul “called” rather than “converted’ • Pam’s Rules on “How to read Paul” Based on understanding of ancient Judaism Paul does not condemn Jewish Law per se Paul’s apocalyptic orientation: “The end is near!” 4. Maintain intellectual charity towards Paul

7. Why did Paul write to the Galatians? • Christian competitors to Paul: “Teachers” going for Paul’s disciples • Teachers: to be saved, must be Jewish; men must be circumcised like Abraham • Jesus was Jewish; to be like Jesus, be Jewish!

8. What upset Paul? Wrong Gospel! • “On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel for the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel for the circumcised. . . and when James and Cephas and John, . . . recognized the grace that had been given to me, they gave to Barnabas and me the right hand of fellowship, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”(Galatians 2:7-9 NRS)

9. Paul on Peter’s Gospel • Never explains what this Gospel includes • Never claims that this Gospel is wrong; tells Galatians: • “Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 Once again I testify to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the entire law.” (5:2-3) • Christ is not effective for Jews • If you want to be a Jew must be a 100% Jew • Right relationship (justification) still possible

10. Paul’s Gospel • As Abraham was justified through “faith” . . . • Abraham called and blessed with offspring (Gen 12, 15) before his circumcision (Gen 17) • . . . so you are justified by “faith.” • Typically understood: the Galatians’ faith in Jesus • You justified by faith are descendants of Abraham through Sarah and Isaac • Jews descendants through Hagar and Ishmael

11. So Paul, some questions for you, big fellah: • Just what do you mean by “faith”? • Whose faith are we talking about here?

12. An Excursion into Greek • Paul uses the root pist- pist- in noun (“faith”) and verb (“to believe”) forms • Greek/English lexicons: to believe, to trust, to comply; fidelity, a pledge of good faith, etc. • Is Paul talking about Abraham’s faithfulness in following God’s directives (going to Canaan, etc.)? • Romans 3:3 talks of “the faith/fulness of God” • Could Paul mean “the faith/fulnessof Christ” rather than “faith in Christ”?

13. A Further Excursion into Greek • Cases in Greek • English uses word order to convey the structure of a sentence and the relationship among words • Greek uses endings on the words to describe their relationship • English example: “who,” “whose,” and “whom” • Genitive case in Greek • Typically denotes ownership, possession: “whose” • May denote other relationships

14. The Point: Subjective and Objective Genitives • Paul writes pistisChristou: “faith [something] Christ • Christou is in genitive case; how translate? • Does phrase mean “faith /fulness of Christ” – the genitive is the subject or owner of the faith, a subjective genitive . . . • or does it mean “faith in Christ,” Christ is the object of the faith, an objective genitive? • Who cares? Consider Galatians 2:16

15. Galatians 2:16 in NRSV “. . . yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.” Or does it say . . .

16. Alternative Galatians 2:16 “. . . yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through the faith/fulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to trustin Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by the faith/fulnessof Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.” What difference do the translations make today?

17. What impact does it have today? • Is “belief in” Jesus a form of works’ righteousness? • If Jesus did the work for justification, how does it apply to “non-believers”?