Galatians 0385088388

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As the early church took shape in the mid-first century A.D., a theological struggle of great consequence was joined between the apostle Paul and certain theologians who had intruded into the churches founded by the apostle in Galatia. Writing his letter to the Galatians in the midst of that struggle, Paul was concerned to find a way by which he could assert the radical newness of God's act in Christ while still affirming the positive relation of that act to the solemn promise God had made centuries earlier to Abraham. With the skill of a seasoned scholar and teacher, J. Louis Martyn enables us to take imaginary seats in the Galatian churches so that we may hear Paul's words with the ears of the early Christians themselves. Listening in this manner, we begin to sense the dramatic intensity of the theological struggle, thus coming to understand the crucial distinctions between the theology of Paul and that of his opponents. We can therefore see why Galatians proved to be a momentous turning point in early Christianity: In this letter Paul preached the decisive and liberating newness of Christ while avoiding both the distortions of anti-Judaism and his opponents' reduction of Christ to a mere episode in the epic of Israel's history. Like the Galatians of Paul's day, we can begin to hear what the apostle himself called "the truth of the gospel."

J. LOUIS MARTYN,

Ph.D., is Edward

Robinson Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. He has written books and scholarly articles on various New Testament topics, most recently Theological Issues in

the Letters of Paul. He lives in Bethany, Connecticut.

THE ANCHOR BIBLE COMMENTARIES THE OLD TESTAMENT 1. Genesis 2. Exodus 1-18 § 2A. Exodus 19-40 § 3. Leviticus 1-16 3A. Leviticus 17-27 § 4. Numbers 1-20 4A. Numbers 21-36 § 5. Deuteronomy 1-11 SA. Deuteronomy 12-36 § Joshua 6. 6A. Judges 7. Ruth 7A. Lamentations 7B. Esther 7C. Song of Songs 8. I Samuel II Samuel 9. 10. I Kings§ 11. II Kings 12. I Chronicles 13. II Chronicles 14. Ezra, Nehemiah 15. Job 16. Psalms I 1-50 17. Psalms II 51-100 17A. Psalms III 101-150 18. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes 18C. Ecclesiastes 19. First Isaiah § 20. Second Isaiah 21. Jeremiah 22. Ezekiel 1-20 22A. Ezekiel 21-37 22B. Ezekiel 38-48 § 23. The Book of Daniel 24. Hosea 24A. Amos 24B. Jonah 24C. Joel 24D. Obadiah 24E. Micah§ 24F. Nahum§ 25. Habakkuk§ 25A. Zephaniah 25B. Haggai, Zechariah 1--8 25C. Zechariah 9-14 25D. Malachi

9.

THE NEW TESTAMENT

10.

26. 27. 28. 28A. 29. 29A. 30. 31.

Matthew Mark Luke 1-9 Luke 10-24 John 1-12 John 13-21 The Epistles of John The Acts of the Apostles 32. I Corinthians 32A. II Corinthians 32B. I & II Thessalonians §

33. 33A. 33B. 34. 34A. 34B. 34C. 35. 35A. 36. 37.

Romans Galatians Philippians§ Ephesians 1-3 Ephesians 4--6 Colossians Philemon § Letter to Titus I & II Timothy § To the Hebrews The Epistles of James, Peter, and Jude 37A. James 37B. I Peter § 37C. II Peter, Jude 38. Revelation APOCRYPHA

39. 40. 40A. 41. 41A. 42. 43. 44.

Wisdom of Ben Sira Judith Tobit I Maccabees II Maccabees I & II Esdras The Wisdom of Solomon Daniel, Esther, and Jeremiah: The Additions

THE ANCHOR BIBLE REFERENCE LIBRARY 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

The Birth of the Messiah Archaeology of the Land of the Bible A Marginal Jew, Volume One Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls The Pentateuch History and Prophecy The Death of the Messiah Introduction to Rabbinic Literature A Marginal Jew, Volume Two The Scepter and the Star The Gnostic Scriptures Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume One The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Volume Two An Introduction to the New Testament

§ In Preparation JACKET ILLUSTRATION BY NORMAN WOEHRLE Prin1ed in the U.S.A. 0198

GALATIANS

VOLUME33A

THE ANCHOR BIBLE is a fresh approach to the world's greatest classic. Its object is to make the Bible accessible to the modern reader; its method is to arrive at the meaning of biblical literature through exact translation and extended exposition, and to reconstruct the ancient setting of the biblical story, as well as the circumstances of its transcription and the characteristics of its transcribers. THE ANCHOR BIBLE is a project of international and interfaith scope: Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish scholars from many countries contribute individual volumes. The project is not sponsored by any ecclesiastical organization and is not intended to reflect any particular theological doctrine. Prepared under our joint supervision, THE ANCHOR BIBLE is an effort to make available all the significant historical and linguistic knowledge which bears on the interpretation of the biblical record. THE ANCHOR BIBLE is aimed at the general reader with no special formal training in biblical studies; yet it is written with the most exacting standards of scholarship, reflecting the highest technical accomplishment. This project marks the beginning of a new era of cooperation among scholars in biblical research, thus forming a common body of knowledge to be shared by all.

William Foxwell Albright David Noel Freedman GENERAL EDITORS

THE ANCHOR BIBLE

GALATIANS • A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary

J. LOUIS MARTYN

THE ANCHOR BIBLE Doubleday New York

London

Toronto

Sydney

Auckland

THE ANCHOR BIBLE PUBLISHED BY DOUBLEDAY a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. 1540 Broadway, New York, New York 10036 THE ANCHOR BIBLE, DOUBLEDAY, and the portrayal of an anchor with the letters A and B are trademarks of Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bible. N.T. Galatians. English. Martyn. 1997. Galatians: a new translation with introduction and commentary I by). Louis Martyn. - !st ed. p. cm. - (The Anchor Bible ; HA) Includes bibliographical references and indexes. I. Bible. N.T. Galatians-Commentaries. I. Martyn,). Louis (James Louis), 1925- . II. Title. III. Series: Bible. English. Anchor Bible. 1964: v. HA. BSl92.2.Al 1964.G3 vol.HA [BS26B3] 227' .4077-dc2 l 96-37760 CIP ISBN 0-3B5-0BB3B-B Copyright © 1997 by Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America January 1998 First Edition 10 9 B 7 6 5 4 3 2 I

For

Ernst Kasemann

CONTENTS

• xi

Preface Map of Asia Minor Abbreviations

Xll

xv

TO THE GALATIANS: A TRANSLATION INTRODUCTION

13

Galatians as Drama The Birth and Early Life of the Galatian Churches The Writing of the Letter History of Interpretation The Present Volume

15 19 27 41

Bibliography

43

TRANSLATION, NOTES, AND COMMENTS

1:1-5 Prescript Comment# 1 The Nature of Paul's Apostolate Comment #2 The Human Plight and God's Redemptive Act in Christ Comment #3 Apocalyptic Theology in Galatians Comment #4 Paul's Epistolary Word and God's Word

1:6--9 The Letter's Theme

81 92 95 97 105

Comment #5 Defection from the God Who Calls into Existence Comment #6 The Teachers Comment #7 The Gospel of Christ and Its Counterfeit

106 116 117 127

1:10-12 The Gospel and Rhetoric: First Thesis

136

Comment #8 Rhetoric and the Service of God

145

vii

Contents Comment #9 The Gospel, Human Norms of Judgment, and the Nature of Evangelical Argument Comment# 10 The Gospel, Tradition, and Apocalypse

1: 13-16 Paul's Apostolic Call Comment# 11 Comment #12 Comment #13 Comment #14 Comment# 15

The History Created by the Gospel Paul's Persecution of the Church Human, Traditional Religion and Apocalyptic Vocation God's Apocalypse of His Son to Paul Paul's View of the Law Immediately After His Call

1: 17-24 Paul and the Jerusalem Apostles Comment# 16 The Negative Travelogue Comment # 17 Chronology and Geography

2:1-10 A Conference Involving Two Churches Comment #18 The Jerusalem Conference as a Two-Level Drama Comment # 19 The Conference and Early Christian Missions Comment #20 Barnabas and Paul Comment #21 The False Brothers in the Jerusalem Church Comment #22 Slavery and Freedom Comment #23 Issues Left Unattended at the Conference Comment #24 The Collections for the Jerusalem Church and the Chronological Place of Galatians

2:11-14 An Incident in the Antioch Church Comment #25 The Circumcision Party in the Jerusalem Church Comment #26 Peter in Antioch and Infidelity to the Gospel

2:15-21 Making Right What Is Wrong Comment #27 Comment #28 Comment #29 Comment #30

Observance of the Law God's Making Things Right by the Faith of Christ Placing One's Trust in Christ Jesus Crucifixion with Christ

146 148 151 159 161 163 165 166 168 178 180 187 208 211 216 217 219 220 222 228 236 240 246 260 263 275 277

3:1-5 The Galatian Churches' Birth Identity

281

Comment #31 A Basic Pauline Antinomy: Human Observance of the Law Versus the Divine Message That Elicits Faith Comment #32 Beginning in the Spirit and Being Perfected

286

~~Fl~

2~

3:6-9 Descent from Faithful Abraham

294

Comment #33 The Teachers' Sermon on Descent from Abraham, and Paul's Modulation

302

viii

Contents

3: 10-14 The Law's Curse and the End of That Curse Comment #34 The Blessing God, the Cursing Law, and the Cross Comment #35 The Textual Contradiction Between Habakkuk 2:4 and Leviticus 18: 5 Comment #36 Theological Pronouns

3:15-18 The Promissory Covenant and the Sinaitic Law Comment #37 Covenant, Christ, Church, and Israel

3:19-25 The Genesis of the Sinaitic Law and the Advent of Christ Comment #38 The Genesis of the Sinaitic Law Comment #39 The Old Orb of Power as Slave Master and as God's Servant

3:26-29 Baptism into the Christ Who Is Neither Jew Nor Gentile Comment #40 Not Jew and Gentile, but One in Christ

4:1-7 Enslavement and Liberation

307 324 328 334 336 343 352 364 370 373 378

Comment #41 Christ and the Elements of the Cosmos Comment #42 "God Sent His Son"

384 393 406

4:8-11 Returning to Slavery

409

Comment #43 To Be Known by God Is To Know That There Are No Holy Times

412

4: 12-20 Joyous Days and Anxious Days

418

Comment #44 Paul in Anxious Labor Pains Until Christ Is Formed in the Galatian Churches

426

4:21-5:1 Two Gentile Missions

431

Comment #45 The Covenants of Hagar and Sarah: Two Covenants and Two Gentile Missions Comment #46 The Present Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Above: A Tale of Two Churches

5:2-12 A Warning Comment #4 7 Eagerly Waiting for the Hope of Rectification

5:13-24 Pastoral Guidance, Part 1: Daily Life in Wartime Comment #48 The Law and Daily Life in the Church of God Appendix A: Gal 5:14 and Traditions About Summarizing the Law Appendix B: 1Cor7:19 and Rom 13:8-10 Comment #49 The Galatians' Role in the Spirit's War of Liberation Appendix: A Formula for Communal Discord ix

447 457 467 4 78 479 502 515 518 524 536

Contents

5:25-6: 10 Pastoral Guidance, Part 2: Exhortation Comment #50 The Law in the Hands of Christ

6:11-18 Autographic Subscript

541 554

Comment #51 Apocalyptic Antinomies and the New Creation Comment #52 The Israel of God

559 570 574

New Revised Standard Version of Galatians Glossary Index of Biblical and Other Ancient References Index of Major Subjects Index of Commentators and Modem Authors

579 587 589 601 605

x

PREFACE

• During the years in which this volume has been in preparation, I have happily incurred numerous debts to earlier commentators - especially H. Schlier, F. Mussner, and H. D. Betz - to seminar students, to graduate assistants, to several colleagues and friends, and to the learned and generous-spirited editor, Noel Freedman. I thank them all. Near the close of the work, almost the whole of the manuscript received the detailed and perceptive critique of Paul W. Meyer. Former students of this scholar will be able to imagine the profound nature of his notes, many of which, being essays in themselves, formed the basis of unhurried discussions in which I was without exception instructed in matters of import for the understanding of Paul's Galatian letter. Together with those who use this commentary, I am greatly indebted to this true confrere for sharing his remarkable gifts. The volume is dedicated to the interpreter whose reading of Paul's letters has fundamentally influenced my own, and whose enthusiastic friendship has been for almost half a century a gracious source of encouragement. Comrades for a few days within the Day of God.

xi

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