The Origin of Paul's ReligionMachen, J. Gresham (John Gresham)
Religion
The Origin of Paul's Religion
Machen, J. Gresham (John Gresham)
Bible. Epistles of Paul -- Theology; Paul, the Apostle, Saint
At any rate, if the reader refuses to interpret these expressions
in a way derogatory to the original apostles, such refusal is
not due merely to a pious desire to preserve harmony in the
apostolic college; it is due rather to the way in which Paul
himself everywhere speaks of the apostles, and to the "right hand
of fellowship" which according to this very passage they extended
to him. It is good exegetical method to interpret things that are
obscure by things that are plain; but what is plainest of all in
this passage is that the very authorities to whom the Judaizers
appealed against Paul recognized the hand of God in his work and
bade him Godspeed.
If Gal. ii. 1-10 affords no support to the theory of Baur, the
latter part of the same chapter (Gal. ii. 11-21) is not really any
more favorable. This passage does indeed attest a rebuke which
Paul administered to Peter at Antioch. Peter is even accused of
"hypocrisy." The Greek word[70] is indeed not quite so harsh as
the English word derived from it; it means the "playing of a part"
and so here the concealment of true convictions. Nevertheless, the
incident remains regrettable enough; evidently real moral blame was
attached by Paul to Peter's conduct. But what is really significant
is that in the very act of condemning Peter's practice Paul commends
his principles; he appeals to a great fund of Christian conviction
which he and Peter had in common (Gal. ii. 14-21). It will not do to
say that in this passage Paul is giving no report of what he said to
Peter, but is expounding his own views to the Galatians. For in Gal.
ii. 14 he begins to tell what he said to Peter "before them all";
and there is not the slightest indication of a break before the end
of the chapter. Certainly the break cannot come after verse 14; for
the thought of that verse is quite incomplete in itself and becomes
intelligible only when explained by what follows. The passage
is best explained, therefore, if it be taken as embodying the
substance of what Paul said to Peter at Antioch, though doubtless
there is no attempt at verbal reproduction of the language. At
any rate, however much of Gal. ii. 14-21 be a report of what was
said at Antioch, and however much be what Paul now wishes to say
to the Galatians, one thing is clear--when Paul begins in verse
14 to report what he said to Peter, he means to call attention to
something in which he and Peter were agreed; he means to say: "You
and I, though we had all the advantages of the Law, relinquished
such advantages, in order to be justified by faith in Christ. How
then can we force the Gentiles to seek salvation by a way which
even in our own case was futile?" Whatever else Paul said to Peter,
this much he certainly said. The context makes the matter perfectly
clear. It must always be remembered that Paul blames Peter not
for false opinions, but for "hypocrisy"--that is, for concealment
of true opinions. In verse 14, moreover, he says expressly that
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