Giuseppe wrote:
The analogy doesn't work at all. It is assumed by both Josephus and the readers that the young Izates had reverence for a figure more old than him (in virtue of the authority deriving from his old age, at least). While why should Peter be ''under the spell'' of Paul? On the basis of which reason Peter had to show a bit of submission towards Paul? His action is explicable only if both the author of the episode and his readers agree on two points:
1) that Peter was a good Christian, after all, i.e., true friend of Paul before and after the incident of Antioch.
2) that Paul was faithful to Peter, after all, i.e. true friend of Peter before and after the incident of Antioch.
In other words, pure proto-catholicism worthy of Acts.
Why was anyone under the spell of Paul? Because he was a good (or at least tireless) communicator, good enough to have had some major influence over the direction of Christianity and the world, so it doesn't surprise me that, for a time, his version of the "gospel" had a degree of influence over Peter, like it did (arguably) over people in the household of Caesar and Herodians (e.g., Rom. 16:10-11, Phlp. 4:22), and even Acts 26:28-32 (whether it actually happened or not) presents Paul as having some influence over King Agrippa and high ranking Romans.
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”
Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”
The king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them. After they left the room, they began saying to one another, “This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment.”
Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.”
And nobody's perfect. This is why the Community Rule has a way of punishing the infractions of members (such as eating and drinking with people who do not observe "every commandment of the Law of Moses") in columns 5 and 6, i.e, "they shall examine his spirit in community with respect to his understanding and practice of the Law" and "examine their spirit and deeds yearly,
so that each man may be advanced in accordance with his understanding and perfection of way, or moved down in accordance with the offences committed by him" and "they shall rebuke one another in truth ... let him rebuke him on the very same day lest he incur guilt because of him":
Whoever approaches the Council of the Community shall enter the Covenant of God in the presence of all who have freely pledged themselves. He shall undertake by a binding oath to return with all his heart and soul to every commandment of the Law of Moses ... And he shall undertake by the Covenant to separate from all the men of falsehood who walk in the way of wickedness ... They shall not enter the water to partake of the pure meal of the saints, for they shall not be cleansed unless they turn from their wickedness: for all who transgress His word are unclean.
Likewise, no man shall mix with him with regard to his work or property lest he be burdened with the guilt of his sin. He shall indeed keep away from him in all things; as it is written, Keep away from all that is false [Ex. 23:7]. No member of the Community shall follow them in matters of doctrine and justice, or eat or drink anything of theirs, or take anything from them except for a price; as it is written, Keep away from the man in whose nostrils is breath, for wherein is he counted? [Is. 2:22].
For all those not reckoned in His Covenant are to be set apart, together with all that is theirs. None of the saints shall lean upon works of vanity: for they are all vanity who know not His Covenant, and He will blot from the earth all them that despise His word. All their deeds are defilement before Him, and all their possessions unclean.
But when a man enters the Covenant to walk according to all these precepts that he may join the holy congregation, they shall examine his spirit in community with respect to his understanding and practice of the Law, under the authority of the sons of Aaron who have freely pledged themselves in the Community to restore His Covenant and to heed all the precepts commanded by Him, and of the multitude of Israel who have freely pledged themselves in the Community to return to His Covenant.
They shall inscribe them in the order, one after another, according to their understanding and their deeds, that every one may obey his companion, the man of lesser rank obeying his superior. And they shall examine their spirit and deeds yearly, so that each man may be advanced in accordance with his understanding and perfection of way, or moved down in accordance with the offences committed by him.
They shall rebuke one another in truth, humility, and charity. Let no man address his companion with anger, or ill-temper, or obduracy, or with envy prompted by the spirit of wickedness. Let him not hate him [in the wickedness of an uncircumcised] heart, but let him rebuke him on the very same day lest he incur guilt because of him. And furthermore, let no man accuse his companion before the Congregation without having first admonished him in the presence of witnesses.
So, because nobody is perfect, members of the community, regardless of their ranking, sometimes followed covenant breakers "in matters of doctrine and justice" or ate and drank with them, and when they did, they were rebuked for it on the same day in front of witnesses and then had their "spirit and deeds" examined and were "advanced in accordance with his understanding and perfection of way, or moved down in accordance with the offences committed by him."
And this procedure seems similar to what happens in Gal. 2:12-13:
For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray.
And the reference to "None of the saints shall lean upon works of vanity: for they are all vanity who know not His Covenant" in the Community Rule is curious given that it is in a similar context as Gal. 2 and Paul's statement in Gal. 2:2 that he went to Jerusalem "in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles.
I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain."