The Pillars of Galatians 1-2 as midrash from Pharaoh?

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Giuseppe
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The Pillars of Galatians 1-2 as midrash from Pharaoh?

Post by Giuseppe »


What distinguishes this remnant from Israel, as well as from Gentiles,is faith in Christ. Now this remnant is elected by grace ... in distinction from Israel (‘the rest’), which now stands in Pharaoh’s place as the object of divine ‘hardening’

Susan Eastman, Israel and the Mercy of God: A Re-reading of Galatians 6.16 and Romans 9–11

The Pillars also are made object of divine 'hardening', just as the Pharaoh: even when they agreed de jure with Paul, de facto there was a conflict in Antioch.
Giuseppe wrote: Wed Jun 09, 2021 8:25 pm Interesting. En passant, I am thinking about Galatians 1, 2 as based midrashically on Moses' story and the Pillars as new Pharaoh, who in the same time "is considered someone" and is a tyrant.
  • As the Moses' story goes, Moses does some vain efforts to persuade the Pharaoh, without success. This may have some reflection in Paul's first visit to Jerusalem, when he tries the first time to talk with Peter, apparently without success.
  • The second visit of Paul to Jerusalem may be the analogous of Moses persuading the Pharaoh (by the ten plagues of Egypt), just as Paul was able by this time to persuade the Pillars about his mission to Gentiles.
  • Then, just as Pharaoh changed bluntly intention and attacked the Israelites during their passage from Egypt, so "some sent from James" attacked Paul by persuading Peter to eat with the Judaizers in Antioch. The Pillars broke bluntly the temporary alliance with Paul.
  • Moses who divided the waters is Paul who entered in conflict with Peter publicly in Antioch.
Giuseppe
Posts: 13732
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:37 am
Location: Italy

Re: The Pillars of Galatians 1-2 as midrash from Pharaoh?

Post by Giuseppe »

To my knowledge, this is the strongest argument to doubt about the most important 'biographical' fact of Paul, i.e. his meeting/clash with the Pillars.
  • Paul as new Moses
  • The Pillars as new Pharaoh
While in Exodus, the Pharaoh is the quintessential Gentile victim of divine hardening, now in Galatians the Pillars, icon of the Judaizers, are victims of divine hardening.

Not even Detering was able to raise these arguments.
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