Editing Epistle to the Galatians (section)

==Major issues==
=== Paul and the law ===
Much variety exists in discussions of Paul's view of the Law in Galatians. Nicole Chibici-Revneanu noticed a difference in Paul's treatment of the Law in Galatians and Romans. In Galatians the law is described as the "oppressor" whereas in Romans Paul describes the Law as being just as much in need of the Spirit to set it free from sin as humans are. Peter Oakes argues that Galatians cannot be construed as depicting the law positively because the Law played the role it was meant to play in the scope of human history.  Wolfgang Reinbold argues that, contrary to the popular reading of Paul, the Law was possible to keep.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last= Tolmie|first= D. Francois |date= July 12, 2012 |title= Research on the Letter to the Galatians 2000–2010 |journal=[[Acta Theologica]] |volume= 32 |page = 136|doi= 10.4314/actat.v32i1.7|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Under law and works of law ===
Regarding "under the law" (Gal. 3:23; [[Galatians 4:4|4:4]], [[Galatians 4:5|5]], 21; 5:18), Todd Wilson argues that "under the law" in Galatians was a "rhetorical abbreviation for 'under the curse of the law{{'"}}.<ref>{{Cite journal |last= Wilson|first=Todd A. |date= 2005-10-01 |title= 'Under Law' in Galatians: A Pauline Theological Abbreviation |journal= The Journal of Theological Studies|volume=56|issue=2|pages= 362–92|doi= 10.1093/jts/fli108 |issn= 1477-4607}}</ref> Regarding "works of the law" ([[Galatians 2:16|Gal. 2:16]]), Robert Keith Rapa argues Paul is speaking of viewing Torah-observances as the means of salvation which he is seeking to combat in the Galatian congregation. Jacqueline de Roo noticed a similar phrase in the works [[Dead Sea Scrolls|found at Qumran]] and argues that "works of the law" is speaking of obedience to the Torah acting as a way of being atoned for. Michael Bachmann argues that this phrase is a mention of certain actions taken by Jewish people to distinguish themselves and perpetuate separation between themselves and Gentiles.<ref name=":2" />

=== Law of Christ ===
Much debate surrounds what Paul means by "law of Christ" in Galatians 6:2, a phrase that occurs only once in all of Paul's letters.<ref name= "Unwritten">{{Cite journal|last= Murphy-O'Connor|first=Jerome |authorlink=Jerome Murphy-O'Connor|date= April 2, 2012|title= The Unwritten Law of Christ (Gal 6:2) |journal=Revue Biblique|volume=119|page = 213}}</ref> As Schreiner explains, some scholars think that the "law of Christ" is the sum of Jesus's words, functioning as a "new Torah for believers".{{Sfn | Schreiner | 2010 |p = 359}} Others argue that the "genitive in the 'law of Christ' 'should be understood as explanatory, i.e. the law which is Christ{{'"}}.<ref name="Unwritten" /> Some focus on the relationship between the law of Christ and the Old Testament Decalogue.<ref>{{Cite journal|last= Meilaender|first=Gilbert|authorlink=Gilbert Meilaender|title=The Decalogue as the Law of Christ |journal= Pro Ecclesia|volume=27|issue=3|pages= 338–49|doi=10.1177/106385121802700312|year=2018|s2cid=171508461}}</ref> Still other scholars argue that whereas the "Mosaic law is abolished", the new "law of Christ fits with the Zion Torah", which "hails from Zion&nbsp;... and is eschatological".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gese|first=Hartmut|title= Essays on Biblical Theology|publisher= Augsburg |year=1981|location=Minneapolis |page =360}}</ref> Schreiner himself believes that the law of Christ is equivalent to Galatians 5:13–14's "law of love".{{Sfn | Schreiner | 2010 | p = 360}}  According to Schreiner, when believers love others, "they behave as Christ did and fulfill his law".{{Sfn | Schreiner | 2010 | p = 360}}

=== Antioch incident ===
As Thomas Schreiner explains, there is significant debate over the meaning of Peter's eating with the Gentiles—specifically, why might the eating have been considered wrong?{{Sfn | Schreiner | 2010 | p = 141}} [[E. P. Sanders]] argues that though Jews could eat in the same location with Gentiles, Jews did not want to consume food from the same vessels used by Gentiles.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last= Sanders |first= E. P. |authorlink=E. P. Sanders |chapter=Jewish Association with Gentiles and Galatians 2:11–14 |title=The Conversation Continues: Studies in Paul & John in Honor of J. Louis Martyn|publisher=Abingdon Press|year=1990 |pages=170–88}}</ref> As Sanders explains, Galatia's Jews and Gentiles might have had to share the same cup and loaf (i.e. food from the same vessels).<ref name= ":3" /> Other scholars such as [[James Dunn (theologian)|James Dunn]] argue that Cephas was "already observing the basic food laws of the Torah" and then "men from James advocated an even stricter observance".<ref>{{Cite journal |last= Dunn|first=James D. G.|authorlink=James Dunn (theologian)|date=May 1983|title= The Incident at Antioch (Galatians 2:11–18) |journal= Journal for the Study of the New Testament|volume= 5 |pages=12–37|doi= 10.1177/0142064X8300501801|s2cid=170991327}}</ref> Schreiner himself argues that Peter "actually ate unclean food—food prohibited by the OT law—before the men from James came".{{Sfn | Schreiner | 2010 |p = 141}} Depending on how one construes "eating with the Gentiles" in Galatians 2:12, one may reach different conclusions as to why Paul was so angry with Peter in Antioch.

=== {{lang|grc-Latn|cat=no|Pistis tou Christou}} ===
There is debate about the meaning of the phrase {{lang|grc|δια πιστεος Χριστου}} in Galatians 2:16. Grammatically, this phrase can be interpreted either as an objective genitive "through faith in Jesus Christ" or as a subjective genitive "through the faith of Jesus Christ".<ref name= "FrankJ">{{Cite book|last1=Matera|first1= Frank J.|title=Galatians|date= 2007 |publisher= Liturgical Press | last2 = Harrington | first2 = Daniel J. |author-link2= Daniel J. Harrington |isbn= 978-0-8146-5972-4|location= Collegeville, Minnesota |oclc= 145747570}}</ref>  There are theological ramifications to each position, but given the corpus of the Pauline literature, the majority of scholars have treated as an objective genitive, translating it as "faith in Jesus Christ".<ref name="FrankJ" /> Daniel Harrington writes, "the subjective genitive does not oppose or do away with the concept of faith in Christ. Rather, it reestablishes priorities. One is justified by the faith of Jesus Christ manifested in his obedience to God by his death upon the cross. It is on the basis of that faith that one believes in Christ".<ref name=":2" />

=== Sexuality and gender ===
[[Galatians 3:28]] says, "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus."<ref>Gal. 3:28 NRSV</ref> According to Norbert Baumert, Galatians 3:28 is Paul's declaration that one can be in relationship with Jesus no matter their gender. Judith Gundry-Volf argues for a more general approach, stating that one's gender does not provide any benefit or burden. Pamela Eisenbaum argues that Paul was exhorting his readers to be mindful in changing conduct in relationships that involved people of different status. Ben Witherington argues that Paul is combatting the position espoused by opponents who were attempting to influence Paul's community to return to the patriarchal standards held by the majority culture.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Tolmie|first=D. F.|date=2014-07-02|title=Tendencies in the interpretation of Galatians 3:28 since 1990|journal= Acta Theologica|volume=33|issue=2|pages=108–09|doi= 10.4314/actat.v33i2s.6 |issn=1015-8758|doi-access=free}}</ref>

There are two different interpretations within the modern scholarship regarding the meaning and function of Paul's statement that "there is no longer male and female". The first interpretation states that Paul's words eliminate the biological differences between males and females and thus calls gender roles into question. Nancy Bedford says that this does not mean that there is no distinction between males and females; instead, it means that there is no room for gender hierarchy in the gospel.<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|last=Bedford | first = Nancy Elizabeth|title=Galatians |year=2016|isbn=978-0-664-23271-9 |pages=101–2| publisher = Presbyterian Publishing Corporation|oclc=937059676}}</ref> The second interpretation, outlined by Jeremy Punt, argues that "there is no longer [...] male or female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" refers only to the universality of salvation through Christ—which does not discriminate ethnicity, social status or gender—but is not intended to communicate any ideology of gender equality.<ref name="PostColonial">{{Cite journal|last=Punt|first=Jeremy|date= 2010 |title=Power and Liminality, Sex and Gender, and Gal 3:28: A Postcolonial, Queer Reading of an Influential Text |journal= Neotestamentica |volume=44|issue=1|pages= 161–62}}</ref> Punt contends that here, Paul's intention was to fix social conflicts rather than to alter gender norms; by stating the importance of becoming one in Christ, Paul tries to give his society a new identity (i.e., the identity "in Christ"), thereby putatively encouraging concord between believers—without thence advocating any substantive changes to the role or rights of women.<ref name="PostColonial" />

=== Meaning of "Israel of God" ===
Many scholars debate the meaning of the phrase "Israel of God" in Galatians 6:16, wherein Paul wishes for "peace and mercy" to be "even upon the Israel of God".{{Sfn | Schreiner | 2010 | p = 381}}  As Schreiner explains, scholars debate whether "Israel of God" refers to ethnically Jewish believers "within the church of Jesus Christ", or to the church of Christ as a whole (Jewish and Gentiles all included).{{Sfn | Schreiner | 2010 | p = 381}}  Those who believe that "Israel of God" only refers to ethnically Jewish believers, argue that had Paul meant the entire church, he would use the word "mercy" before "peace", because Paul "sees peace as the petition for the church, while mercy is the request for unredeemed Jews".<ref>{{Cite book|last= Richardson |first=Peter|title=Israel in the Apostolic Church|publisher= Cambridge University Press|year=1969 |location= Cambridge |pages= 76–80}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last= Burton |first= Ernest DeWitt|authorlink = Ernest DeWitt Burton|title= A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Galatians |publisher= Scribner's |year= 1920 |page = 358}}</ref> Other scholars, such as [[G. K. Beale]], argue that the Old Testament backdrop of Galatians 6:16—e.g. a verse such as Isaiah 54:10 wherein God promises mercy and peace to Israel—suggests that "the Israel of God" refers to a portion of the new, eschatological Israel "composed of Jews and Gentiles".<ref>{{Cite book|last= Beale |first= G. K.| authorlink = Gregory Beale|title= Peace and Mercy Upon the Israel of God: The Old Testament Background of Galatians 6:16b |year= 1999}}</ref>