Galatians

Acts 13 -  ⁴⁸ When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.

⁴⁹The word of the Lord spread through the whole region. ⁵⁰But the Jews incited the God-fearing women of high standing and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. ⁵¹So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. ⁵²And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

They go to the women (politically powerful) and the leaders in the city.

The Jews secure their position politically in the city – the head of the synagogue isn’t necessarily Jewish but is often a powerful patron.

The Jews are “weirdos” they have to have a special place in the market for their meats and goods (you could get rid of the Jews by closing the Kosher market – this was a Roman weapon used against Diaspora Jews throughout the empire).

The Jews solved emperorer worship by sacrificing FOR the emperor rather than TO the emperor.

What happens when you become a Christian – the status is secured for Achaia in Acts 18 (Gallio). Christian Jews are ok. They’re still weirdos – but they’re still under the protection of Judaism. Circumcised males didn’t have to pay the temple tax to pagan gods. When you bring “weird” gentiles in what is the status of the Christian community? Jewish Christians were ok – Gentile Christians had to produce a number of reasons to protect themselves as to why it is they should undergo circumcision and keep the Jewish Sabbath – the early Christians looked like Jews to protect themselves (one of the failures in Galatians, like the rest of Paul’s letters is ignoring the end of the letter – the end is significant (Philippians, 2 Corinthians etc) – when you read the letters read the end because Paul deals with the arguments in the opening passages but explains the motives and problems at the end of the letters.

¹²Those who want to make a good impression outwardly are trying to compel you to be circumcised. The only reason they do this is to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ. ¹³Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh. ¹⁴May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which^[b] the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. ¹⁵Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. ¹⁶Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.

¹⁷Finally, let no one cause me trouble, for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus.

¹⁸The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen.

At the end of Galatians Paul explains what the problem is – προσοπον = identity. In Galatians the gentiles are seeking a good identity so that they may avoid persecution.

It becomes very clear in Galatians that there are people taking evasive action – they are wimps seeking to avoid taking flak for the cross of Christ. Paul is not ashamed of the fact that both Jew and Gentile are the same – awaiting the new creation.

“Having a face” is a reference to your legal identity (handout pg 74 – προσωπον)

These Judaisers are doing everything they can to protect themselves in the same way that the Jews in Psidian Antioch did – looking for a good “face” that will avoid persecution.

Compelling people to be circumcised was a capital offence in the Roman Empire. Paul says “you are compelling these people”… circumcision was an obvious sign in a time of public baths.

They’re meeting in homes (which is ok because Synagogues often started in homes) but they’re Jewish and can prove it. Gentile Christians were held at arms length until they were circumcised and started observing Jewish ceremonial law.

Emperor worship is an issue in Japan too – where you still have to venerate the Emperor (including a test where people had to stamp on pictures of Jesus in order to prove they weren’t Christians).

There was a need to stand in the first century and say while we are lay abiding tax paying citizens we can’t recognise this emperor as a God or a Son of a God.

It was a culture of conformity – and to go against the culture was rebellious. If you were clearly counter culture you stood out and people asked questions. Neighbours had to dob in neighbours or they were seen as an accessory to the fact.

Imagine that you’re now a Christian and you wanted to keep it under wraps.

The Pharisees took the purification hermeneutic that applied to temple cleanliness and applied it to every day life.

Roman converts to Judaism (eg Lydia) were considered by Rome to be within Judaism (and thus, weirdos).

The book of Revelation – the Beast – the big beast, and the second beast (Rev 13:11) – if you don’t have 666 on you you’re out. You’ve got to leave the province – an action that relates to Asia, not the whole world. The people in v 16 are “small and great”, “rich and poor” etc – so that nobody can buy or sell unless they have that mark. This calls for wisdom… it’s not the EU or Mastercard.

How could Christians survive in this sort of pressure – compromise (free meals in Idol Temples), avoidance (Galatians), clash of two kingdoms – kings with the same titles… who are you going to worship.

The Centurion says “he is the son of a God”… Jesus is THE ONLY son of a God. And a saviour – the question in the first century was which ideology do I subscribe to? In a conforming culture who wants to go out on a limb for Jesus? Especially when there are people being killed for standing for Jesus.

The Jews can say “we have no king but Caesar”, the Christians can’t. They have to acknowledge one king – they can acknowledge Caesar as a tool of the king and a rightful leader, but not the ultimate king.

When the pressure is on, Christians have to stand up graciously and be counted. Historically the clergy were the first to save themselves by running to the Emperor’s temple…

The 666 in Revelation was a literal mark borne by Roman citizens wishing to shop in the marketplace. It was the mark of Nero.

All trade was to take place in the market place by law - anyone caught bartering was in major trouble. The Romans regulated behaviour by tightly regulating the access to food.

Excommunication was easy – just don’t allow access to the marketplace (Romans 13) – the “small” and the “great”, the rich and the poor etc must have the “number of the man”…

Roman culture played game with numbers – like the prison joke about jokes… have you heard “1036” – mother murderer (Nero).

God who became man v man who became Gods.

How did the Jews get by as time went on? They offer up a sacrifice for the emperor every day – but they don’t pay for it. This is there way of saying they pray for the emperor but not to the emperor. How do the Christians cope with this? How do they come to this arrangement?

Some sit with the Jews (and Judaism) within the province of Asia – if you look Jewish and do Jewish things it’s hard to tell the difference.

Some deny the Imperial Cult existed

The cult is there and on these celebration days you had to have a little altar outside the gate of your home, you had to wear a white robe and make a sacrifice at the temple – in this case the temple is in Caesarea (Herod set it up there when he came to power).

Pilate brings some of the emperor’s insignias to Jerusalem, to the temple – merging the two cultures??

Augustian Declaration (Declared Augustus the beginning of all things, saviour of the world, sustainer of mankind)

Did the Christians borrow this language?

Did the Christians borrow the title of the Emperor. No they didn’t because Jesus was the son of God (Rome stole them rather than the Christians borrowing them) – all these counterfeit terms came into being for a reason.

At the very moment of the coming of the son of God there is already a “saviour” and a “son of God” with good news running around.

The propaganda coming from Rome all the time is the Pax Romana – the Roman peace. There had been enormous tension prior to Augustus who brought about peace for the empire.

You take this to the emperorer and say that “we’re going to build a temple for you” the emperor says “no, no, no” and you go back understanding that they’re to build temples to the emperor. It was a polite way of saying “that’s really too much” but came with a quid pro quo.

Emperor recognition was a “carrot” whereby governors could earn favours from the emperor.

“This will come to the ears of the governor”… Ephesus. Acts 19.

The “governor” hearing things would create major dramas. You’d get beaten up by the travelling Roman army. If you did the right thing you were rewarded.

Rome ruled an empire with just a governor, a few assistants and Caesar back in Rome. The taxes weren’t collected by public servants but via private tender.

At the end of the first century in Bethinia, Pliny the younger arrests the Christians and forces them (with the threat of death) to burn incense to the emperor. How many of us would lay down our lives like the early martyrs? This comes as a culmination (Revelation) of the conflict. Bruce thinks the canon is finalised pre 70AD.

On these Holy days everyone (including the Christians but not the Jews) was expected to wear white and worship the emporer.

Reclining in the temple was a right of Roman Citizens (1 Corinthians 8). The city paid a levy which contributed to the provincial cult. This contribution went to buying feasts as a “right” for people in the temples – leading to a conscience based dispute in 1 Corinthians.