Another Look at the Antioch Incident (Gal 2:11-14)

This paper will address the incident in Antioch (Gal. 2:11-14) in the context of the challenges from Jews outside the Christian church in Jerusalem. Peter was afraid, not of the men James sent to Antioch, but of the message they brought him about threats from fanatically minded non-Christian Jews in Jerusalem. It has already been established (Burton) that the phrase phoboumenos tous ek peritomēs simply means “fearing the circumcised” – “the Jews” – rather than “converts from Judaism.” Longenecker argues that the preposition ek denotes character, as in hoi ek pisteōs (Gal 3:7,9; Rom 3:26; 4:16). Thus, the “circumcision party” would not be Jewish Christians at all, but simply “the Jews” or “the circumcised” who are described earlier in Galatians 2:7-9. Thus, Peter did not fear the brothers, but the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem. The following considerations are the main point of this paper and support the distinction between “men from James” and “the circumcision party”, and thus create quite a different scenario: (1) It is unlikely that James would send anyone to “audit” Peter’s work in Antioch since Peter was probably the most prominent church leader in Jerusalem. Rather, James informed Peter of the Jewish pressure. (2) The ill advice the apostles gave Paul (Acts 21:20-24) shows how the Christian leaders in Jerusalem did not realize that they could never meet the expectations of the Jewish leaders. (3) The persecution in Jerusalem was very real to Barnabas and the Jewish believers in Antioch (Acts 11:19) which explains why they joined Peter. Thus, it seems Peter was shaken by the external threats which were political rather than theological. Paul reacted in his way because the Christian spiritual identity was at stake

Another Look at the Antioch Incident (Gal 2:11-14)

This paper will address the incident in Antioch (Gal. 2:11-14) in the context of the challenges from Jews outside the Christian church in Jerusalem. Peter was afraid, not of the men James sent to Antioch, but of the message they brought him about threats from fanatically minded non-Christian Jews in Jerusalem. It has already been established (Burton) that the phrase phoboumenos tous ek peritomēs simply means “fearing the circumcised” – “the Jews” – rather than “converts from Judaism.” Longenecker argues that the preposition ek denotes character, as in hoi ek pisteōs (Gal 3:7,9; Rom 3:26; 4:16). Thus, the “circumcision party” would not be Jewish Christians at all, but simply “the Jews” or “the circumcised” who are described earlier in Galatians 2:7-9. Thus, Peter did not fear the brothers, but the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem. The following considerations are the main point of this paper and support the distinction between “men from James” and “the circumcision party”, and thus create quite a different scenario: (1) It is unlikely that James would send anyone to “audit” Peter’s work in Antioch since Peter was probably the most prominent church leader in Jerusalem. Rather, James informed Peter of the Jewish pressure. (2) The ill advice the apostles gave Paul (Acts 21:20-24) shows how the Christian leaders in Jerusalem did not realize that they could never meet the expectations of the Jewish leaders. (3) The persecution in Jerusalem was very real to Barnabas and the Jewish believers in Antioch (Acts 11:19) which explains why they joined Peter. Thus, it seems Peter was shaken by the external threats which were political rather than theological. Paul reacted in his way because the Christian spiritual identity was at stake

The Empirical Development of a College Curriculum of the Epistle to the Galatians

Problem. Seventh-day Adventist adolescents need a clear understanding of the gospel which provides the assurance of salvation. Since in Seventh-day Adventist colleges there is no curriculum for the Epistle to the Galatians, this study was intended to provide college religion students with the opportunity to understand cognitively and to apply experientially the claims of the gospel as presented in Galatians. Method. The basic philosophy of the learning approach utilized in this study was that a curriculum is more than a blueprint for educational planning. In Christian education, curriculum is a bridge between theory and practice in the cognitive, affective and spiritual domains. The instructional product development method of Baker and Schutz (1971) was utilized in this study. The product was empirically developed through seven systematic steps. Having established the need for the product, behav iGTu 1 objectives were created. Then the cognitive pre- and post-tesc items were formulated, as well as the criteria by which they would be evaluated. The curriculum was prepared in the form of lectures for the college students. General mastery was established at 80/80; that is, at least 80% of the learners would need to demonstrate mastery of at least 80% of the criteria established for each of twenty-eight objectives in the cognitive post-test. An affective instrument was also developed to measure the modification of effect in the instructional sequence. The lectures were presented first to small groups, then modified, and the group size increased. When the mastery of the content was achieved at the determined level, the curriculum was considered to be ready for field use. Results. All of the thirty-three participants achieved (1) cognitive mastery at the predetermined level of 80/80 and (2) a t-score of 8.122 which is above the level of significance of 2.036. This suggests that a positive modification of affect was also achieved. Conclusions. Since there is both a need for a well-formulated gospel message and a lack of a college curriculum of the Epistle to the Galatians, this college curriculum could be utilized as a primary learning tool of instruction in college religion classes

Th e Misuse of History through Religious Exclusiveness as a Major Obstacle to the Transmission of the Gospel

Povijest je kičma stvarnosti života jer nas štiti od zamišljenih, tajnovitih i hipotetskih rekonstrukcija. Iz toga razloga se je i Bog objavio u povijesti. Međutim, ovo važno mjesto povijesti u duhovnom iskustvu potkopano je vjerskom isključivosti. Iskrivljavaju se povijesni podatci i tako se stvaraju lažne pretpostavke koje hrane identitet odvajanja od drugih i drugačijih. U ovome radu ukratko ukazujemo na nekoliko primjera kršćanske vjerske isključivosti koja je osnovna prepreka širenju evanđelja. Na kraju zaključujemo: Povijesne činjenice uvijek ostaju sastavnicama identiteta, ali nikada ne smiju postati idolima. Osnovno obilježje uravnoteženog vjerskog identiteta i misije je teološke a ne povijesne naravi. U takvom misaonom okviru valja smatrati svako ljudsko biće članom ljudske obitelji koja ima jednog i zajedničkog Roditelja. Na ovakav način Evanđelje se uspješno pronosi svijetom.History is the backbone of life’s reality because it protects us from imaginary, mystical and hypothetical reconstructions. Because of that God revealed Himself in history. However, this noble place of history in spiritual experience is undermined by its misuse through religious exclusiveness. Historical data is manipulated to provide false presumptions which support an identity of separation from others. In this paper we will briefl y point out to some examples of Christian religious exclusiveness which are the obstacle to translatability of the Gospel to the world. Finally, we conclude that the historical facts will always remain elements of identity, but they should never be idolized. Th e main ingredient of a balanced religious identity and mission is theological and not historical in nature. In such a frame of mind, creating the culture of regarding every human being as a part of human family with the same Parents, the Gospel is naturally and effi ciently communicated

Triune God Revealed in the Three Biblical Meganaratives

Rad ovog opsega može biti samo uvod u tako važnu i opširnu temu. Ovo je samo prijedlog i smjernica kako prilaziti proučavanju najvažnije biblijske teme nauka o Bogu. Slijede glavne tvrdnje (teze) koje vjerujem da ovo štivo podržava: 1. Bog zavređuje naše duboko poštovanje i inzistira na odmaku između svojih stvorenja i sebe. 2.Pod utjecajem grčke filozofske misli crkveni oci su pisali teologiju jednom rukom dok im je ona druga, biblijska, bila zavezana na leđima. 3 Prema judeo-kršćanskom svjetonazoru i biblijskom kontekstu, Bog se objavljuje uvijek i samo sa spasonosnim namjerama, i to u tri biblijska meganarativa (priče).4. Pitanja, Tko je prvi u Trojstvu, tko drugi, ili treći? Koje je Bog naravi? Tko iz koga proizlazi? - nisu biblijska pitanja, već neoplatonistička. 5. Sveto pismo objavljuje Božju narav i osobnost, ali samo u kontekstu Božje ljubavi i Duha. Dok nas Bog spašava nepristojno Mu je brojiti krvna zrnca umjesto da Mu zahvaljivanjem postajemo sličniji.The work of this scope can only be an introduction to such an important and comprehensive topic. It is only a suggestion and an idea how to approaching the study of the most important Biblical themes the doctrine of God. Following are the main claims (theses) which I believe this book supports: 1. God deserves our deep respect. He insists on the distraction between His creatures and Himself. 2. Because of the influence of Greek philosophical thought, the church fathers wrote theology with one hand while the other, biblical, was tied to their backs. 3 According to the Jewish-Christian worldview and the biblical context, God is always revealed only with salvific intentions, in three biblical big stories. 4. Questions, Who is the first in the Trinity, who second, or third? What is the nature of God? Who comes from whom? - are not biblical, but neoplatonistic. 5. Scripture reveals the “nature” of God and His personality, but only in the context of God\u27s love and the Spirit. While God is saving us it is ruthless to count His red blood cells instead of giving Him respect and gratification

OVERVIEW OF THE RECENT STUDY REGARDING THE NEW TESTAMENT 1562/1563 THE FIRST CROATIAN COMPLETE TRANSLATION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

U ovom radu ukratko opisujemo tijek desetgodišnjeg istraživanja Novog testamenta, prvog hrvatskog cjelovitog prijevoda Novog zavjeta iz 1562./3. kao i izdanja prote- stantske tiskare u Urachu pokraj Tübingena sredinom šesnaestog stoljeća. Sve je poče- lo pretiskom 2007. glagoljičkog i ćiriličnog teksta Novog testamenta. Zatim je uslijedio latinički prijepis glagoljskog izdanja, da bi se istraživanje nastavilo četverogodišnjim istraživačkim projektom pod naslovom „Jezik izdanja hrvatske protestantske tiskare u kontekstu književnojezičnih smjernica XVI. stoljeća“. Sva su ova istraživanja urodila izdavanjem više znanstvenih članaka i sačinjavanjem računalnog programa za obradu filoloških tekstova, koji kao korpus uključuje Novi testament i Artikule.In this paper we briefly describe the course of ten years of research on the New Testa- ment, the first Croatian complete translation of the New Testament from 1562/3 as well as the editions of the Protestant printing house in Urach near Tübingen in the mid- sixteenth century. It all started with the reprint in 2007 of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic text of the New Testament. This was followed by a Latin transcript of the Glagolitic edition, to continue with a four-year research entitled “The Language of the Croatian Protestant Printing House in the Context of 16th Century Literary Guidelines”. All this research resulted in the publication of many scientific articles and the creation of a computer program for processing texts, which as a corpus includes the New Testament and Articles

Law In the Epistle to the Galatians

Riječ nomos (zakon) neravnomjerno je raspodijeljena u Pavlovim spisima. U nekim poslanicama zakon je u središtu pozornosti (Galaćanima, Rimljanima), dok je u drugima periferan ili u cijelosti izostavljen. Poslanica Galaćanima štivo je apostola Pavla u kojem se najčešće spominje riječ zakon i stoga se opredjeljujemo za analizu upravo tog materijala. Autor drži da je potrebno Pavlovo učenje o zakonu pažljivo razmotriti u kontekstu svake poslanice u kojoj Pavao uči o zakonu. Namjera je autora iznijeti osnovne pristupe komentatora Poslanice Galaćanima tumačenju zakona. Ovaj se članak ne bavi egzegezom poslanice niti tumačenjem svakog teksta u kojem se nalazi riječ nomos. Između nekoliko funkcija zakona čini se da je sljedeća najznačajnija: Zakon pomaže čovjeku da ne previdi neprocjenjivo spasenje našega Spasitelja koji je i naš Zakonodavac.The term nomos (law) is distributed unevenly in Paul’s writings. In some epistles it appears to be the center of attention (Galatians, Romans), while in some it is peripheral or totally absent. The Epistle to the Galatians is the letter in which the notion of nomos is found in the most condensed way which is the reason why it will be considered in this article. The author holds that to understand the Pauline meaning of nomos, one must first examine individual Pauline epistles. In the present article he briefly examines the major ideas about the Law in Galatians by major commentators and the students of Pauline writings. Among a few uses of the Law the following seems to be the most crucial: The law helps man not to avoid priceless salvation of our Savior who is also our Lawgiver

Paul’ s Opponents in Galatia

Nije moguće dati direktni odgovor na pitanje: "Tko su bili Pavlovi protivnici u Galaciji?" Smatra se da je najcjelovitiji pristup rekonstrukciji lažnih učitelja u Galaciji "čitanje u ogledalu", kada se iz odgovora nastoji oblikovati pitanje i utvrditi identitet onih koji ga postavljaju. Autor najprije navodi zaključke značajnijih komentatora Poslanice Galaćanima. Zatim, na osnovi kratke analize tekstova iz Poslanice Galaćanima zaključuje da su Pavlovi protivnici u Galaciji kršćani iz židovstva, ljudi koji su legalistički usmjereni, iskreni fanatici duhovno osakaćeni vjerskim formalizmom.It is not possible to give a straight forward answer to the question of the identity of Paul’s opponents in Galatia. Despite some difficulties, "mirror reading" seems to be the only method here available and therefore the best. The author first reviews the representative literature in regard to this question and then, having considered major texts from the Epistle to the Galatians concludes that Paul’s opponents in Galatia were Jewish Christians, legalist, sincere fanatics who were spiritually crippled by religious formalism

Galatians as Judicial Rhetoric

Kakvim se književnim sastavom1 Pavao poslužio u poslanici Galaćanima i u kojoj mjeri ovaj književni oblik određuje značenje samog teksta? Čini se da je lako prepoznati neki tekst kao poeziju, dramu, prozu, pismo, poslanicu, govor i slično. Svi ti književni oblici došli su do nas preko drevnih klasičnih pisaca i retoričara,2 i uglavnom se koriste i danas. Međutim, u kojoj mjeri književni oblik utječe na samo značenje teksta? Može li hermeneutički pristup tekstu biti prepreka za njegovo razumijevanje? U ovom članku pozabavit ćemo se implikacijama i izazovima koje retorička analiza može nametnuti razumijevanju teksta. To ćemo prikazati kratkim razmatranjem teksta u Galaćanima 1,6 i razumijevanjem izraza thaumazo (čudim se). Uz to spomenut ćemo neke opasnosti pretjerane uporabe retoričke/tekstualne analize i ukazati na mnogo prirodniji književni sastav Poslanice Galaćanima.What kind of literary composition did Paul follow in his writings to the Galatians, and to what extent does this literary form determine the meaning of the text? It seems easy to recognize poetry, drama, prose, letter, epistle, speech, etc., all of which come to us from the ancient classical writers and rhetors, and are to some extent in use today. But could the hermeneutical approach be an obstacle to the understanding of a text? In this article we deal with the implications and challenges rhetorical analysis might bring to the understanding of a text. Th is will be illustrated by a quick look at Galatians 1:6 and the understanding of the expression thaumazo (“I am astonished”). Finally, we will mention some dangers of the extensive use of rhetorical analysis and point to a more natural literary composition of Galatians