Einheitlichkeit versus Relecture: Gal 3,6-14¹ als Testfall

The analysis of Gal 3:6-14 shows that the following passages can originally be attributed to Paul: Καθὼς Ἀβραὰμ ἐπίστευσεν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην· (v. 6); γινώσκετε ἄρα ὅτι οἱ ἐκ πίστεως, οὗτοι υἱοί εἰσιν Ἀβραάμ (v. 7); προϊδοῦσα δὲ ἡ γραφὴ… προευηγγελίσατο τῷ Ἀβραὰμ ὅτι ἐνευλογηθήσονται ἐν σοὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη· (v. 8); ὥστε οἱ ἐκ πίστεως εὐλογοῦνται σὺν τῷ πιστῷ Ἀβραάμ (v. 9); Ὅσοι γὰρ ἐξ ἔργων νόμου εἰσίν, ὑπὸ κατάραν εἰσίν· γέγραπται γὰρ ὅτι ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὃς οὐκ ἐμμένει πᾶσιν τοῖς γεγραμμένοις ἐν τῷ βιβλίῳ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ποιῆσαι αὐτά (v. 10); Χριστὸς ἡμᾶς ἐξηγόρασεν ἐκ τῆς κατάρας τοῦ νόμου γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα, ὅτι γέγραπται· ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ κρεμάμενος ἐπὶ ξύλου (v. 13); ἵνα τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ πνεύματος λάβωμεν διὰ τῆς πίστεως (v. 14). The clues and sentences ὅτι ἐκ πίστεως δικαιοῖ τὰ ἔθνη ὁ θεὸς (v. 8a); ὅτι δὲ ἐν νόμῳ οὐδεὶς δικαιοῦται παρὰ τῷ θεῷ δῆλον, ὅτι ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται· (v. 12); ὁ δὲ νόμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ πίστεως, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς (vv. 11-12), as well as ἵνα εἰς τὰ ἔθνη ἡ εὐλογία τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γένηται ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ (v. 14a), however, constitute additions, which have been integrated into the text by an editor by way of “relecture”.

With the help of these additions the editor reinterpreted the Pauline argumentation, which aimed at the evidence of an Abrahamic sonship (Gal 3:7), towards a conception of a universal δικαιοσύνη of all people - the Jews as well as the Gentiles -, that is realized ἐκ πίστεως and revealed in the reception of the Holy Spirit. This new interpretation can be found for example in Rom 1-3, 4. Thus, he endeavours to integrate the contents of Gal 3:6-13 in the overall theological concept of the apostle, as it is presented - at least in its outline - in Romans. An intention like this can thoroughly be made plausible for an era in which the corpus Paulinum - at least in its first beginnings - was available as a collection of the apostle’s epistles and in which it has been used as a source of a theological teaching authority - a state, which for example 2 Pet 3:15-16 shows.