The Galatian Controversy on Law and Justification (Gal 2:11-21) Social, historical And Theological Reading
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Date
2004
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
Both the Old "lestament and the New Testament convey one "basic reality of
revelation and salvation history the unlblding of a single history, or a single divine
plan, which is precisely a plan of grace and love leading to eschatological communion
with God".
The dialectic between Jesus of Nazareth and his detractors (Scribes and
Pharisees) does not escape from this historical salvia context; it is a dialectic between
two economies of salvation. This old confrontation augured, even though implicitly,
this Christian crisis of the first century. the Cahalan Crisis.
In fact the Galatian Controversy seems to unfold in an unfinished agenda
throughout the history of Christianity. The Christian zeal of the first century led to
heretical interpretations of the gospel message as far as the salvific event was
concerned. The church fathers motivated by the orthodoxy in doctrine sought to fight
heresies on different fronts falling themselves, sometimes, in extreme positions. We
can list here the early debate between Eastern and Western Traditions, their common
struggles against Gnosticism (AD 301-311) and Pelegianism (Al) 411-418), respectively. From these early centuries right up to the Middle Ages, Christian history
is either implicitly or explicitly related to the debate on justification. The Conference of
Carthage (AD 411). St. Augustine and the post Carthagian debate, the Council of
Orange (Al) 529), the Reformation and Luther's contribution to the doctrine of
justification, are some of the most important features to retain.2 13esides, the medieval
crisis between the Reformers and the General Ecumenical Council of Trent (1545-1563)
amounts to the same perennial question on justification. The split between Christian
Churches, the subsequent ramification throughout the centuries down to the Joint
Declaration' between the Vatican and the Lutheran World Federation; all this has
something "galatian" in essence.
From the scriptural point of view, there has been no real break in theologizing
on the question of justification since the Galatian Crisis. The Pauline epistle to the
Romans (written some years after (ialatians) deals systematically with this question
scantly presented in Galatians. Still the many other early writings of the New
Testament such as James and Acts echo the same crisis. This made some scholars such as Gerhard 0. horde to refer to the long-lasting question on justification as a
"consistent and boring sameness-5.
The consistency and 'sameness' of the topic we chose tells of how central the
issue is to the Christian faith. At least, it reveals the fact that neither Paul, since
Galatians, nor us have exhausted what the Oalatian Controversy has in store for us. In
filet. a lot of literature has been produced since Paul. as we said earlier, and our little
contribution has no ambition to stand on its own. I lowever. we would have failed in
our objective, if we were to treat the Galatian Controversy just as any historical
happening among others; or a too dogmatic topic to expose to the common Christian.
For that would lead us to agree with Porde when he says about justification: "it is just
too dangerous a doctrine for harsh and practical realities of this world."6
In other words history alone wouldn't say it all about the Cahalan Controversy
on justification and law, not is its theology too dangerous to permeate our daily
Christian experience For, beneath the Galatian Controversy it is the truth of the gospel,
which is at stake.
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Keywords
The Galatian, Law and Justification, Gal 2:11-21, Social, historical, Theological Reading