A Cosmopolitan Ideal: Paul’s Declaration ‘Neither Jew nor Greek, Neither Slave nor Free, nor Male and Female’ in the Context of First-Century Thought. By Karin B. Neutel.

Abstract

This study of Gal. 3:28 (based on a 2013 dissertation accepted by the University of Groningen) addresses two questions: what did this statement as a whole mean in a first-century context, and secondly, what is the meaning of each of the individual pairs? Neutel seeks to return to the original setting because many current interpretations are driven by modern notions such as inclusion, equality, or identity. Furthermore, the focus is usually on only one of the three pairs (neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor male and female) rather than on the statements taken as a whole. Methodologically, the book is ‘an effort in contextualization’ (p. 10). The focus is on authorial intent (p. 13) and on the argumentative context of Paul himself, not that of modern readers (p. 11). Furthermore, Paul’s specific utterances should be understood against the background of the wider conversation of his time, of which they form an integral part. Accordingly, the three pairs are examined in two different contexts: that of Paul’s letters and that of wider first-century thought (p. 15).