Regression in Galatians: Paul and the Gentile Response to Jewish Law by Neil Martin

Abstract

Reviewed by: Regression in Galatians: Paul and the Gentile Response to Jewish Law by Neil Martin Jeremy Wade Barrier neil martin, Regression in Galatians: Paul and the Gentile Response to Jewish Law (WUNT 2/530; Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2020). Pp. xvi + 308. Paper €84 This writing is a revised version of Martin's D.Phil. thesis submitted to the Faculty of Theology and Religion at Oxford University in August 2019, supervised by Markus Bockmuehl. Generally speaking, in this work M. takes up a critical issue of Galatians and effectively contributes to our understanding of the writing. In particular, he is interested in explaining the regression language (epistrephō, "return," Gal 4:9) that Paul emphasizes will take place if the Galatians implement Jewish ritual practices (Gal 3:3; 4:8–11; 5:1, 4, 7). The hermeneutical paradox under scrutiny is that Paul perceives the implementation of Jewish rituals as a "return" to paganism. The proposal is unfolded in seven chapters. The first chapter is an overview of the entire work. Methodologically speaking, M. writes from a historical-critical perspective, making use of epigraphical and literary resources associated with Asia Minor that serve as a backdrop for possible proposals and solutions (p. 5). The ingenuity of M.'s argument is understanding how religious rituals would have been perceived differently by the Galatians, Paul, and the Influencers, respectively. While the Influencers (and Paul himself) might have been able to implement Jewish religious practices without inhibiting their faith in Christ, the Galatians could not. In view of their pagan background, the implementation of Jewish practices constituted a regression into their former pagan "basic elements of religious practice," and this concerns Paul (p. 10; see also pp. 202–8). In the second chapter, M. summarizes his assumptions pertaining to Galatians, while also asserting that these assumptions are not essential to the overall argument. He assumes (1) that the audience is churches in southern Galatia; (2) that, generally speaking, Acts of the Apostles is a credible witness; (3) that the date of the letter is 50–52 c.e. Finally, he surveys the major characters that concern this project: Paul; a predominantly formerly pagan Galatian audience; and the Influencers, who are ethnic Jews (pp. 39–46). In chap. 3, "Galatians in the Pagan Religious Context of Asia Minor," M. surveys the relevant literary and epigraphic sources. A centerpiece of the chapter is an analysis of the aforementioned data through a "reciprocity model" that provides several ways of understanding reciprocity exchanges and gift giving between humans and the divine. This approach provides a useful framework for critiquing several of the current interpretations that assume an imperial and/or Anatolian context as the occasion of Paul's letter. This exposition of weaknesses within these theories thus allows room for M.'s interpretation. The information here pertaining to reciprocity gift giving will be essential in chap. 6. Chapter 4, "Paul and Returning to Paganism," expands the context for interpreting Galatians by considering how Paul dealt with gentiles on other occasions. Specifically, M. [End Page 503] applies Paul's discussion of the "strong" and the "weak" from 1 Cor 8:1–13 to Gal 4:8–11, while also offering an innovative interpretation of Rom 14:1–15:3 as possible support for his reading. In sum, when Paul pastors gentiles in the context of Jews, he realizes that there are some things that those who are unfamiliar with the rituals of Judaism (i.e., gentile converts) do not quite understand, and therefore as "weak" members will misconstrue and apply incorrectly. This is also the case in Galatia, M. argues. While connecting the rationale of 1 Cor 8:1–13/Rom 14:1–15:3 to Galatians is tenuous (Gal 5:11 and 4:8–9), M.'s analysis of the expression stoicheia tou kosmou is thorough. He analyzes the expression closely, with the conclusion that this should be understood to mean "fundamental elements of religious practice common both to that past and to the way of life advocated by the Influencers" (p. 139). In chap. 5, "Galatians in the Jewish Religious Context of Asia Minor," M. surveys the literary and epigraphical sources (cf. chap. 3), with special...