The Craftsman: Paul’s Law of Christ and the Stoic Law of Nature

Abstract

Abstract Paul’s statements on law have recently been considered in the context of Hellenistic discourse, but these readings have not always included his “law of Christ.” Here I analyze this phrase in Gal 6:2 in comparison with the Stoic “law of nature,” arguing that both Paul’s negative and positive discourse on law and this particular phrase can be elucidated by comparison to Stoic ethics, which used similar discourse to, respectively, elevate a first-order good, endorse a second-order value, and reference a higher-order norm. I first discuss the Stoic theory of “natural law,” conventional laws, and their relationship to each other, then offer a reading of Gal 5:13–6:2 with reference to other statements in Galatians and 1 Cor 9:21. The metaphorical “law of Christ” in Gal 6:2 references a higher-order norm that could be placed in antithesis to conventional laws, including the Mosaic law, and could be used to challenge them. This metaphor portrayed the norm as functioning like a law in its ability to prohibit and command behavior, but more comprehensively than conventional laws. Paul posits a “law of Christ” as a shared standard of behavior for Jesus-believers that also grounds a qualified use of the Mosaic law.