On what basis are Gentile Christians justified and full inheriting members of Abrahamâs family? By being circumcised and keeping the Torah? Paul answers by reinterpreting the Abraham narrative in light of the Christ-event as a story of two siblings. True Abrahamic children are those whose Spirit-wrought life arises, as God promised Abraham, from the event of Christ-faith. Like Isaac, they receive the life-giving power of the Spirit that is tethered to Godâs promise and the event of eschatological faith. By contrast, those who, like Ishmael, are related to Abraham only by means of the flesh are slaves and not heirs.
Johnathan F. Harris, Ph.D. (2021), Wheaton College, is an independent scholar who has published on christological interpretation (BBR, 2021), edited A Scripture Index to Rabbinic Literature (Hendrickson, 2021), and is completing a project on justification and metaphor (IVP Academic, forthcoming).
AcknowledgementsI List of TablesI AbbreviationsV
Introduction
Part 1: Event
1 âThrough Christ-Faithâ
â1.1âRevising ΠίÏÏÎ¹Ï Î§ÏιÏÏοῦ
â1.2âRevisiting Abraham: Exigence and Aim
2 âNot Torah-Worksâ
â2.1âThe Situation in Galatia
â2.2âWorks of the Law
â2.3âChrist-Faith and Torah-Works: Instruments in the Hands of the Justifying God
3 âJustifiedâ
â3.1âÎικαιοῦν outside of Galatians
â3.2âÎικαιοῦν in Galatians: Unveiling Paulâs Prophetic Metaphors
â3.3âPart 1 Summary: Justified through Christ-Faith Not Torah-Works
Part 2: History
4 Christ-Faith and Abrahamâs Faith
â4.1âThe Hearing Enabled by Christ-Faith (Gal 3:1â5)
â4.2âPaulâs Reading of Genesis 15:6 (Gal 3:5â7)
â4.3âChrist-Faith and Abrahamâs Faith
5 The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
â5.1âThe Age of Blessing, the Age of Curse (Gal 3:7â14)
â5.2. The Epoch of Promise-Spoken, the Epoch of Promise-Given (Gal 3:15â22, 29)
â5.3âThe Season of Law, the Season of Faith (Gal 3:19â26)
â5.4âThe Spring of Sonship, the Winter of Slavery (Gal 4:1â11)
â5.5âSummary
6 A Tale of Two Siblings
â6.1âPaulâs Allegorical Argument in 4:21â5:1: Introductory Matters
â6.2ââAbraham Had Two Sons â¦â (Gal 4:21â23)
â6.3âTwo Mothers: Covenants and Cities (Gal 4:24â28)
â6.4âTwo (Kinds of) Children: Ishmael(s) and Isaac(s) (Gal 4:28â5:1)
â6.5âSummary
7 Conclusion
â7.1âSummary
â7.2âEschatological Christ-Faith: Benefits and Difficulties
â7.3âEschatological Christ-Faith and the Traditional âFaith in Christâ
â7.4âChrist-Faith and Abraham: Paulâs Reading and Use of the Abraham Narrative
Appendix: But What about Romans? Towards a Rereading of Abraham and Righteousness in Romans
â8.1âRighteousness Language in Romans
â8.2âChrist-Faith, Abraham, and Righteousness in Romans 4
Bibliography Index
Institutes, academic libraries, specialists in the New Testament, specialists in Paul and his letters, specialists in biblical theology, specialists in inner-biblical exegesis/intertextuality, readers of Galatians