Galatians # 21

GALATIANS # 21
1/31/11
No other Gospel
Paul’s Gospel defended 1: 1 -24 (C)
Chapter 1: 17 - 24

17nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20(In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24And they glorified God because of me.

“Those of the circumcision” have apparently told the Galatians about Paul’s trips to Jerusalem and meetings there with the leaders of the Jerusalem church; then, deceitfully elaborating on this, showing that Paul was a student of them and had now misrepresented the teaching he had received. With this they destroy Paul’s credibility and his authority to teach and declare his Gospel incomplete at best and a heresy at worst. Everything is at stake here! Gospel of “Grace” or Gospel of “Grace and Works”, with the emphasis on works…

Paul now begins his refutation of these peoples attack. There had been no occasion prior to this that had required Paul to prove himself to the Galatians, all his personal history was likely unknown to them. Now, responding to this attack, he recounts all the pertinent information. He acknowledges his first visit to Jerusalem declaring that he only went to “visit” Peter and only seen him and James; he did not study under them he visited them, as an equal – probably getting as much historical information as possible about Jesus the man, but no “gospel” other than verification of his own teaching.

At the time he is describing Saul was a rising star, though a young man he was on the “fast track’ to the top seats of power and influence; already recognized by the most powerful Israelis - and then, with the assignment to Damascus, entrusted with attending to one of the most sensitive issues of the time: Jesus Christ, and Him crucified…actually, the most sensitive issue of all time!
As we learned a couple of lessons ago, Saul was a talented young man from a moderately well to do family, well educated, well connected, having powerful friends. In addition to all this, he was a Roman citizen; this was very unusual, not many Jews could make this claim!

When Rome conquered a country the people continued their original citizenship; only on rare occasions were foreigners awarded Roman citizenship. there is no record of the circumstances which led to him being born a citizen (Acts 22: 28). There s some speculation that his grandparents may have been descendants of Babylonian Diaspora Jews who had not returned to Jerusalem; when the Roman army conquered the area in which they lived, they performed some service for which they were awarded citizenship and given some incentive to move to Tarsis; thus Paul inherited both his name “Paul” (“Paulo” or “Paulus” was a common name among Romans and he may have been given the name to honor the family’s benefactor) and his citizenship.

With this background his account of his actions after his epiphany on the road to Damascus is astonishing – rather than rushing back to Jerusalem to the council and guidance of Gamaliel, or to discuss it with his friends and associates; or conversely, rush back to Jerusalem and beg for forgiveness and guidance from the leaders of the church, he went to Arabia!
There is differing opinion of the purpose of Paul’s sojourn; some propose that this was Christ providing Paul a three year apprenticeship of meditating and intense training in solitude, in the desert; equivalent to the three years the other Apostles had spent with him during His earthly ministry.

Luke gives us a little insight in Acts 9: 19 where he tells us that Saul “straightway” began preaching in the synagogue – from the context it is apparent that this was referring to the time of Paul’s conversion – Paul was on fire with the gospel from the very start and preached it incessantly. “Arabia” was gentile country - here, right at hand - was a huge supply of gentiles, who had not heard the gospel! While it is very likely that Paul spent much time in contemplation and study during this period it is also quite certain he continued the preaching he had started from the beginning.

Paul doesn’t go into a lot of detail here in the letter to the Galatians, however in his second letter to the Corinthians he gives us some more insight:2 Corinthians 11:30-33 ( ESV ) If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. Paul had clearly done something to rile up the Arabian king!

Who was this king?
(show map)

Aretas IV Philopatris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Aretas IV Philopatris was the King of the Nabataeans from roughly 9 BC to AD 40.

His full title was "Aretas, King of the Nabataeans, Friend of his People." Being the most powerful neighbour of Judea, he frequently took part in the state affairs of that country, and was influential in shaping the destiny of its rulers. While on not particularly good terms with Rome - as intimated by his surname, "Friend of his People", which is in direct opposition to the prevalent φιλορώμαις ("Friend of the Romans") and φιλόκαισαρ ("Friend of the Emperor") - and though it was only after great hesitation that Augustus recognized him as king, nevertheless he took part in the expedition of Varus against the Jews in the year 4 BC, and placed a considerable army at the disposal of the Roman general.

His daughter Phasaelis married Herod Antipas (4 BC – AD 39), otherwise known as Herod the Tetrarch. When Herod divorced Phasaelis to take his brother's wife Herodias, mother of Salome, in 36, Phasaelis fled to her father. Aretas IV invaded Herod's holdings, defeating his army[1] and capturing territories along the West Bank of the Jordan River, including the areas around Qumran[citation needed].

The classical author Josephus connects this battle, which occurred during the winter of AD 36/37, with the beheading of John the Baptist, but not necessarily occurring at the same time.

Herod Antipas then appealed to Emperor Tiberius, who dispatched the governor of Syria to attack Aretas. But because of the emperor's death in AD 37 this action was never carried out.[1]

The Christian Apostle, Paul, mentions that he had to sneak out of Damascus in a basket through a window in the wall to escape the Governor (ethnarch) of King Aretas. (2 Corinthians 11:32, 33, cf Acts 9:23, 24), The question remains open as to when King Aretas received Damascus from Caligula in the imperial settlement of the affairs of Syria. The Aretas’ administration in Damascus may have begun as early as CE 37 based upon archeological evidence in the form of a Damascus coin, with the image of King Aretas and the date 101. If that date points to the Pompian era, it equals C.E. 37 (T. E. Mionnet, Description des medailles antiques greques et romaines, V [1811], 284f.)




Luke adds more detail in Acts:

Title : The Holy Bible, English Standard Version
Edition : Second
Copyright : Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Electronic Edition STEP Files Copyright © 2004, QuickVerse, a division of FindEx.com, Inc.

Acts 9:10-31 ( ESV )
Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying,
and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.
And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.
For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized;
and taking food, he was strengthened.
And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.”
And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?”
But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ.
When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him,
but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him,
but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him.
And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.
So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

After hustling Paul out of town they breathe a collective sigh of relief and finally some peace and quiet!

Some scholars point out the vagaries in the two accounts as proof of the unreliability of Luke’s work, however, it seems clear that they were recording the same incident but were stressing different aspects – we will see a few more similar scenarios as we go along; in each case a close examination will resolve the differences just as here.

DISCUSSION

1. What did Paul do as soon as he was recovered from his blindness?
2. Why did he go to Arabia?
3. How long was he in Arabia?
4. How did he escape from Damascus?
5. How soon did he go to Jerusalem?
6. What part did Barnabas play in Paul’s Jerusalem visit?
7. What got Paul in trouble in Jerusalem?
8. How did the brethren resolve the problem?
9. Where did Paul go when he left Jerusalem