<p>The central portion of Paul's letter to the Galatians consists of three main arguments, each of which invokes a different image of Abrahamic descent: sons (3:7) in 3:6-14, seed (3:16, 29) in 3:15-4:11, and children of promise (4:28) in 4:21-5:1. Current interpretations of these Abrahamic appeals typically portray them as logically problematical, collectively inconsistent, and/or generally unpersuasive, a situation that then leads most scholars to identify them as <italic>ad hoc</italic> responses to the Galatian agitators. This inability to find a coherent model of Abrahamic descent in Galatians, however, threatens to undermine the very gospel itself by suggesting that it cannot effectively counter a Judaizing call that derives from a simple appeal to Abraham.</p> <p>This dissertation argues that Paul does indeed present the Galatians with a coherent account of Abrahamic descent that accords with his persuasive intent of refuting a law-based circumcision. Its key insight lies in the suggestion that Paul understands the Abrahamic <italic>diatheke</italic> in 3:15-18 as akin to a Hellenistic adoptive testament. As a result, the promised Abrahamic seed must be both a son of Abraham and, because of Abraham's divine adoption through the <italic>diatheke</italic>, a son of God, hence Paul's identification of Christ as Abraham's sole seed (3:16).</p> <p>This twofold nature of the Abrahamic seed then suggests a distinction in Paul's other terms for Abrahamic descent. The dissertation accordingly contends that "sons of Abraham" in 3:7 designates, as it typically did in the mid-first century C.E., the Jews, i.e., those physical descendants of Abraham who also share his faith. In contrast, "children of promise" in 4:28 designates gentiles who have through faith received the Abrahamic blessing, i.e., the Spirit of sonship that makes them children of God. Each group thus requires incorporation into Christ to establish their status as Abrahamic seed: the Jews so that they might share in the gentiles' divine sonship, the gentiles so that they might share in the Jews' Abrahamic sonship. This interdependent union of the Jewish sons of Abraham and the gentile sons of God in Christ then constitutes the single divine Abrahamic seed who inherits (3:29). </p> <p>Paul employs this model to refute the necessity of law observance as follows. In 3:6-14, he argues that Christ's accursed death on the cross divides faith from law observance as a means of justification for Jews; the full sons of Abraham accordingly become those Jews who, by dying to the law and embracing Christ, exhibit the same radical trust in God as their forefather exhibited. In 3:15-4:11, he argues that God added the law and its curse to ensure that the Jews could not receive the Abrahamic blessing promised to the nations--i.e., the Spirit that would make the Jews sons of God and, thus, Abrahamic seed--apart from the one seed, Christ. Finally, in 4:21-5:1, he argues that, like Hagar, the non-adoptive Sinaitic <italic>diatheke</italic> produces Abrahamic descendants (i.e., non-Christian Jews) who share the general human enslavement to the <italic>stoicheia</italic>, whereas the adoptive Abrahamic <italic>diatheke</italic> produces Abrahamic descendants (i.e., Christian Jews) whose divine adoption frees them from this enslavement. Each appeal to Abraham thus undermines the gentile Christians' motivation for submitting to the law by demonstrating that Jewish Christians do not even remain under the law.</p> / Dissertation

The aim of this study is to contribute to ongoing studies on the Acts of the Apostles, particularly in the area of the manner in which the NT writer quotes and interprets the OT. Many scholars have studied the use of the OT in the NT, though few have investigated the explicit quotations in Acts. The discussion confines itself to an examination of the nine explicit quotations in Stephen’s speech of Acts 7 which are identified with introductory formulae, i.e.: (7:3 from Gn 12:1; 7:6-7 from Gn 15:13-14; 7:27-28 from Ex 2:14; 7:33-34 from Ex 3:5, 7-8, 10; 7:35 from Ex 2:14; 7:37 from Dt 18:15; 7:40 from Ex 32:1, 23; 7:42-43 from Am 5:25-27; and 7:49-50 from Is 66:1-2). The study first seeks to situate the quoted texts in their original context, after which attention is paid to their appearance in Stephen’s discourse in Acts. Specific attention is given to the question of the presence of a possible independent Lukan Textvorlage which might underlie these quotations. To this end, firstly an overview of the differences between the pertinent OT textual traditions (e.g., MT, LXX, etc), and the NT is provided. This clearly establishes the nature of the changes and modifications present in Luke’s reading of his original material. Secondly and finally, the discussion seeks to provide an assessment of Luke’s theological and hermeneutical framework, reflected within the OT quotations of Stephen’s defense. Through the method referred to above, best depicted as consisting of text-historical, methodological and hermeneutical aspects (Steyn 1995:31-37), this study makes the following observations: Firstly, most of the explicit quotations in Ac 7 are not found anywhere else in the NT, except for the book of Acts. Only the 8th quotation from Am 5:25-27 in Ac 7:42-43 occurs in CD 7:14-15, but the quotation from CD differs from the meaning of the original context. It seems clear that these quotations are attributable to Luke himself via his LXX version - although it is possible that Luke might have used either the LXX or the MT in a few places. Secondly, when Luke relates the quoted texts from his LXX version of the OT to his new hearers, most of the changes that Luke made are likely to be expected within the change in context between that of Luke and the original source of the quotation. That is, the grammatical and stylistic changes were made by Luke, although the possibility of the changes being due to his Vorlage, should not altogether be excluded. Luke’s cautious theological and hermeneutical intention is also to be detected in Stephen’s speech. However, it is true that the original meaning is not significantly altered by these changes. At last, it may be assumed that Luke is the author of the changes to these quotations. Thirdly and finally, Luke’s theological intentions for applying the quotations are revealed as follows: God as the subject of the history has been constantly at work for his people. However, his people repetitively reject God’s servants and go against God’s words given through them. The climax of this pattern is found in the killing of Jesus and Stephen (Ac 7:52, 60). Nonetheless, God continues to be working to accomplish his salvific plan for his people, regardless of the hostile attitude of the Israelites toward God himself as well as his messengers. At last, it results in his salvific activity (endless love) ‘to the ends of the earth’ (Ac 1:8), viz., even to the Gentiles through his numerous witnesses again. This study comprises of seven chapters according to the flow of the narrative, which are designed as follows: the Abraham Story (chapter 2); the Joseph Story (chapter 3); the Moses Story (chapter 4); the Temple (chapter 5); Stephen’s Indictment (chapter 6). In addition, chapter 1 presents the introduction, and chapter 7 describes the synthesis and conclusion. / Thesis (PhD (New Testament Studies))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / New Testament Studies / PhD / unrestricted