The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

133 of ancient and medieval exegetes did not think so. There is no evidence that Paul or the Jews of Asia Minor thought so. . . . because there is no evidence that any Jew in premishnaic times thought that the child of an intermarriage followed the status of the mother. Was Timothy Jewish? The answer must be no. 217 Cohen notes that the rabbinic law may have been in existence in the first century but that even if it was, rabbinic Judaism was only one type of Judaism and there is no evidence that all the Jews in the ancient world listened to the rabbis and followed rabbinic norms. But as Bryan points out, this argument cuts both ways. It may well be that as the custom was becoming law that both opinions of lineage were propounded simultaneously. It is clear from the decree that Paul would not have imposed circumcision upon a Gentile, but Luke also wants us to know from a later charge (21 :21) that Paul does not teach the same for Jews. What better way for Luke to demonstrate the falseness of the charge in 21:21 than to show Paul who, though he denies circumcision for Gentiles, circumcises Timothy who shows the slightest connection to Israel. 2 18 This would make good sense out of the phrase "because of the Jews in that place because they ·all knew that his father was a Greek." That is he did not circumcise Timothy out of fear of them or simply to make his gospel more acceptable to them but as a practical demonstration to convince them of his commitment to the Law for Israel. 219 They all knew that Paul might logically have claimed exemption for Timothy on the ba i of Gentile lineag , but in order to demonstrate that he was not against Israel or her law he performed the rit This does not mean of cour e that Paul would have behaved differently if there were no Jewi h pre ure, but that he wa eager for hi po ition to be known . ' I ma b li that 217 lbid., 267- 8. 218 hri toph r Br an, "A urth r k t t 1 : I ," Journal of Bibli al Lit ratur l 7 Jun l 8 ) 2 I9p ul nd th Purp f ladimtr '' l it olog1Cal uarterl