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

165 particularly curious when, in his view, Paul attacks Judaism in the central part of the letter by elaborating his message about justification by faith. 64 He concludes based on this evidence that the "gospel" to which Paul refers in Galatians 1: 11-17 should be understood in "a more limited sense" as simply "the gospel that does not require circumcision of Gentile converts (nor, by implication, observance of the 'ritual' Torah, such as the food laws). " 65 He theorizes that "Paul's understanding of the 'gospel' evolved from the 'limited sense' to the fuller sense of justification by faith later in his experience. " 66 Although Raisanen's theory is possible , another explanation exists which would contribute to the literary harmony and coherence of Paul's argument, namely, that the gospel for which Paul argues in the heart of the epistle (Gal 3-4) is the same gospel which he describes in the introduction (Gal 1). That is , though Paul' s gospel included justification by faith, what distinguished it, and what he argues for in the epistle, is that Gentiles are saved as Gentiles without becoming Jewish. 67 in the text it is better described as a call rather than conversion. Cf. note number 19 on page 151. 64 lbid ., 407 . 65 lbid ., Howard concurs when he says "Paul is not saying that he received nothing at all about the gospel from any man, for that would place him in conflict with his subsequent statement about being a persecutor of the church. He rather means that the particular form of the gospel preached by him was not given to him by other men . As he proceed , it become clear that the particular form of the gospel which he has in mind is that form which di tin– guished his preaching from all others, that is , the non-circumcision go pel to the Gentile . to the rest of the gospel which was shared in common by all apostle and evangeli t Paul ha no reference at all ," Howard , Crisis in Galatia, 34. 66 "The fact that he introduce this [ju tification] terminology , not in the a ount of hi call but in his description of the Antiochian incident (2. 16 f.), may contain a hi t ri al hint . Perhap it wa in Antioch around AD 50 that Paul emerged a a preach r f ju tifi ation b aith, rather than on the Dama cu road in the thirtie , " Ibid . 67 Though w ould not agree with hi meth d for und r tanding it i corr t l pn ht, ncht t i h t r 11 m uf di Epya oµou h rl 1t t, ond rn di TTIOTl<; i t di p 1, u d n