Galatians Studies

Book of Galatians    Misunderstanding the law in Galatians III

Koot van Wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD)

Visiting Professor

Kyungpook National University

Sangju Campus

South Korea

Conjoint Lecturer of Avondale College

Australia

6 November 2011

On the issue what form of the Old Testament Paul used

           One of the aspects that we need to investigate in the book of Galatians, is the use of the Old Testament by Paul.

           The apostle Paul was fully versed in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament. He also kept very close to it in his theology. Paul is in harmony with the fine nuances of the Old Testament and detail did not escape his attention.

           One of the citations from the Old Testament in Galatians is in Galatians 3:10. Paul wrote:

Epikataratoj paj oj ouk emmenei pasin toij gegrammenoij en tw bibliw tou nomou tou poihsai auta

           Our question here is, was this the reading of the LXX or the Masoretic Text? We will investigate both options:

A.  Masoretic Text or Hebrew original

  yrbd-t) {yqy )l r$) rwr)

           tw$(l t)zh-hrwth

 }m) {(h-lk rm)w rm)w {tw)

B.  Our literal translation of Hebrew original

Epikataratoj oj ouk emmenei en toij logoij tou nomou toutou tou poihsai autoij kai erousin paj laoj Genoito  

C.   LXX of Byzantine Period

Epikataratoj paj anqrwpoj oj ouk emmenei en pasin toij logoij tou nomou toutou tou poihsai autoij kai erousin paj laoj Genoito

So this brings us to the question, what elements are in the LXX that is not in the original Hebrew?

Let us demarcate them:

Epikataratoj paj [anqrwpoj] oj ouk emmenei en [pasin] toij logoij tou nomou toutou tou poihsai autoij kai erousin paj laoj Genoito

Words that are in Paul but not in the Masoretic Text or Hebrew:

Epikataratoj [paj] oj ouk emmenei [pasin toij gegrammenoij] en [tw bibliw] tou nomou [       ] tou poihsai aut[a ]

Words that are in Paul but not in the LXX:

Epikataratoj paj [   ] oj ouk emmenei  pasin toij [gegrammenoij] en [tw bibliw] tou nomou [       ] tou poihsai aut[a ]

What is between brackets as vacant [   ] are elements that are in the LXX but not in Paul.

A number of things happened:

1.    Paul is not following the socalled LXX of the byzantine period (at least the earliest survival form to our best knowledge).

2.    Paul read the consonantal form of the Masoretic Text or Hebrew original but the toutou in the Hebrew and LXX he left out.

3.    Paul substituted “the words” of the original Hebrew and as “what was written in the book”. Although the words were written on stones in the original setting in Deuteronomy 27, Paul is talking about a scroll that he called a “book” since books in those days were rolled up in scrolls. Therefore, it is natural in the days of Paul to talk of the book of the prophets or book of the law.

4.    Paul is sharing the addition of  pasin toij with the LXX form.

5.    Paul did not have the direct citation in front of him. It appears as if he was citing from memory and the additions of words like “what was written in the book” are information for the sake of those who do not know that such a book existed. It is footnote information that is placed in-text by Paul for a purpose.

It appears that the theory that later byzantine scribes replaced the citations of the New Testament to conform to the byzantine corrupt form of the LXX, is not totally cancelled as a possibility but in this verse in Galatians there is no proof of that. The scribes would have aligned it more by also including “man” that is used in the byzantine form of the LXX.

           The question now is, what do we do with the phrase “the just shall live by faith” that is in the Hebrew “the just shall live in his steadfastness” and here in Paul and the LXX as “the just shall live out of faith”? One can probably argue that there is no difference to live in faith or out of faith. To live inside the domain of faith or to live out of a basis or center of faith is probably the same meaning.

Paul is sometimes citing the Old Testament from memory and not with a biblical book in front of him