Read Better, Preach Better

1:15–16

↓Ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν [ὁ θεὸς]

↑ὁ ἀφορίσας με (ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου) καὶ καλέσας (διὰ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ)

ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ (ἐν ἐμοί),

↑ἵνα εὐαγγελίζωμαι αὐτὸν (ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν),

εὐθέως οὐ προσανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι

The first challenge presented by these two verses is to understand their syntactical structure. There is one independent clause: εὐθέως οὐ προσανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι (1:16c), which is directly modified by a subordinate clause that has two further subordinate clauses modifying it. The first subordinate clause is Ὅτε δὲ εὐδόκησεν [ὁ θεὸς] […] ἀποκαλύψαι τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ἐμοί (1:15a […] 1:16a), which is interrupted by the second subordinate clause ὁ ἀφορίσας με ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου καὶ καλέσας διὰ τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ (1:15b). The third subordinate clause is ἵνα εὐαγγελίζωμαι αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν (1:16b), which also modifies the first subordinate clause (1:15a […] 1:16a). The effect of this structure is that Paul is able to make several tangential points before reaching his main concern: he did not immediately consult anyone with respect to his apostleship.

The first subordinate clause (1:15a […] 1:16a) indicates that Jesus was revealed to Paul according to God’s pleasure (εὐδόκησεν). Paul regards his conversion and apostleship to be determined by God’s sovereign will, and this fact intersects with 1:1 and 1:12. In 1:1 Paul asserts that his apostleship is divinely appointed; in 1:12 we see that his gospel does not come from a human source. The connection of 1:16a to 1:12 is further enhanced by Paul’s reference to the revelation of Christ: Paul was not taught about Christ, but received revelation of him (see 1:12, above). His Son is the direct object of the verb to reveal, such that Paul is not saying that the message about Christ was revealed to him, but Christ himself.

Here in 1:16a, Paul curiously refers to Christ being revealed in me (ἐν ἐμοί). While ἐν is the most flexible of Greek prepositions, here it most likely denotes the object to which something happens (BDAG), such that God was please to reveal his son to Paul. It is worth noting, however, that ἐν ἐμοί parallels ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν in 1:16b. While the latter prepositional phrase is normally translated among the Gentiles—regarding ἐν as locative—the parallel with the former phrase is nonetheless instructive. The purpose of God’s revealing Christ to Paul is that he might in turn preach him among (or to) the Gentiles.

The subordinate clause of 1:15a […] 1:16a is intersected by 15b: who from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace. The two substantival aorist participles, ἀφορίσας and καλέσας, encode perfective aspect, which creates the pragmatic expression of antecedence (even though the participles are substantival; see Campbell 2008a:37–44). These are activities that preceded the main action of God revealing his son to Paul, and they further underscore God’s sovereignty in Paul’s conversion and apostleship. Indeed, it may be argued that the latter participle refers to his conversion, while the former refers to his apostleship. Being called by grace is an experience that is shared by believers, as we see in 1:6—the Galatians were also called by grace—and thus refers to the conversion to Christ that is shared by all. Being set apart from his mother’s womb (ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου), however, seems to refer to a unique occurrence. Paul is, after all, set apart, which suggests uniqueness, as does the reference to his mother’s womb. While Paul’s conversion alone does not explain why God chose to reveal his son to him in order to preach to the Gentiles, his being set apart from the womb seems to do this.

As noted above, God’s purpose in choosing to reveal his son to Paul was that he might preach him among the Gentiles (1:16b). The ἵνα with subjunctive εὐαγγελίζωμαι indicates purpose (Wallace 1996:471-73). With the subjunctive’s direct object αὐτὸν, Paul does not say so that I might preach about him, but so that I might preach him. Paul’s preaching does not merely concern the proclamation of a message, but also the proclamation of a person. The prepositional phrase ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν is normally regarded as locative, translated as among the Gentiles, though might rather be regarded as expressing the object to which something happens (BDAG): to the Gentiles. The attraction of this reading is that it consolidates the parallel with ἐν ἐμοί in 1:16a, and is also a stronger expression. Paul does not proclaim Christ merely among the Gentiles, as though are simply the sphere of proclamation; he proclaims Christ to them. Thus, this understanding of the phrase is more direct and is to be preferred.

The main clause of 1:15–16 is finally reached with 1:16c: I did not immediately consult with anyone. This clause derives its significance from the syntax of the sentence; even though the sentence’s subordinate clauses are full with theological significance, Paul’s main point must remain here. The adverb εὐθέως (at once, immediately) seems a little odd, given that it modifies a negative action—or an action that Paul did not take—namely, that he did not consult flesh and blood (οὐ προσανεθέμην σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι). There are at least two alternatives for understanding the function of the adverb. First, it may be used to express the fact that there was no lag between the revelation of Christ to him and Paul’s going into Arabia (1:17). Read this way, εὐθέως actually modifies ἀπῆλθον in 1:17, which is sixteen words away. More likely, the adverb means that Paul did not immediately consult others, but did so after three years (1:18). In this way, εὐθέως modifies the verb following it, rather than one that is quite removed.

The verb προσανατίθημι expresses the idea of consulting with someone (BDAG), which naturally requires the following nouns to be dative (σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι). This use of the dative case expresses association or accompaniment (Wallace 1996:159-61); Paul did not partake in consultation in association with anyone. While the phrase σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι clearly refers to people, the rhetorical force of these words is to highlight the distinction between Paul’s God-ordanied apostolic appointment and the influence that people may have had. People are only flesh and blood, but the revelation of Christ is divine.

Posted by Con Campbell