"I am all things to all men."
April 17, 2019
Apprentice Levi
[Philology is] the capacity for absorbing facts without interpreting them falsely, and without losing caution, patience and subtlety in the effort to understand them. The way in which a theologian” [explains a passage of Scripture] is always so daring that it is enough to make a philologian run up a wall. Friedrich Nietzsche
background
For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
1
And unto the Jews I became as a Jew,
that I might gain the Jews...
And unto the Jews I became as a Jew,
that I might gain the Jews...
Although many people assume that Saint Paul is Jewish, he states that be become like a Jew, so that he may convert the Jews, or those who are descendants of Judah. An implication of becoming like a Jew, is that Saint Paul is not a Jew. Fortunately, we do not need to rely upon our interpretation of the passage, since on two occasions in the New Testament, Saint Paul explicitly states that he is from the tribe of Benjamin:
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. Romans 11:1
[Of] the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin... Philippians 3:5
Similar to the confusion concerning the tribal affiliation of Saint Paul, many people believe that Jesus is Jewish.
Jesus answered them [the Jews], Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? John 10:34
Jesus states “your law”. If Jesus identified as being Jewish, then it would be expected that he would say "our law". Jesus subtly, although explicitly, separates himself from "the Jews" their law.
The possible origin of the confusion regarding Jesus' tribal affiliation is found in the fourth Gospel:
The possible origin of the confusion regarding Jesus' tribal affiliation is found in the fourth Gospel:
And they [the Jews] said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? John 6:41
The Jews know that Jesus is not from the tribe of Judah, but from the tribe of Joseph. They also know his father and mother.
The following examples demonstrate the usage of “son of Joseph” to be mean one’s ancient tribal progenitor and not one’s immediate father.
The following examples demonstrate the usage of “son of Joseph” to be mean one’s ancient tribal progenitor and not one’s immediate father.
[The] families of Manasseh the son of Joseph... Numbers 27:1
[Half] the tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph... Numbers 32:33
[The] sons of Manasseh the son of Joseph... Numbers 36:12
[These] were the male children of Manasseh the son of Joseph by their families. Joshua 17:2
While the Gospel of John assigns Jesus’ tribal affiliation to Joseph, Luke provides a descent from Judah, thereby making Jesus a Jew.
[Jesus] being (as was supposed ) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,...which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham. Luke 3:23, 33-34
In conformity with the belief that Jesus is Jewish, which is based on a misunderstanding of the euphemism found in the Gospel of Saint John, the Gospel of Matthew also provides a version of Jesus’ descent from Judah:
Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas … And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Matthew, 1:2, 16
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke have various people state that Jesus is the son of David, yet this designation is never interpreted by the modern reader that Jesus' father is named David.
And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? Matthew 12:23
[He] cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Mark 10:48
[He] cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. Luke 18:38
In conclusion to this part, the fourth Gospel is internally consistent both in regarding Jesus’ ancestry and in omitting the names of his parents, although we learn that the name of Jesus' aunt is Mary.
[There] was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: John 2:1
[The] mother of Jesus saith unto him... Jesus saith unto her, Woman, ... His mother saith unto the servants... John 2:3-5
After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother... John 2:12
[Is] not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? John 6:42
Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and … saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!
John 19:25-27
2
To them that are without law, as without law, ...
that I might gain them that are without law.
that I might gain them that are without law.
Saint Paul, after explicitly stating his modus operandi concerning his attempts to convert the Jews, mentions those “under the law”. Unless we wish to accuse Saint Paul of needless repetition, we must conclude that these two groups, “the Jews” and those “under the law”, are not identical. We identify the group “without the law” as the Gentiles, or Saint Paul’s primary target of evangelization:
[James, Cephas, and John] saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me.
Galatians, 2:7, 9
While the Gentiles were Saint Paul’s primary audience, this does not prevent him from bringing the Gospel to the Jews, with varying results.
And there came thither certain Jews ..., who persuaded the people, and having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead. Acts 14:19
In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians [11:24,25], Saint Paul states that he was whipped by “the Jews five times”, beaten with “rods” on three occasions, and “once was I stoned”.
3
[To] “them that are under the law, as under the law,
that I might gain them that are under the law...
that I might gain them that are under the law...
The third group, those “under the law”, can not be Jews, as they are mentioned separately; nor can the third group be Gentiles, since Gentiles are the uncircumcised; nor can the third group be “lawless”; as they are "under the law".
Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. 2 Corinthians 11:22
Saint Paul identifies himself not only as from the tribe of Benjamin, but also an Israelite and the son of Abraham. In the following image, the Judah, Joseph, and Benjamin are shown in red boxes.
The term “Israelite” is limited to the descendants of Jacob (later called "Israel", Genesis 32:28), a grandson of Abraham.
The term “Ishmalite” is limited to the descendants of Ishmael [green box], the first born son of Abraham and the elder brother of Isaac.
And as for Ishmael, I [God] have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; ... and I will make him a great nation. Genesis 17:20
And Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all that were born in his house, ... and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin ... Genesis 17:23
Ishmael was blessed by God and circumcised by Abraham. Therefore, the descendants of Ishmael and of Isaac are correctly described as the “seed of Abraham”. Of course, the children of Keturah are also the sons of Abraham. These groups, “the Jews” and “those without the law” or the Gentiles, are accounted for, leaving the third group, “those under the law”, to be identified. From the process of elimination, this third group, which has a law and practices circumcision, must be the descendants of Ishmael.
4
To the weak became I as weak,
that I might gain the weak...
that I might gain the weak...
For one believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak, eateth herbs. Romans 14:2
Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with conscience of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled.
1 Corinthians 8:7
Saint Paul equates being "weak" to those who follow dietary restrictions. This weakness applies whether one abstains from all meats ["who is weak, eateth herbs."], or certain foods, such as offered to idols.
Saint Paul explicitly states that the enemies of Christ are those who adhere to dietary restrictions:
Saint Paul explicitly states that the enemies of Christ are those who adhere to dietary restrictions:
[The] enemies of the cross of Christ [are] those whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly... Philippians 3:18-19
While it seems extreme to write that the enemies of Christ are those who moralize about the acceptability of eating certain foods, the pro circumcision group so aggravated Saint Paul to the extent that he wished they would, in the words of the NIV, "emasculate themselves" or in the Holman Christian Standard Bible translation "get themselves castrated!"
I would they were even cut off which trouble you. Galatians 5:12
In conclusion to this part, Saint Paul is against the endless lecturing of those who promote adherence to the law:
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Galatians 5:1
conclusion
The Gentle Reader will reach his own conclusion regarding our attempt to absorb "facts without interpreting them falsely, and without losing caution, patience and subtlety in the effort to understand them."
Until the Second Vatican Council, Catholic moral theology was largely founded on natural law, while Sacred Scripture was only cited for background or substantiation. In the Council's struggle for a new understanding of Revelation, the natural law option was largely abandoned, and a moral theology based entirely on the Bible was demanded.
I still remember how the Jesuit faculty in Frankfurt trained a highly gifted young Father (Bruno Schüller) with the purpose of developing a morality based entirely on Scripture. Father Schüller's beautiful dissertation shows a first step towards building a morality based on Scripture.
Father Schüller was then sent to America for further studies and came back with the realization that from the Bible alone morality could not be expressed systematically.
Pope Emeritus Benedict, Letter, April 10, 2019
One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. Romans 14:5
The Gentle Researcher now understands the reason why the modern desire for a morality founded on Biblical principles alone can not exist, as it must be subject to personal opinion and, therefore, "could not be expressed systematically".
We ask: "In a Bible based morality, at what point does a wish for castration of one's opponents cease to be a wish and become a reality?"
We ask: "In a Bible based morality, at what point does a wish for castration of one's opponents cease to be a wish and become a reality?"