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Monday, November 10, 2014

Another paper on Jew-Gentile distinction: One New Man

In another paper published in Conspectus 18, I presented two views regarding the composition of the "one new man" in Ephesians 2:15. After some analysis, I determined that the new entity, the ekklēsia, is comprised of Jews and Gentiles who believe in Jesus, and whose Jewish and non-Jewish identities respectively are not compromised by their membership in it. The unity and peace emphasized in Ephesians is specifically between Israel and the nations, not Christians in general.

Abstract

Two contradictory views of the ‘one new man’ metaphor in Ephesians 2:15 are presented, one arguing that it denies any distinction between Jewish and Gentile Jesus-believers, and the other insisting that it confirms the theory of intra-ecclesial Jew-Gentile distinction. This paper explores the meaning of the ‘one new man’ with special attention to the question of making distinction between Jews and Gentiles within the ekklēsia. The study focuses in turn on each of the three keywords in the metaphor, reviewing their meaning and use in the canon and providing some theological commentary alongside. Supply of the phrase, ‘in place of,’ in some translations is evaluated. Internal evidence in the form of personal pronouns is examined to determine whether it sustains or contradicts distinction theory.
The study concludes unequivocally that the ‘one new man’ in Ephesians 2:15 is a composite unity of Jews and Gentiles who retain their ethnic identities even after spiritual regeneration in Christ. The classification of individuals as believers or unbelievers in Jesus does not erase the biblical distinction between Israel and the nations, even within the ekklēsia. The usage of personal pronouns in Ephesians confirms this finding. To assert that the ‘one new man’ is created ‘in place of’ Jews and Gentiles is therefore misleading. Major theological implications include the validation of Jewish tradition and practice among Jewish Jesus-believers, and their recognition as the living connection between the nations and Israel. The peace Christ made by creating Jew and Gentile in himself into ‘one new man’ is currently most evident in Messianic Jewish synagogues where members of each party worship together and have table fellowship in unity, whilst retaining their own distinctive faith traditions.
The full text of the article is freely available here: https://www.academia.edu/9108922/Jew-Gentile_Distinction_in_the_One_New_Man_of_Ephesians_2_15

New paper: Diakrinō and Jew-Gentile distinction in Acts 11:12

Conspectus 18 recently published a paper of mine which critiques the translation of diakrinō as "distinction" in some English Bibles. I found that the text should not be used to argue that there is "no distinction" between Jews and Gentiles in Christ.

Abstract

A textual analysis of the word diakrinō in Acts 11:12 was undertaken to establish whether the verse contradicts the theory that Jewish and Gentile believers in Jesus remain distinct in a theologically significant manner, as some English translations imply. The study finds no clear evidence in the text to sustain the translation that there is ‘no distinction’ between the two. Diakrinō in Acts 11:12 is very unlikely to denote distinction in the sense of differentiation, and even less likely to indicate wavering or doubting on account of the distinction which observant Jews like Peter made between fellow Jews and Gentiles. Instead, diakrinō in this text is most likely intended to denote contestation or dispute: Peter was told to obey without dispute, not without making distinction between Gentiles and Jews.
 The full article is freely available here: https://www.academia.edu/9108869/Diakrin%C5%8D_and_Jew-Gentile_distinction_in_Acts_11_12.