CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
In this age, a common phenomenon that has been embraced by most human society is freedom. Great numbers of communities have the challenges and agitation to be completely free from all kinds of bondage or slavery in its minutest form. Consequently most human communities are grabbling with the fundamental question of their freedom or liberation which is tied to some enslavement of some sort of existential factors affecting them either positively or negatively. Indeed the Christian community particularly in the Middle Belt of Nigeria as an integral part of the larger society is also confronted with a seemingly similar situation or the question of real freedom, or a misunderstanding of the concept and perhaps a flawed interpretation of what “freedom in Christ” actually mean. Thus, it is argued that, Christianity is a religion of freedom par excellence (Hodgson, 1976, p. xiv).
Pauline studies have been a matter of great controversy over the years among many New Testament scholars. Interpreting his letters has generated heated debate within the ranks of biblical scholars following his diversity of methodology in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in the Mediterranean settings. Hence in understanding the concept of evleuqeri,a (eleutheria) “freedom” as depicted in Galatians by the apostle Paul, an interpretive model of the letter in the Greco-Roman context is necessary for today’s hermeneutic.
Thus, in Galatians as distinct from other Pauline epistles like Corinthians, Romans and Colossians, among others, there is the frequent assuage of the concept of evleuqeri,a (eleuth̲eria) freedom which draws attention to the event of Christ salvific work. Paul clearly states that evleuqeri,a (eleutheria) freedom is a product of God justifying the sinner and imparting on such a one his righteousness. This freedom is from all the forces of life that subjected man to untold bondage of different kinds which includes: sin, flesh, demonic power, Satan and the world system. For instance, apart from the epistle to the Romans, it was in Galatians that Paul gave a distinctive use of the concept. Longeneker (1984) posits that Paul is the “apostle of liberty”. He demonstrated this by employing the noun in its dative form evleuqeri,a|- (eleutheria) to mean “freedom”, or “liberty”, and give its cognates evleu,qeroj (eleutheros) (adjective) and the verb form – evleu,qerw (eleutherō) meaning to liberate, or set free. In the overall context of this study, evleuqeri,a (freedom); of all its appearance in the New Testament times and its cognates, only twice (5:1, 13) does it appear in its dative form in Galatians. Several scholars gave attention to the concept in the context of Pauline corpus; this research however focuses its investigation on the concept in the letter to the Galatians.
Accordingly, Esler (2003) argues that Paul discussed freedom by using Sarah-Hagar allegory to support his “care associated with freedom, as potent identity-descriptor, with the action of Christ and those who adhere to Paul’s version of the gospel” (p. 206). The problem under investigation could be deduced from the efforts of the “agitators” in the churches of Galatia to impose the Jewish religious system or stipulations of the Torah upon the newly founded churches by Apostle Paul as a means of earning righteousness, thereby contesting that Pauline gospel of freedom is insufficient for gaining salvation. Thus, scholars like Capes, Reeves, and Richards (2006) posited that many argued:
The trouble makers were Jewish Christians who believed that circumcision was necessary for salvation. These were the Judaizers who appeared at the Jerusalem conference (Acts 15:1-5). They were outsiders, dogging Paul’s trail, coming to these newly established churches once the apostle left the area. The Judaizers were Pauline antagonists, trying to correct Paul’s incomplete gospel by encouraging Gentiles believers to obey the whole law. p. 107
The invasion of the Galatians churches by the tara,ssontej, tara,sswn (trouble-makers, 1:7; 5:10) or avnastato,untej (agitators, 5:10) has soon led to a sudden apostasy and confusion, even division along tribal lines. Indeed it has caused a lot of problems of instability to the believers in Christ, on whether or not to return to the Law of Moses for the help needed to live the Christian life. Paul contested that, the Pseudo-brothers were all out to spy out the liberty they (Paul himself and his converts) had in Christ through the gospel he preached with the demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. The trouble-makers and agitators were enforcing the Jewish stipulation of circumcision, observation of special days, new moon, and special calendar year and so on. The teaching of the false brothers (yeuda,delfoi) had penetrated the churches in Galatia which was quite different in its quality and content with the one preached by Paul. Paul identifies it as o] ouvk e;stin a;llo( (“not that there is another gospel”, 1:7 NRSV). Barnes (2006, p. 9) refers to the gospel preached by the agitators as “modified gospel” while Capes, Reeves and Richards (2007, p. 107) calls it the “other gospel”.
In Paul’s Galatia, the picture painted is such that, the uncircumcised were seen as essentially social outcasts from the common wealth of Israel and consequently became object of contempt (Guthrie, 1974, p.12). The challenge was that, the early Christians in their pre-conversion days, had been conditioned to think or have their thought tilted towards the Jewish religious system they were cultured in (4:1-7). Paul warns the churches in Galatians against Judaizers, who taught the Gentiles to be circumcised and obligated to keep the Law of Moses. These Judaizers had infiltrated the church secretly and had managed to deceive many Christians.
These heretical teachers, who were responsible for this sudden apostasy (1:7; 5:10; 6:12, 13), taught that circumcision was necessary for salvation (5:2; 6:12-15), and they accordingly demanded a maintenance of the ceremonial law of Moses, or at least the observance of days and months and seasons and years (4:10, 21) (Ridderbos, 1956, p.15). Paul in confronting these enemies of the gospel maintained that the freedom the Christians have in Christ need no form of ritual or Jewish religious stipulations to be authentic or as a necessity for salvation. Paul firmly debunked ‘syncretism’ which was gaining ground in that church. Even division that arose along cultural lines or tribal lines was confronted (3:26-29).
Furthermore, Christians in Galatia were getting circumcised and keeping Holy Days, Barnes (2006, p.7) contends that, “on the surface at least, it is surprising that of all of Paul’s letters, the epistle to the Galatians is undoubtedly his most fierce worded; more so even than the two Corinthians letters”. Barnes (2006) mentioned that Alan Cole calls it ‘spiritual dynamite’. He argued further that, Paul pitted himself against the Judaizers, but not against the Jews as such, simply because, he himself was a circumcised Hebrew of Hebrews, and a Pharisees no less (Phil. 3:5). Additionally, he preached the gospel entrusted to him to his Jewish kinsmen first (Rom. 1:16) and he recognized the fact of having the privileges in being entrusted with the oracle of God (Rom. 3:1-2). Paul was so passionate in praying with unceasing anguish for Israel to be saved by turning to Jesus as their messiah (Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1). No wonder, he also took up a collection of special offering for the saints suffering famine in Judea (Rom. 15:25-26; 1 Cor. 16:1-6l 2 Cor. 8-9; Gal. 2:10), (p.8). These facts above suggest that, being Jewish was hardly the issue at stake, but being Judaistic was the bone of contention. This letter was a complex construction for Paul and indeed it was tagged ‘a letter for recovering Pharisees’ (Barnes, 2006, p.8).
There is a seemingly similar situation in the churches and societies in the middle belt region of Nigeria today. For instance, the advent of insurgences by mercenaries and Fulani herdsmen against villages and communities of the middle belt has triggered the revival of traditional religious worship and cultural practices that were abandoned for the gospel of Jesus Christ for almost a century ago. For fear of attacks and death, many have th/j ca,ritoj evxepe,sateÅ “fallen away from grace” (Gal 5:4). That is, though still maintain their church membership; they seek for other means of help for protection and deliverance against the attackers. For instance, one of the traditional cults which is sought after is the ombatse cult worship among the Eggon people of Nasarawa State. There was much agitation by most of the youth to join the “ombatse prayer group” which they believe gives one ‘power’ to withstand the enemies (insurgents) or provides one with a “shield” that makes it impossible for the marauding forces to gain access to one’s life or village communities within Eggon land.
The systemic invasion and advent of cultural imperialism in the Middle Belt by the Hausa-Fulani in pursuance of the Islamic and northern agenda is another deadly challenge. It has resulted in great political, economic and social marginalization. Consequently, religious discrimination and ethnocentricism which the Muslim Ummah is championing have brought about severe tension, conflicts, communal crises and destruction of lives and properties in a wide scale and intense marginalization in terms of denial of civic and religious freedom. Just as it was with the Judaizers (radical Judaism) and agitators who promoted the Jewish religion and culture above others, and expected the Gentiles to submit to it; also the Eggon traditional religionists are today indirectly forcing and initiating many youths into the Ombatse Cult worship. Similarly the Hausa-Fulani/Muslims expect the Christians and non-Muslims in the Middle Belt region to submit to their system of culture, socio-political and legal system of life etc. This research is a call on the Christians from the Middle Belt region to resist “the yoke of slavery”, by not resorting to enslaving tradition in response to the influences of the Hausa-Fulani hegemony and the traditional cultic worship just like Paul would say to the Galatians, kai. mh. pa,lin zugw/| doulei,aj evne,cesqeÅ ‘ and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery’ (5:1 NRSV).
The body of Christ in the 21st century is however faced with the challenge of flawed interpretation and understanding of what freedom in Christ is. The Christian in this age is pressed on every side with the global social factors. For instance, the recent trends of homosexuality, gay marriage, incest, abortion, rape, pornography, terrorism, insurgency, forceful marriage in the name of religious rights, human rights abuses, oppression, exaltation of one religion above the others, intra and interdenominational crisis among others at the global front are becoming a source of concern. These are few among many challenges of the body of Christ today especially in the Middle Belt region of Nigeria. Thus communicating the gospel in the Northern part of Nigeria is a very complex phenomenon. This is due to the fact that the level of resistance to the gospel of Christ is on the increase as a result of the rise in Islamic fundamentalism, terrorism, tribal and ethnic conflicts or ethno-religious violence, poverty and other social vices. Consequently the Northern Nigeria environment is becoming more and more hostile, violent, risky and difficult for missionaries, evangelism and missionary activities. Indeed the hermeneutical approach or strategy must change to conform to the existing context. The biblical message of freedom requires a contextual approach that interprets the text clearly and carefully to both the hearers in the church and general audience, like traditionalists, Muslims and post-modern cultures. Indeed, the Christian in the Northern part of Nigeria should exercise his/her freedom in context.
Paul’s epistle to the Churches of Galatia was delivered in particular historical and social contexts. Paul in his missionary enterprise employed the hermeneutical method of the Greco-Roman world. For example, in advancing his argument on the theme of Christian freedom, Paul uses different hermeneutical techniques of rhetoric, allegory, metaphor, typical typology, intertextual interpretation etc. in order to convince his Galatians audience to really understand their freedom (evleuqeri,a) in Christ and their new identity as the seed of Abraham by faith which gives them the right of inclusion into the commonwealth of Israel without necessarily observing the Levitical code of circumcision. This is far distinct from the type postulated by the pseudo-brothers whoever they were.
A constructive response is needed to address the problems of flawed interpretation, misunderstanding, abuse and possible erroneous application of freedom that the Christian communities have, arguing perhaps that “where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty”. This would help in advancing biblical view and principles of freedom and the identity of the Christian in the global society. Furthermore, the distinctive practice of freedom and hermeneutical praxis in the wider social environment of the Middle Belt of Nigeria and exclusive community of believers in Christ would help reduce the existing tension. Consequently, people must know that irrespective of their religious affiliation, freedom is not license but is tied to obligation. The Christian also must come to the knowledge that his/her freedom is practiced within the context of love and the quest for identity should not drive one to extremism of any form.
The Church as an ekklesia (assembly) of God; therefore, is to embrace and demonstrate her God given freedom as an act of divine providence which God has accomplished in Christ alone. Thus, understanding the work of Christ on the cross is God’s salvation plan for human liberation from slavery and bondage of any kind.
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