When the Fullness of the Time Came: Apocalyptic and Narrative Context in Galatians

This article examines the two phrases "the fullness of the time" and "the present evil age," found in Galatians, against the backdrop of Jewish apocalyptic chronologies of divine action and in relation to Paul's argument about the interpolation of the law in the letter. Wher...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Perriman, Andrew (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Catholic Biblical Association of America 2023
In: The catholic biblical quarterly
Year: 2023, Volume: 85, Issue: 2, Pages: 315-332
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Galaterbrief 1,4 / Bible. Galaterbrief 4,4 / Paul Apostle / Apocalypticism
IxTheo Classification:HC New Testament
Further subjects:B Apocalyptic
B Galatians
B fullness of time
B Narrative
B Judaism
B Paul
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Summary:This article examines the two phrases "the fullness of the time" and "the present evil age," found in Galatians, against the backdrop of Jewish apocalyptic chronologies of divine action and in relation to Paul's argument about the interpolation of the law in the letter. Whereas interpretation and theological reflection tend to generalize the intervention of God as the ideal pivot of salvation history, I argue that in Paul's mind the timing of the sending out of the Son is bound up with realistic perceptions of the condition of Israel and hopes for a transformed future. To the extent that the coming of "the fullness of the time" determined the end of the guardianship of the law, the moment is conceived not as a second exodus but as the final resolution of a tension that was inherent in the arrangement from the start.
ISSN:2163-2529
Contains:Enthalten in: The catholic biblical quarterly
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1353/cbq.2023.0045