Paul and the Crucified Christ in Antioch Maccabean Martyrdom and Galatians 1 and 2

The so-called ‘Antioch Incident’ - the confrontation between the apostles Peter and Paul in Galatians 2.11-21 - continues to be a source of controversy in both scholarly and popular estimations of the emergence of the early Church and the development of Pauline theology. Paul and the Crucified Christ in Antioch offers an innovative interpretation of Paul’s account of and response to this event, creatively combining historical reconstruction, detailed exegesis, and theological reflection. S. A. Cummins argues that the nature and significance of the central issue at stake in Antioch - whether the Torah or Jesus Christ determines who are the people of God - gains great clarity and force when viewed in relation to a Maccabean martyr model of Judaism as now christologically reconfigured and redeployed in the life and ministry of the apostle Paul.

The so-called 'Antioch Incident' - the confrontation between the apostles Peter and Paul in Galatians 2.11-21 - continues to be a source of controversy in both scholarly and popular estimations of the emergence of the early Church and the development of Pauline theology. Paul and the Crucified Christ in Antioch offers an interesting interpretation of Paul's account of and response to this event, creatively combining historical reconstruction, detailed exegesis, and theological reflection. S. A. Cummins argues that the nature and significance of the central issue at stake in Antioch - whether the Torah or Jesus Christ determines who are the people of God - gains great clarity and force when viewed in relation to a Maccabean martyr model of Judaism as now christologically reconfigured and redeployed in the life and ministry of the apostle Paul.

Preface; List of abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Maccabean Martyrdom: 1. Maccabean martyrdom: formative texts and traditions; 2. Maccabean martyrdom in first-century Judaism and Paul; Part II. Paul and the Crucified Christ in Antioch: 3. Paul as a paradigm of conformity to Christ: the Galatian context, conceptual framework and autobiography; 4. Jews and Christians in Antioch; 5. Paul and the crucified Christ in Antioch: Galatians 2.11–14; 6. Paul and the crucified Christ in Antioch: Galatians 2.15–21; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index of passages; Select index of Greek words and phrases; Index of modern authors; Select index of names and subjects.

This book offers an interesting interpretation of Paul's account of and reflection upon his confrontation with Peter in Antioch (Galatians 2.11-21), an event prominent in any attempt to reconstruct the emergence of the early Church and the essence of Pauline theology.

S. A. Cummins is Associate Professor of New Testament at the Canadian Theological Seminary, Regina, Saskatchewan. He has taught both in Canada and the UK, and has published in academic journals.