Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 13:1 (Spring 2022)
Article: Male And Female In Galatians 3:28: A Short Biblical Theology Of Unity
Author: Daniel Wayne Roberts

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Male And Female In Galatians 3:28: A Short Biblical Theology Of Unity

Daniel Wayne Roberts

Cameron Avenue Church of Christ, Colonial Heights, VA

Abstract: Paul’s use of the OT has been a subject of great interest within the field of biblical theology, with special interest on Pauline echoes and/or allusions. While direct quotations are often obvious, recognizing echoes and/or allusions requires more sophistication and nuance. Galatians 3:28 is a rare case of a direct quote going relatively unnoticed by scholarship, which is then followed by a one-word allusion to further solidify Paul’s claims concerning unity. This study contends that in Gal 3:28 Paul quotes Gen 1:27 (ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ), though it appears without an introductory formula, and that this purposeful quotation of Gen 1:27 is meant to couple with an allusion to Gen 2:24 to articulate further Paul’s theology of unity found in Christ. The subtlety that Paul employs underscores the variety of ways Paul utilizes the OT and how Paul’s deliberate change of wording illuminates his theology.

Key Words: allusion, biblical theology, echo, female, Galatians 3:28, gender, male, Paul, unity

The study of the NT’s use of the OT is notoriously slippery, particularly when it comes to categorizing the various methods the NT authors employ.1 Direct quotes are usually the easiest to identify in that there is

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substantial verbal agreement between the new text and the text being quoted, or there is the ever-helpful introductory formula (e.g., “it is written ...”).2 However, on some occasions, though a text is being quoted, there is no introductory formula, and the text quoted may consist of only a word, or maybe a few words. For example, in 1 Pet 2:9 a string of such quotations is taken from Isa 43:20–21, Exod 19:5–6, Deut 4:20, 7:6, and 14:2 (as well as a possible allusion to Isa 9:2).3...