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Did Paul Condemn Keeping the Sabbath and Holy Days in Galatians 4:9-10?
Does
the New Testament condemn observing the Sabbath and Holy Days? Let’s examine a passage in Galatians 4:9-10
which causes many to claim that Paul told gentile converts to not keep these
Old Testament observances, but in actuality he told them to not keep old pagan
customs instead.
First
of all, let’s read what Paul actually wrote in Galatians 4:9-10: "But now
that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that
you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you
desire to be enslaved all over again? You observe days and months and seasons
and years." The basic problem with saying th is refers to the Sabbath and
Holy Days is that in the immediate context of the passage Paul discusses how
the Galatians came out of paganism: "However at that time, when you did
not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are not gods." What
the Galatians would be apt to do if they would "turn back to the
weak and worthless elemental things" would be to go into paganism again.
Notice that Paul didn't write the words "Sabbath" or "Festival"
or even "new moon" here. (The
Feast of Trumpets lands on a new moon). Unlike Col. 2:16-17, the targets
here aren't obviously Old Testament observances.
The
term translated "elementary things" ("elemental
spirits"--RSV), "stoikheia," to which were what the Galatians
were returning, refers to pagan practices. Scholars have long debated about what this words means. Since the
Galatians were gentiles, and hadn't practiced Old Testament rituals, it doesn't
make much sense to say they were returning to that which they had never
been involved with before becoming Christians. Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich's lexicon
(p. 769) says some authorities "stoikheia" refers to (their emphasis)
"the elemental spirits which the syncretistic religious tendencies of
later antiquity associated w. the physical elements. . . . It is not always to
differentiate betw. this sense and the next, since heavenly bodies were also
regarded as personal beings and given divine honors." While various
scholars say this term is at least in part a reference to Old Testament
practices, such an interpretation doesn't make much sense in the immediate
context of v. 8. Compare this appearance of "stoikheia" to Col.
2:20's use: "If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of
the world, why as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to
decrees . . ." Perhaps some worldly gentile philosophy ("according to
the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the
world"--v.8), and maybe some kind of ascetic Jewish gnosticism judging
from verses 21-22, were mixed together at Colossi, with the former
predominating.111
The
Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Greek-English lexicon (pp. 768-769) also notes “elements
(of learning), fundamental principles” of basic education is another (possible)
meaning, like the “ABCs.” It could also
refer to the basic “elemental substances” or “stuff” that the universe is made
of. Other scholars believe it refers to
the “elemental spirits” which ancient religious teachers associated with the
heavenly bodies. After all, the planets
are named for false pagan gods, right? Mars, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, etc.
People
in the ancient world used to look up at the sky, at the stars, at what we call
“outer space” today as divine, as a realm of the gods, as spiritual. Hence, “stoicheia” also was used to refer
to the heavenly bodies, like stars, planets, the moon, etc.
Where
does the Old Testament command the observance of “seasons”? The word here in verse 10 is “kairous,”
which is a general term that refers to a “time period” or “point of time.” It doesn’t have to mean a three-month period
between a solstice and equinox. Notice
that the words “Sabbath” and those referring to the various holy days do NOT
appear in this verse. So then, those
against observing the Sabbath read desired meaning into this verse.
According
to Troy Martin, the list in Gal. 4:10 uses terminology completely compatible
with a pagan calendar system, and need not be Jewish at all ("Pagan and
Judeo-Christian Time-keeping Schemes in Gal 4.10 and Col 2.16," New
Testament Studies 42 (Jan. 1996), p. 112):
“When
Paul refers to days, months, seasons, and years in Gal. 4.10, he lists
categories most characteristic of a pagan time-keeping system. This list in Gal. 4.10 is not as easily
related to Jewish practice, as the wide discrepancies among commentators prove.
. . . Since the list in Gal. 4.10 can be either pagan or Jewish,
only its context in Galatians can determine the issue. The immediate context of Gal. 4.10 argues
for the pagan character of this list.”
We
know that Paul observed the Holy Days, or else he wouldn’t have been hurrying
to get to Jerusalem in order to observe Pentecost (Acts 20:16). For the Galatians to keep these days
wouldn’t have made them any different from Paul. Therefore, to assert Paul in Galatians 4:9-10 was condemning Old Testament
practices is dubious when the immediate context of v. 8 is considered.
Eric
Snow
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Why does God Allow Evil?
Click here: /Apologeticshtml/Why
Does God Allow Evil 0908.htm
May Christians work on
Saturdays? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Protestant
Rhetoric vs Sabbath Refuted.htm
Should Christians obey
the Old Testament law? /doctrinalhtml/Does
the New Covenant Abolish the OT Law.htm
Do you have an immortal
soul? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Here
and Hereafter.htm
Does the ministry have
authority? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Is
There an Ordained Ministry vs Edwards.html
Is the United States the
Beast? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Are
We the Beast vs Collins.htm
Should you give 10% of
your income to your church? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Does
the Argument from Silence Abolish the Old Testament Law of Tithing 0205 Mokarow
rebuttal.htm
Is Jesus God? Click
here: /doctrinalhtml/Is
Jesus God.htm
Will there be a third
resurrection? Click here: /doctrinalhtml/Will
There Be a Third Resurrection.htm
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