Word to the Wise
Monday, October 13, 2014 - Monday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gal 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1 and Luke 11:29-32]"It is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the freeborn woman. The son of the slave woman was born naturally, but the son of the freeborn through a promise. Now this is an allergory." [Galatians]
To strengthen his argument to the Galatians about their freedom from observance of the Mosaic Law, St. Paul appeals to the Book of Genesis and the broad narrative of the story of Abraham. To get the full significance of his argument, you'll have to get out your bibles and read at least Genesis 16 and 21, where the births of Ishmael and Isaac are recounted. Ishmael was born as the result of a problem with barreness on the part of Sarah, who told Abraham to take Hagar as a concubine. However, that caused some domestic problems, and also posed a problem for the promise that God had made to Abraham about his posterity living forever. So, eventually as a result of a promise made by an angelic visitor, Sarah became pregnant and gave birth of Isaac. St. Paul appeals to this as an allegory in regard to those born to Jewish observance, which Paul regards as a kind of slavery, and those born to Christ through baptism, which Paul considers a new freedom.
My scripture scholar friends would not be happy about Paul's allegorizing even if they appreciate the creativity of the argument! However, this does point out to us the importance of knowing the Old Testament if we are truly to appreciate the meaning of the New testament! As a former Pharisee, Paul would have known the Torah [first five books], the Prophets and Writings [Psalms, etc.] intimately. He could call on this store of knowledge to assist him in his preaching. I hope all of us could at least know enough of it to see why he says what he says to the Galatians! AMEN