Davidic Messiahship in Galatians: Clearing the Deck for a Study of the Theme in Galatians

Abstract

This article presents a fresh proposal for the active presence of Davidic messiahship in Paul's arguments in Galatians. The consensus in Pauline scholarship over the last half century on the question of the meaning of “Christ” in Paul has been bulletproof. With only the rare exception, Paul scholars have concluded that “Christ” in Paul is equivalent to Jesus' surname and carries little-to-no significance in Paul's theologizing. This article tackles this scholarly assumption by reviewing the recent book by Matthew V. Novenson, who argues vigorously against the conventional view. Novenson's work makes a significant contribution to Pauline studies because it unmasks the weaknesses of the grammatical arguments that have supported the consensus reading for 50 years. After offering a friendly amendment to Novenson's argument about “Christ” in Paul that takes his major conclusion further, I present a proposal for Davidic messianship in Galatians. Finally, I include a brief exegesis of Gal 1:1-4 as a case study for reading Galatians from a Davidic point of view.