Abraham’s Divided Children: Galatians and the Politics of Faith

This newest addition to the popular Trinity New Testament in Context series focuses on the politics of division in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Traditionally, Galatians has been read as the Magna Charta of Christian liberty since in Galatians Paul teaches that Gentiles need not become Jews before becoming Christians. As Pheme Perkins demonstrates, the matter was not so simple. She uses recent evidence to show that the communal boundaries of Judaism were more porous than has been assumed. Thus, rather than portraying a simple conflict between Jews and Gentile converts, Galatians depicts a Jewish community whose identity is in flux and Gentile converts not entirely certain about their lineage in the Christian faith. In Abraham s Divided Children, Perkins argues that while Paul might have tried to use his rhetoric to encourage unity among Gentile converts, he actually created harsh divisions between the Christian and Jewish communities. Perkin’s lively and engaging reading of Galatians challenges much recent scholarship on Paul’s letter and offers fresh insights into a contentious Pauline text. Pheme Perkins is Professor of New Testament at Boston College and the author of numerous books and articles, including Peter: Apostle for the Whole Church.