Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] An Imagined Dialogue for the Dispute between Paul and Barnabas in Acts Part 3 by Angus Nisbet now we come to the third of four posts by Platinum member Angus Nisbet on the dispute between Paul and Barnabas recorded in the Book of Acts, where he maintains the Mark, as in John Mark allegedly the author of the Gospel was a spy who ratted Paul out, and it involves a connection with the Essenes who produced the Dead Sea Scrolls. Whoa. Check it out and tell us what you think. Remember, you as a Platinum member, not only get access to all Platinum posts written by other Platinums, but you also can write some yourself. You don't have to be thoroughly well versed in the field to write one. Do you have any thoughts or ideas or curiosities you would like others to see and respond to? Send us a post in this third post on the Imagined Dialogue between Paul and Barnabas for their dispute mentioned in Acts 15:37 to 40. The dialogue uses verses from Paul's Letter to the Galatians in which Paul attacks those whom he refers to as false believers whom he claimed had sneaked in and spied on them by subsequently reporting back to the Apostolic Christian community in Jerusalem, which resulted in Paul and Barnabas having to go to Jerusalem to defend their ministry to James, Peter and the others.
[00:01:34] The imagined dialogue then speculates that Paul saw John Mark, who was closely connected with the apostles in Jerusalem, as the principal spy. Some scholars believe that the early communal Christian group described in the beginning of the Book of Acts may have derived from the communal Essene group, which had characteristics in common with Jesus and John the Baptist, such as an emphasis on personal righteousness, ceremonial washing, I.e. baptism, and a dislike of the Second Temple cult sacrifices. In the dispute dialogue, I hypothesize that John Mark's mother, whom Peter lived with, may have been part of the Essene community in Jerusalem, who also had strict dietary rules, which would therefore provide a rationale for John Mark having a major issue with with Paul's lax attitude toward the Jewish laws, especially dietary laws. In the dialogue, Paul defends himself against Barnabas accusation of failure to accept the authority of the apostles using his New Testament claims of authority direct from the Messiah in Galatians and Thessalonians, Paul's words from Romans about Jesus views on dietary laws and that strict adherence to these laws as a sign of being weak in the faith are used in the dialogue to accuse John Mark of being weak. In the dialogue, Barnabas suggests that Paul's admission in Romans of himself struggling to keep the law, Romans 7:14 25 was why Paul put such an emphasis on formerly being a slave to the law and on being set free as a result of the grace undeserved merit of the Messiah. In his doctrine of justification by faith, Paul claims that Barnabas was led astray by Peter, which is incorporated into the dialogue. The imagined dialogue makes use of Paul's claims in Galatians that he was approved by the apostles in Jerusalem Galatians 2:7 9 with the implication that the whole Jerusalem leadership team accepted him in the dialogue. Barnabas argues that this was not the case. Interpolating 1 Corinthians 9:3 18 Barnabas explains to Paul in the dialogue that the Jerusalem leadership had shown disapproval of Paul by asking the followers of Jesus not to give money to Paul and Barnabas ministry because Paul had disregarded the importance of good works and obeying the Jewish law. James 2:14 26 the dispute continued Barnabas unfortunately, many in the Jerusalem community, including some of the apostles and brothers of Jesus, don't see things the way you do and still regard you with suspicion, which is why I have had to defend you to them as well as to the larger body of believers in Jerusalem and Judea and to keep you away from them. On the other hand, John Mark has the approval of Peter and the brothers of the Lord and he is only a young man.
[00:04:45] Paul yes, and when I was his age I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. Galatians 1:14 Anyway, John Mark is a false believer who has effectively infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to try and make us slaves all over again. Galatians 2:4 Barnabas what are you talking about? Paul?
[00:05:16] Paul you know exactly what I mean. Barnabas John Mark wanted us to set aside the grace of God by persuading us to go back to preaching that righteousness could be obtained through the law. If we had acceded to this, then it would imply that we believed that Christ died for nothing. Galatians 2:21 he then deserted us right at the beginning of our work in Pamphylia and went back to Peter and James and the other apostles in Jerusalem Acts 13:13 and told them that when we were among the Gentiles that we were completely disregarding the Jewish law. As you know, that caused us to be accused of being lawless and resulted in agitators from Jerusalem coming Galatians 5:12 up to discredit our work among the Gentiles in Syria, Cilicia and Galatia, throwing them into confusion with another Gospel, which, as I have said, is no gospel at all. Galatians 1:6 7 those agitators also accused me of being an imposter and a liar, which has resulted in worsening of the persecution that we have already suffered. As a result, you and I had to go back up to Jerusalem after 14 years, bringing Titus with us as a shining example of an uncircumcised Gentile follower of the Messiah. Galatians 2:1:3 a living seal in the Lord of our apostolic work among the Gentiles, 1st Corinthians 9:2 to defend ourselves to those esteemed as leaders. Galatians 2:6 Anyway, as you will remember, we did not give in to the accusers for one moment so that the truth of the gospel might be preserved for the Gentiles.
[00:06:56] Barnabas yes, but you seem to have forgotten how insensitive you were to John Mark, who has been brought up in a strict Essene Jewish household in Jerusalem, where the dietary and cleanliness laws are of prime importance. When we arrived late at those Gentile houses in Perga, you didn't even wash your hands before you started eating, and neither did you bother to make any inquiry as to whether the food you were eating had been strangled or sacrificed to idols. John Mark had also previously spoken to you about his concerns after hearing you telling those Hellenistic Jews in Salamis on Cyprus who had just converted to the Messiah, that they were no longer required to follow the laws of Moses. I fully understand his decision to go back to Jerusalem and share his concerns with Peter and the other apostles. They are the leaders of our movement, appointed by Jesus, the Messiah himself, and you need to bow to their authority first. Thessalonians 4:2 Galatians 1:1 and as for the laws on eating, Jesus himself made it quite clear that the kingdom of God is not a matter of what you should eat or drink, but a matter of inner righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
[00:08:12] If John Mark's faith in the Messiah is so weak that he still feels he has to follow all those elaborate food rules and rituals Romans 14:1 3 I don't judge him for that. It's just that I cannot allow people to whom I preach the gospel I've been entrusted with. Galatians 2:7 1st Thessalonians 2:4 to be bewitched. Galatians 3:1 Barnabas bewitched is a very strong word to use, Paul Even by calling John Mark's faith weak, you have already judged him. You have also classified him and others who don't share your views on circumcision as false believers. Perhaps it is you who are weak because, as you have admitted, you were unable to follow the law in your days as a strict Pharisee and you kept falling into sin. Maybe that's why you make such a big play of grace and justification by faith and why you always talk about the law of Moses as a slave master. Romans 7, 14, 25 Paul, are you also turning away from him who called you to that gospel, which is no gospel at all? Have even you, Barnabas, been led astray? Galatians 2:13. No one is righteous before God, and no one will be declared righteous in God's sight through works of the law. Rather, through the law, all of us are made conscious of our sin.
[00:09:40] I am now not so sure I want to bring you with me on this next missionary journey.
[00:09:45] Barnabas. You are insufferable. Paul. It was me that brought you to the Christians at Antioch and to the apostles.
[00:09:54] Paul. The apostles recognized that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the Gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised. For God, who was at work in Peter as an apostle to the circumcised, was also at work in me as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Peter and John, those esteemed as pillars, gave you and I the right hand of fellowship. When they recognized the grace given to me, they agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised. All they asked was that we should continue to remember the Ebionim, the very thing I had been eager to do all along. Galatians 2:1 10, Acts 24:17, Romans 15:26.
[00:10:40] I more than complied with all of this, Barnabas. But then later they undermined me by sending people to the flock we had founded, telling them not to donate any money to our ministry, but insisted that all donations should only go to the Ebionim who don't go out and earn a living and are unable to support even wives. First Corinthians 9:5. We had never asked for any money anyway, but that is beside the point. This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. Don't we have the right to food and drink? Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Peter? Or is it only you and I, Barnabas, who lack the right to not work for a living. Don't you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the Gospel. But I have not used any of these rights. What then is my reward? Just this, that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the Gospel.
[00:11:56] Barnabas, your view of events is distorted by your sense of self importance. The leaders of our movement never accepted that you were an apostle on a level with the 12, and they remained and still remain deeply concerned that you were and are disregarding the central tenets of Torah and teaching other Jewish believers in the Messiah to do the same. You know full well that there is some basis in your behavior for these concerns, as we have just discussed. Furthermore, even in your own theological system, you have not fully worked out how to reconcile your extreme emphasis on grace and faith with the requirements of the Jewish law which were fully upheld by Jesus, our Messiah. The leaders warned you about going into Gentile houses and eating food that might have been from animals that had been strangled and or sacrificed to idols Acts 15:20 21 and they reminded you to remember to ask the Gentiles to make contributions to the Ebionim communities in Judea Galatians 2:10 the members of which had sacrificed all their worldly goods for the sake of the Messiah as they wait patiently along with us for the imminent return of the promised Son of Man. James also warned you about disregarding the importance of good works according to our law in your teachings James 2:14 26. You then flagrantly disregarded these warnings, and that is why James and the Apostles believed that your teachings should no longer be supported by money from the believers. You seem to have conveniently forgotten that it is your actions that have partly led to the Apostles being concerned about your ministry.
[00:13:39] Continued in Part four.
