Did Jesus claim to be the «bridegroom»? If so, what did he mean by this claim? When Jesus says that the wedding guests should not fast «while the bridegroom is with them» (Mark 2:19), he is claiming to be a bridegroom by intentionally alluding to a rich tradition from the Hebrew Bible. By eating and drinking with «tax collectors and other sinners,» Jesus was inviting people to join him in celebrating the eschatological banquet. While there is no single text in the Hebrew Bible or the literature...
Galatians is one of the earliest of the Pauline letters and is therefore among the first documents written by Christians in the first century. Paul's letter to the Galatians deals with the first real controversy in the early church: the status of Jews and gentiles in this present age and the application of the Law of Moses to gentiles. Paul argues passionately that gentiles are not «converting» to Judaism and therefore should not be expected to keep the Law. Gentiles who accept Jesus as...
