Zur Argumentation von Galater 3.10–12

Abstract

The passage Gal 3.10–12, well embedded into its context, is important with regard to the doctrine of justification; however, it is a crux interpretum. This essay tries to settle the problems by paying attention to the quotations from the scriptures in v. 10b (see Dtn 27.6), v. 11b (see Hab 2.4) and v. 12 (cf. Lev 18.5), in which the emphasis on individual regulations of the Torah is striking (vv. 10b, 12); the particles which twice (vv. 10b–11a; vv. 11b–12) form a ‘for …, but …’ are also taken into consideration. This leads to the thesis of two syllogisms linked to each other: vv. 10a–11a (Barbara) and vv. 11a–12 (Camestres). The quotations from the scriptures here supply three arguments, and v. 11a, the propositio of vv. 11a–12, is (as praemissa of v. 10a–11a) the fourth. The objective of the argumentation is v. 10a.