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No Longer Male: Masculinity Struggles Behind Galatians 3.28?

Union Theological Seminary, 3041 Broadway New York, New York 10027

Overcoming the hierarchical dichotomy of male and female according to Gal. 3.26-28 is an essential element of the baptismal oneness in Christ. This article tries to show that the gender-related part of the baptismal formula is not merely a side-quotation in Paul's overall Galatian argument about the unity of Jews and Gentiles; rather the re-conceptualization of masculinity (and femininity, as a consequence) is at the heart of his wrestling with circumcision, foreskin, and a messianic redefinition of Abraham's seed. In a radical subversion of father-based genealogical and social patterns Paul de-centers physical maleness (Gal. 3-4) and develops an ethics of mutuality (Gal. 5-6) which might have confronted the Galatian men with specific problems concerning their gender identity and status, thus explaining in part their desire to take over the dominant Jewish practice of male circumcision.

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