My Proposal for the Antioch Incident, Part Two: What role does James play in the circumstances; and who are “those of the circumcision”?

I assume few readers even remember that I am working on a series of posts on Jewish Christianity and the study of the Antioch Incident was a complementary aspect of a study of James and his role in the incident. This investigation seemed necessary given the long standing view that Galatians 2:11-14 represented the point when Peter (and James) and Paul’s ministry “parted ways” with the two pillars of early Christianity never again being reconciled. This division was seen as a figure of speech for the two opposing streams of early Christianity: Jewish and Gentile Christianities.

After thinking about the Antioch incident, I have come to the conclusion that the two questions of (1) James’ role and (2) the identity of the circumcision party are in all events less crucial for the interpretation of the incident than many have admitted. I have come to this view for two reasons.

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First, the two entities “people from James” and “those of the circumcision” are enigmatic references which allow for multiple interpretations as the secondary literature bears out. It appears at least that while these entities are unknown to modern readers they were nevertheless evident to those who first heard the letter since Paul feels no need to define them for his reader. While it is useful to attempt to reconstruct both the identity and the role played in the incident, perhaps the wisest approach is one that is not dependent on a definitive interpretation of these characters in the story.

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Second, the focus of the plot is not on either of the two parties and their role in this brief vignette is within the framework of the story’s setting. While it appears quite clear that Paul characterizes the circumcision group with negative shades, given their relationship to Peter’s behavior, the “men from James” are neutral and flat. It is possible that the reader is to group them with the circumcision party, but the connection is not made for the reader by Paul and their function in the narrative can be construed diversely.

In the end, I don’t think the Antioch Incident provides much useful information for our understanding of James. The story does not emit a quantity or quality of evidence needed to develop an understanding of James’ role in the event and I think this fact needs to be more readily acknowledge by interpreters. There is no reason to assume James was apprehensive about the Gentile mission in Antioch such that he sent a delegation to investigate. The text says neither that the “men from James” actively pressured Peter “to draw back” from associating with Gentiles, nor that James sent them for this purpose.

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What’s more, it seems best to leave open the question of the identity of the “circumcision party” without overly specifying the referent historically. They are no doubt a group of circumcised males—perhaps Christ believers, perhaps not, perhaps Judeans, but perhaps Antiochean Jews—who disagreed with the practice of associating with Gentiles in their social space. Their disagreement with the intimate association influenced Peter to behave in a way contrary to the truth of the Gospel.