04_Biblica_Aletti_Layout 1 08/07/13 12:56 Pagina 409 04_B 409 PAUL’S EXHORTATIONS IN GAL 5,16-25 In fact, the distance between “For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit” and “to prevent you from doing what you would” 43 is reduced; it does not prevent associating the final proposition with the first segment of the sentence. The adversative particle “but” (δέ) authorizes there being another part of the parenthesis or inci- dental clause, whereas a καί (“the flesh desires against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh”) would make it impossible 44. None of the readings of Gal 5,17 that we have just presented are apodictically obvious. If here we have preferred the third to the other two, it is solely because it excellently respects the passage’s dynamic and the alternation of the flesh/Spirit presentations. In- deed, it permits recovering the final value of the hina, and it makes complete sense, because if the flesh is opposed to the Spirit it is re- ally so that we do not do what we want. As articulated by the third reading, the verse takes into account the argumentation’s dynamic, that is, whoever is led by the Spirit can finally do what [that is to say, the good] he wants. Far from emphasizing a defeat, Paul is in- directly highlighting the superiority of the Spirit. As for the inci- dental clause, its function is also clear: Paul is reminding his readers that if the flesh struggles against the Spirit, the latter is there in order to respond to the attacks, because this is truly his role. At this point, it is not a bad idea to retrace the route taken so far, because it clearly shows that different, even non-confessional, read- ings can have important theological consequences. The first reading highlights the imperfection, and, at the worst, the ethical paralysis of believers; for the second, Paul is wanting to recall that liberty is not the equivalent of an absence of all constraint and that believers must resist their impulses; according to the third, by recognizing that the flesh struggles against the Spirit, the Apostle is pointing out that the flesh has in the Spirit a lasting and effective antagonist. If each reading appeals to reasons that are non-confessional, their way of understanding the status of works in Paul is clearly felt. After having stated my agreement with the choice of the third read- ing for Gal 5,17, it remains for me to develop some of the compo- nents of the passage’s exhortations. Translation RSV for both lines. 43 Some current translations unfortunately understand it as if there were a 44 kai (“and”). © Gregorian Biblical Press 2013 - Tutti i diritti riservati