04_Sandnes_550-564_copia_550-564 10/12/15 10:24 Pagina 553 553 PROPHET-LIKE APOSTLE 553 This observation explains why the Book of Isaiah becomes so important in Paul’s mission. Within Galatians 1–2, also 1,24 (“and they glorified God because of me”) and 2,2b (“that I was not run- ning, or had not run, in vain”) are shaped by Isaiah (Isa 49,3-4). 1. Christocentric Prophetic Commission It is remarkable that although the verb euvaggeli,zomai might be used without an accusative, or with the object included in the verb (Rom 1,15; 15,20; 1 Cor 15,1; 2 Cor 11,7; Gal 1,8; 4,13 cf. Gal 2,7), that is not the case here. It is about proclaiming Christ himself (auvto,n). Content-wise, the gospel Paul is commissioned to preach is, therefore, somehow identical with Christ revealed to him. This places the focus on the content of the revelation itself, making the prophetic commis- sion Christocentric in nature, and also deeply involved with the risen Christ. For obvious reasons this distinguishes Paul from the prophets. Two observations are worthy of some further considerations. First, the revelation itself in which the commission is conveyed — as in the inaugural theophanies of the Old Testament prophets embarking on their mission — makes up the very mission of the prophet-like apostle. This aspect hardly finds a real analogy with the prophets. Second, the Christocentric revelation given to Paul finds an analogy within Galatians itself, namely in 3,1: “It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified!” Passages like 1 Cor 9,1 (“Have I not seen [e`or , aka] Jesus our Lord?”) and 1 Cor 15,8 “he appeared [w;fqh] also to me”), which associate the Damascus event with the risen Christ, involve the eyes in a way similar to what happened to the Galatians according to 3,1. Thus it becomes apparent that Paul’s prophetic commission works within a pattern of comparison or example here. Since the Galatians are by no means seen as called to embark upon a prophetic vocation, this analogy suggests that the Damascus event in Galatians 1 has dimensions which the prophetic analogy does not come to terms with (see below). Paul’s prophet-like apostolate is said to have the nations (evn toi/j e;qnesin) as its main target. According to James D.G. Dunn, not only was Paul’s encounter on the Damascus road seen in a prophetic light but even his commissioning to the nations was prophet-like 10. Ref- 10 J.D.G. DUNN, “Paul’s Conversion: A Light to the Twentieth-Century Disputes”, The New Perspective on Paul. Collected Essays (ed. J.D.G. DUNN) (WUNT 185; Tübingen 2005) 341-359, especially p. 357.