04_Sandnes_550-564_copia_550-564 10/12/15 10:24 Pagina 562 562 KARL OLAV SANDNES 562 termines how Paul understands himself” 32. As pointed out through- out this article, the gospel, not Paul himself, was the real news. Hence, the latter is subordinated to the gospel; thus his self-under- standing mirrors the gospel. Andrzej Jacek Najda rightly says that the gospel revealed to Paul “ist neu und alt zugleich” 33. According to Paul, the prophetic ministry reaches its peak in the gospel; hence it finds also there its completion. There is thus a uniqueness at- tached to the prophet-like apostolate entrusted with the gospel. Paul calls himself an apostle. His being elected, sent with a mis- sion, speaking on the authority of the God of the Fathers — all this unites Paul with the Hebrew prophets. Calling himself an “apostle” is a derivate from the verb avposte,llw; this becomes obvious when he connects this noun to prepositions like avpo, and dia, (Gal 1,1.11- 12; 1 Cor 1,1; 2 Cor 1,1; Rom 1,1-5). In the words of Tobias Nick- las: “Wie die Propheten Israels ist Paulus ‘gesandt’, um das Evangelium zu verkündigen” 34. Due to the emphasis on the preach- ing of eschatological salvation, the Book of Isaiah and the Servant there played an important role, but Paul is not connected with in- dividual prophets, be they Moses, the Servant or Jeremiah, but with the prophetic tradition corporately. Still Paul refrains from labelling himself a prophet among other prophets. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that it mattered to Paul to voice an identity that — in spite of fundamental similarities — separated him from the prophets, because the gospel as a fulfillment was to be distin- guished from the prophets who gave promises about it. Thus the aspect of time and fulfillment is crucial here. Furthermore, the Christocentric nature of his apostolate, both with regard to its au- thority and content, further separated him from the prophets. This Christocentrism is not necessarily antagonistic to the prophetic model. But the way it expresses not only a mission but also a re- orientation towards the past, abbreviated in the critique of the Law, makes Christ the primary model for understanding Paul as an apos- tle entrusted with the gospel. 32 S. GRINDHEIM, “Apostate Turned Prophet: Paul’s Prophetic Self-Under- standing and Prophetic Hermeneutic with Special Reference to Galatians 3.10-12”, NTS 53 (2007) 556. 33 NAJDA, Prophet, 234. 34 NICKLAS, “Paulus”, 84.