A “NoN-ETHNIC” PEoPlE? 119 similar to, and yet also different from, that of the Jewish people, then it makes perfect sense that also Jews have to undergo baptism. * * * This essay dialogues with Buell and Hodge on the question of how to interpret ethnic reasoning in Paul, with particular emphasis on Gal 3,26-29. Despite some significant agreements, I have also presented some critique of their assumptions and conclusions. I have pointed out that Buell and Hodge base their case on observations that are open to an alternative interpretation to the one they suggest, but that they have failed to give this alternative interpretation adequate treatment 57. Their refutation of a metaphorical interpretation of ethnic terminology in Paul is unconvincing, in that it is based on false dichotomies and an under- theorized conception of what metaphors are. These theoretical and methodological shortcomings influence their reading of Paul. I have argued that Buell and Hodge helpfully detect a paradox in Paul’s argument, pertaining to his use of kinship language, but that their ex- planation of this paradox fails to convince. I then tried to demonstrate that a metaphorical reading of Paul does not lead us into the kinds of problems that Buell and Hodge claim. Moreover, I have also argued that a metaphorical reading of Paul has certain interpretive advantages compared to the framework proposed by Buell and Hodge. First, a metaphorical reading of Paul explains the paradox Buell and Hodge point to in a better way than the solution they propose, and it also allows us to retain and rearticulate some of their key concerns and keen insights. Second, a metaphorical reading of Paul better explains why Paul so ve- hemently rejected the claim that the Galatians should undergo circumcision — a question which seems difficult to answer on the reading of Buell and Hodge. Third, a metaphorical reading of Paul better explains why also Jews should be baptized, according to Paul. This question too seems difficult to answer within the framework of Buell and Hodge. MF Norwegian School of Theology ole Jakob FIlTvEDT P.o. Box 5144, Majorstuen N–0302 oslo 57 This judgment is shared by E.S. Gruen who claims that Buell “dismisses too readily the possibility that such terminology could be employed metaphori- cally: review of D.K. BuEll, Why this New Race? Ethnic Reasoning in Early Christianity, CBQ 72 (2010) 366.