150 Rainer Reuter as he always did.3 By doing so he was breaking the Jewish food laws.4 This was a common custom for all Jewish Christians in Antioch.5 But after some people from James had arrived (Gal 2,12b), not only Peter but also other Jewish Christians gradually withdrew6 from common table fellow- ship (Gal 2,13a). In the end even Barnabas, an apostle to the gentiles like Paul7, changed camps (Gal 2,13b). Observing this, Paul confronted Peter, arguing that his behaviour was by no means according to the gospel (Gal 2,14).8 What was going on in Antioch is rather clear. Not as apparent are Peter’s motives for his behaviour. Paul shortly mentions them, telling his readers that Peter “feared those of the circumcision” (Gal 2,12: φοβούμενος τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς). The meaning of this phrase is the second main problem in the Antioch story, and this is a matter of semantics. A majority of scholars interpret the phrase οἱ ἐκ περιτομῆς as meaning Jewish Chris- tians9 and referring to the people coming from James.10 According to 3 The imperfect συνήσθιεν has an iterative meaning. Cf. F. Blass / A. Debrunner / F. Rehkopf, Grammatik des neutestamentlichen Griechisch (Göttingen 182001) § 325; H. Schlier, Der Brief an die Galater (KEK 7, Göttingen 51971) 83; Betz, Galatians 107; F. Mußner, Der Galaterbrief (HThK 9, Freiburg / Basel / Wien 1981) 138; A. Oepke / J. Rohde, Der Brief des Paulus an die Galater (ThHK 9, Berlin 1984) 88. 4 Concerning a separation between Jews and gentiles with regard to table fellowship, biblical scholars normally refer to Dan 1,8-16; Jub 22,16, III Macc 3,4; JosAs 7,1. Cf. among others Mußner, Galaterbrief 140; J. Becker, «Der Brief an die Galater», J. Becker, / U. Luz, Die Briefe an die Galater, Epheser und Kolosser, (NTD 8.1, Göttingen 1998) 39-40. 5 According to L. J. Litaert Peerbolte, Paul the Missionary (Leuven / Paris / Dudley 2003) 131 this practice of the Antiochian Jewish Christians may even go back to pre- Christian times. 6 The imperfect forms ὑπέστελλεν and ἀφώριζεν indicate that this wasn’t a sudden action but a longer process. Cf. among others Mußner, Galaterbrief 140; Schlier, Brief an die Galater 84. 7 Cf. Gal 2,1-10. Especially Gal 2,9 clearly indicates that in the Pauline writings Barna- bas is an apostle. Cf. W. Schenk, «Die ältesten Selbstverständnisse christlicher Gruppen im ersten Jahrhundert», ANRW II 26.2 (Berlin / New York 1995) 1369. 8 When the alternative reading ἦλθεν is preferred it has to be interpreted as referring back to the phrase ὅτε δὲ ἦλθεν Κηφᾶς εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν, in Gal 2,11. Gal 2,11 then seems to be a general introduction to the scene, explaining why Kephas was self-convicted (κατεγνωσμένος). The description of the incident differs in two points from the description above. The James-people have obviously been in Antioch before Peter came. When Peter came to Antioch he began to separate himself from the gentile Christians. His common practice of table fellowship concerns, then, the time before he came to Antioch. It must be regarded as a custom Peter practiced everywhere. 9 Cf. among others Schlier, Brief an die Galater 84; D. Lührmann, Der Brief an die Galater (ZBK 7, Zürich 1978) 41; Oepke / Rohde, Galater 88; Litaert Peerbolte, Paul the Missionary 194. 10 Cf. among others Schlier, Brief an die Galater 84; Lührmann, Galater 41; Mußner, Galaterbrief 141-142.