In my diary entry last week titled A Short Defense of the Trinity, I quoted Glenn McWilliams as saying that some of the words of the Apostle Paul had been mistranslated. When properly translated, they uphold the keeping of the Torah for followers of the Christ.
Jake wrote in to say that the word ek wasn't mistranslated. I wrote back promising to contact Glenn McWilliams for clarification. Everything turned out alright. I will display our correspondance here. After our correspondance, you can read Glenn McWilliams explanation of the mistranslation of the word "ek".
From: Jacob Fronczak
To: Ted Walther
Subject: Greek prepositionsMr. Walther,
from your diary: "The translations show that we are not justified of the works of the law. But the Greek manuscripts contain the word "ek", which means "out of". This changes Pauls position entirely; he is saying that you cannot be justified "out of" the works of the law; without the works of law, you will not be justified."
first, if memory serves, in Qumrani texts "works of the law" was not even used to refer to Torah, it was used to refer to oral law and traditions, sometimes mixed with Torah. qumran is to my knowledge the only extrabiblical source we have to determine what the phrase "works of the law" means.
second, according to Strong's, ek is "a primary preposition denoting origin."
"from," "through," "by," would all be appropriate translations in the verse you are quoting; "out of" would also work but it doesn't mean "without," it has the same meaning as it would in the phrase "out of Egypt I will call my son."
if Paul meant to say "without" he probably would have picked strong's 5565, choris, as he did in romans 3:28. "a man is justified by faith WITHOUT (choris; by itself, apart from) the deeds of the law."
From: Ted Walther
To: Jacob Fronczak
Subject: Re: Greek prepositionsThanks Jake. I better get in touch with Glenn McWilliams and get him to clarify. I hate to teach false doctrine; it just seemed like such a beautiful way of correcting the Bible in our favor. I'll post a retraction and update if Glenn can't clarify adequately.
From: Jacob Fronczak
To: Ted Walther
Subject: Re: Greek prepositionsI think we are definitely justified apart from "works of the law" or "deeds of the law." What "works of the law" are is debatable. I don't think it's referring to Torah. Sha'ul makes it clear that the word of faith in Deuteronomy that the Israelim were to uphold is the same word of faith he was preaching. Yeshua makes it clear that those who do not believe Moses' words will not believe Messiah's.
It would definitely be easier if we could dismiss or radically reinterpret Sha'ul or Ya'acov on this matter. I like what Avi ben Mordechai said in his commentary on Galatians, though. We ought to first consider the words of YHWH as recorded by Moses, then those of the prophets (who must agree with Moses), then those of Yeshua as recorded in the Gospels (for Messiah must be in agreement with the Torah and the Nevi'im), then those three great pillars of the body of Yeshua (Cephas, Ya'acov, and Yochanan as recorded in James, 1-2-3 John, 1-2 Peter, and Acts) and then lastly Sha'ul who is the usually the hardest to understand and contextualize, especially when considered apart from the rest of the Scriptures!
Of course, Avi goes on to radically reinterpret Shaul in his commentary... sigh.
I think basically our western concept of faith is flawed. Faith is chutzpah, faith is kind of like activated belief. In Hebrews 11, never does the author say "so-and-so HAD faith and was saved." No, it was BY faith Abel OFFERED a more excellent sacrifice. BY faith Noah BUILT an ark. If Noah had "believed" but had not built the ark, would he have had faith? If someone "believes" in Messiah but refuses to obey or emulate Him, do they have faith?
Christianity tends to pit "faith plus works" against "faith without works." There is no such thing as faith without works. It is not works that justify, but faith; but one who claims to have faith but has no works, has no faith - or if he does, it is dead faith, and not by any means saving faith. According to Ya'acov, a man is not justified by faith alone, but faith is made complete by action. Works need not add anything to faith, for they complete faith. I think it is safe to assume that Biblical faith effects and includes action.
So Shaul says, May it never be that we should annul the law by our faith, but on the contrary, we establish it. But we do not place our hope in Moses, as the Perushim did. Our hope is in Messiah, in the promise to Abraham, and most of all in YHWH Himself.
The error was mine; my diary entry said that we cannot be justified without the works of the law. Glenn McWilliams did not say that. Glenn was speaking of Galatians 3:10.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
This verse seems very confusing. First, it says that if you are doing the works of the law you are under a curse. But then right after it says that this is because everyone is cursed who does not do the works of the law! A damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.
This is where the mistranslation comes in. Jacob is correct; the best translation of the word "ek" is "from" or "out of". Let us substitute the correct translation and see what we get.
Galatians 3:10 For as many as are out of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Now it is much clearer. If you are out of the works of the law, you are under a curse. And this matches perfectly the last half of the verse, for it is written that every one is under a curse who doesn't do the things written in the law.
So, we are not justified by works of the law, but we are assuredly under a curse if we don't do what God's Law says.
After our correspondance, Jacob wrote a good Bible based definition of faith, hope, and love in his blog: Furry Curry November 28, 2006.