Why unite specifically these three categories of people in Galatians 3:28?

Question

I wonder why the apostle Paul in the Book of Galatians (3:28) specifically unifies three categories of people..

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (KJV)

Why didn't he say for example: There is neither young nor old, There is neither married nor widow, There is neither clean nor unclean.

In the days of Jesus women didn't have the same rights as men when it came to temple entrance.. According to Jewish tradition women were not allowed to participate in the ceremonies, they had a certain space they could enter. Rabbi's taught that women were not allowed to be instructed in the law other by their own husbands, etc.

But what about the slave versus the free? Did a slave also have lesser access than a free person when it came to temple entrance and such? Did a slave have fewer rights to get instruction from the law?

Answer 1

Race, class and sex are simply the major and universal distinctions between humans. Good distinctions from God. God didn't intend for women to rule the house, or the peasant to command the king, or the Greek to enforce his will on Jews or for one to commit genocide against the other. He uses these most fundamental distinctions between people to illustrate that even the most fundamental distinctions between humans don't mean you are separated from Christ—you aren't damned because you are of this race, or that sex, but rather all are welcome. Does this mean that the distinctions are dissolved, and men and women are interchangable, or that races 'don't exist' or that all hierarchy in society should be abilshed, leaving anarchy and godlessness? No, the fact that the distinctions are real illustrate the point, because they are what we are born with and can't change (except class, but it's still a fundamental distinction), and constitute the most fundamental differences between us.

Answer 2

The three dicotomies (in reverse order) match the three divisions of humanity that sprang from the first three major acts of judgment in Genesis.

• The Fall of Adam and Eve was judged by God not only with expulsion from Eden but with a magnification of the differences between men and women and producing antagonism between the sexes. This was the first major change to the social order.
• The flood of Noah led to another massive change in the social order. Capital punishment was authorized for murder, establishing human government. Then when one of Noah's sons mocked him for his nakedness, Noah cursed that son's line with slavery, the first mention in the Bible of this state of affairs.
• In the story of the Tower of Babel, God confused people's languages and dispersed humanity into separate ethnicities and races. This division is typified by the barrier betweeen Jews and Greeks, codified in the Law of Moses.

Paul, by listing the three categories in that order, may be prophesying the order in which those divisions would one day be addressed, which is the reverse of the order in which they were created. Thus the abolition movement against slavery came in the nineteenth century. Progress against racism and sexism each began to gather steam after that. It is difficult to say whether the world as a whole is making faster progress against racism or against sexism. However, education and access to capital and job opportunities can more easily erase the differences between the races, which are socially constructed, than between men and women, which are partially rooted in biology. Therefore my conviction is that the equality of the sexes will take longer.

Answer 3

There are two principal ways to understand the crucial passage in Gal 3:28 -

• There is neither Jew nor Greek,
• there is neither slave nor free,
• there is neither male and female;

for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

1. Triple Hendiadys

Paul is particularly fond of the negative hendiadys (from the Greek “ἓν διὰ δυοῖν”, one through two) which, here as elsewhere, takes the form "οὐκ ἔνι there is A οὐδὲ B" = neither A nor B. Paul uses this construction 28 times in his writings but only in Gal 3:28 is there a triple construction as shown above.

The hendiadys is common in many languages, especially English such as:

• Day and night = continually, all the time
• Searched high and low = searched everywhere
• Time and again = repeatedly
• Neither one nor the other = nothing
• Turn neither to the right nor the left = do not deviate from the current path.
• For better or worse = under all circumstances, etc, etc.

This Gal 3:28, Paul uses this triple negative hendiadys for literary emphasis as Ellicott observes:

(28) This verse continues the proof that all Christians are, in the fullest sense, “sons of God.” Galatians 3:27 showed why this was so; the present verse shows that there are no exceptions, no inequalities. All Christians alike, no matter what their race, status, or sex, stand on the same footing of sonship before God. There is a unity or solidarity in the Christian body. What is true of one is true of all.

2. Remove the Divisions Made by Sin

The other important point Paul subtly makes is to show that one of Christianity's greatest triumphs is to remove all distinctions and divisions made by the entrance of sin as ellicott also observes:

This verse marks the immense stride made by Christianity in sweeping away the artificial distinctions which had been the bane of the ancient world, and prevented any true feeling of brotherhood springing up in it. Christianity, at one stroke, established the brotherhood and abolished the distinctions.

However, this should be taken carefully as Barnes observes:

It does not mean that no respect is to be shown to those in office, or to people in elevated rank. It does not mean that all are on a level in regard to talents, comforts, or wealth; but it means only that all people are on a level "in regard to religion." This is the sole point under discussion; and the interpretation should be limited to this. It is not a fact that people are on a level in all things, nor is it a fact that the gospel designs to break down all the distinctions of society. Paul means to teach that no man has any preference or advantage in the kingdom of God because he is a rich man, or because he is of elevated rank; no one is under any disadvantage because he is poor, or because he is ignorant, or a slave.

The important three distinctions that have been obliterated are (1) race; (2) social/economic status; (3) sexuality - all are saved the same way and all are one in Christ.

Thus, true Christianity has no place for (despite its agonizingly long time to learn this)

• racism, and the idea that one race is superior or inferior to another. This sinful idea immediately lead to the next which was -
• slavery - slavery created (and continues to cause) immense suffering and poverty
• sexism including misogyny and chauvinism, etc, which have also created (and continue to create) great social evils.

APPENDIX - Paul's Negative Hendiadys Constructions

Here is a list of time Paul uses his popular negative Hendiadys construction, "neither A nor B"

• Rom 2:28, (Jewish) not openly nor in the flesh (= a believer, not a biological Jew)
• Rom 3:10, none righteous nor one (= nobody is righteous, all are sinners)
• Rom 4:15, no law nor transgression (= no Torah nor 10 commandments)
• Rom 8:7, not subject to law nor can be (= outside the law)
• Rom 9:6, 7, not all descended from Israel nor can they be (= unconnected with literal Israel)
• Rom 9:16, not the [one] wishing nor the [one] running (= unrelated to humans at all)
• Rom 11:21, not spare branches nor you (= spare no one)
• 1 Cor 2:6, (wisdom) not of this age nor the rulers of this age (= unrelated to human wisdom)
• 1 Cor 11:16, (custom) not have neither the churches have (= nothing else)
• 1 Cor 15:13, (resurrection of dead) not is neither Christ has been raised (= no resurrection)
• 1 Cor 15:16, (dead) not raised neither Christ has been raised (= no resurrection)
• 1 Cor 15:50, (flesh and blood) not able to inherit corruption nor incorruption (= mortal man does not enter eternity)
• 2 Cor 7:12, not for the sake of the offender neither the sake of the wronged (= unrelated to the crime)
• Gal 1:1, not from men nor through men (= unrelated to humanity)
• Gal 1:11,12, not according to man neither from man neither taught [by man] (= unrelated to humanity)
• Gal 1:16,17, not conferred with flesh and blood neither go up to Jerusalem (= unrelated to human advice)
• Gal 3:28, not Jew nor Greek; not slave nor freeman; not male nor female (= no distinction)
• Gal 4:14, not despised nor disdained (= honored)
• Phil 2:16, not run in vain neither labored in vain (not wasted time and effort)
• 1 Thess 2:3, not of error nor of uncleanness (= not out of deception)
• 1 Thess 5:5, not of night nor of darkness (= not from deception)
• 2 Thess 3:7, 8, not idle among you neither ate a gift of bread from anyone (supported myself)
• 1 Tim 2:12, not to teach nor to domineer (= not foist ideas upon)
• 1 Tim 6:7, nothing we bring in neither can we carry anything out (= we have nothing, ultimately)
• 1 Tim 6:16, no man saw neither is able (to see) (= see nothing)

Note that in all these cases, Paul uses this construction to summarize a conclusion of what has gone before.

Answer 4

Sola Gratia had correctly identified the three main distinction.

Race, Class (Social status) and Sex (Gender) were three main obstacles of unity in early churches when Paul emphasized "you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). In Christ, nobody should be divided by race, social status and gender. Surely not by young nor old, married nor single neither divorce, (I cannot answer Clean nor unclean for it is unclear of your definition).

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, Paul explained it in greater details. He said "12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many."(NIV)

"We were all given the one Spirit to drink", equivalent to when he said "By Grace we have been saved". Yes we are not the same. We belongs to different races, different social status and different gender, however, in Christ we are his body parts and together, we are one body. Each part of the body should not act against another, for we are in the same body. Instead, "the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty" (1 Corinthian 12:23 NIV). "So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other."(1 Corinthian 12:25 NIV)

Concern of each other need love. So "LOVE" is the only mean to overcome our differences, and "LOVE" come from God. In Him we are united.