I'm so absolutely amazed by Paul's knowledge of scripture. To know the story of Sarah and Hagar isn't so much - but the know the prophecies of Isaiah so thoroughly, and to be able to reinterpret their original meaning for the allegory he sets up is stunning.
I'm sure most women in the age knew that verse from Isaiah. There is some time in almost every woman's life (short time in my own, much much longer for others I know) when the sight of a stroller at the mall can cause pain. And the issues we struggle with today are dealt with in an age of modern medicine and frequent adoption - and when a woman's total worth isn't tied up with childbearing. These issues must have been overwhelmingly painful for women then.
But Paul is a man. So his ability to grab this imagery and build on it amazes me. He must breathe the scriptures to be able to call upon them so easily. I'm also rather shocked that he goes from talking about being "heirs" to talking about mothers -- a discussion of "Father" would seem to flow more easily. And Paul usually ticks me off a bit for being so male-focused. Not here.....hmm.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment