27 PLEASING GOD PLEASING PEOPLE ? OR II. View 2: Paul’s Defense against Accusations The viewpoint that Paul defends himself against accusations is not a single, unified view but a set of viewpoints encompassing charges of many kinds. The previous view overlaps with it in that many who hold that Paul defends his apostolate hold that he defends it against accusations. But others who read accusations behind the text find them to target more (or other) than Paul’s apostolic credentials. The accusations take many forms. David Dockery sees Paul answering the accusation that his apostleship is derived and dependent whereas Franz Mußner sees the accusation that Paul’s is not a true apostolate at all 7. James Dunn says that in 1,17 Paul responds to a report that he received the gospel from the Jerusalem apostles, and J.L. Martyn adds that stories circulated that Paul “ r e c e i ve d supplemental instruction from ‘the disciples in Damascus’ ” 8. Dieter Lührmann reads even in Paul’s oath (1,20) false rumors about his visit with Peter 9. Scholars distill such charges from the text by mirror reading, that is, by reading a statement Paul makes as the denial of a charge made against him. Or, as George Lyons puts it, “The designation ‘mirror reading’ arises from the presumption that what Paul denies, his opponents have asserted and/or that what he asserts, they have denied” 10. The problem with mirror reading in general is that a given response may be provoked by more than one cause. For example, Paul’s statement in 1,10 that he does not still please people might be a response to a charge that he does; or it might be a veiled charge that his opponents do, an indirect warning to his readers against doing so, or evidence that his gospel is true because only pleasing people would motivate him to lie. The reflection in the mirror changes as the mirror is turned. Therefore mirror reading, by D.S. DOCKERY, “Introduction to the Epistle and Paul’s Defense of his 7 Apostleship (Galatians 1:1–2:14)”, RevExp 91 (1994) 149. See also DUNN, Galatians, 67. F. MUßNER, Der Galaterbrief (HTKNT 9; Freiburg 51988) 62. DUNN, Galatians, 68; J.L. MARTYN, Galatians. A New Translation with 8 Introduction and Commentary (AB 33A; New York, NY 1997) 159. D. LÜHRMANN, Galatians. A Continental Commentary (Minneapolis, 9 MN 1992) 33. See also MARTYN, Galatians, 174; M. SILVA, Interpreting Galatians. Explorations in Exegetical Method (Grand Rapids, MI 22001) 105. G. LYONS, Pauline Autobiography. Toward a New Understanding 10 (SBLDS 73 ; Atlanta, GA 1985) 80-81.