31 PLEASING GOD PLEASING PEOPLE ? OR vocation simply take over Paul’s earlier life” 21. In other words, Paul’s character validates his gospel, and thus the paradigm view fulfills 1,11-12. Now if Paul claims to be a paradigm of the gospel and if he combats the gospel of his opponents by urging the Galatians to follow his example, he is necessarily claiming character superior to that of his opponents and crediting his superior character to his gospel. The Galatians should conclude, then, that Paul’s message is true (or at least better than that of his adversaries). Although Paul embodies upright behavior in Galatians 1–2 — and ought to be used as a paradigm where possible — it is not the purpose of these two chapters to show this 22. Donald Verseput finds that the details of the narrative do not support a paradigm view: “ Paul makes no effort to avoid emphasizing his special apostolic role which removes him from his readership (1,12.15-16; 2,4-5.7-8), nor is it at all clear ... why Paul should make his geographical distance from Palestine such a dominant factor in his argument” 23. Johan Vos also observes that “only a few elements in Gal 1:13-2 :14 really have paradigmatic force” while details of Paul’s journeys and his relation to the pillar apostles are irrelevant as examples for the Galatians 24. Even Lyons, although he holds the paradigm view, cannot fit some important pieces, such as Paul’s visit to Peter in 1,18-20 and his oath in 1,20, into a paradigm pattern 25. Chapter 2 presents additional obstacles for the paradigm view. If Paul’s point in 2,1-10 is that the apostles recognized “God’s action in Paul’s work among the Gentiles” 26, why would he add v. 6 that it Paul as willing “to forego certain practices of the law (an important part of his Judean identity) in order to interact with the gentiles (and he rebukes his colleagues for refusing to do so [Gal 2 :11-14]) ”. Paul’s rebuke goes beyond Judean identity, however, when he says that he has died to the law (Gal 2,17-20). B.R. GAVENTA, “Is Galatians Just a ‘Guy Thing’? A Theological 21 Reflection ”, Int 54 (2000) 271. However, Paul does distinctly set himself up as a paradigm of one living 22 by the gospel in 2,18-21. D. VERSEPUT, “Paul’s Gentile Mission and the Jewish Christian 23 Community : A Study of the Narrative in Galatians 1 and 2”, NTS 39 (1993) 37, n. 3. J.S. VOS, “Paul’s Argumentation in Galatians 1-2”, HTR 87 (1994) 14-15. 24 LYONS, Pauline Autobiography, 158, 160. 25 GAVENTA, “Autobiography as Paradigm”, 315-316. 26