Between Curse and Cross.: Defixiones and the Construction of the Pauline Argument in Gal 3:10–14

Abstract

By expanding the source base to include the so-called curse tablets, this study attempts to illuminate some aspects from a difficult Pauline paragraph. In Gal 3:10–14, Paul makes a very close connection between law and curse using Old Testament quotations. Some explanations on the employment of curses in legal contexts are used here to clarify on the background of popular magical practice certain features of the Pauline understanding of the law as well as the role of Christ as a counter-curse. An important prerequisite for this methodological approach is the common cultural repertory shared by the author and his readers.