The other day I wrote a post asking for some help in translating προεγράφη in Gal. 3.1. First, Joel Hoffman responded arguing that it was illegitimate to use the etymology of the word to suggest that Paul is referring to something “previously written” though he wasn’t “exactly sure what the verb means” (here). Mike Aubrey and JohnDave Medina pointed me in the direction of a definition having something to do with a public placard or a public notification (here and here). Finally, Yancy Smith and John Stokes both suggested that there may be something to the possibility that Paul actually did write, or better yet draw, some sort of image of Christ crucified to teach the Galatians (read Smith’s statements here, here, here, and here).
Although I do not currently have many resources at my home I thought I would take a look at several works that I do have on hand to see if there are any scholars that go toward any of these directions. Gordon Fee think this refers to Paul’s own ministry since in 2.20 he speaks of himself as being “crucified with Christ”. [1] He mentions in a footnote what Mike and JohnDave when he refers to “public notices”. [2] Thomas Schreiner says something similar when he writes, “he probably had in mind his own suffering as a corollary to Christ’s”. [3]
On another hand, J.D.G. Dunn seems to equate this statement with Paul’s proclamation. When referring to the statement “openly proclaimed as crucified” he says this was Paul’s “focal point of proclamation”. [4] Elsewhere he writes, “…Paul recalls his gospel preaching to the Galatians simply as the open portrayal of Jesus Christ as crucified (Gal. 3.1).” [5] For Dunn it seems to be somewhat appositional: Paul’s preaching equals the preaching of the cross.
Bruce W. Longenecker echoes Dunn saying, “No doubt Paul is referring here to his own preaching which presented Christ to them in terms that spelt out clearly the exclusive salvific significance of Christ”. [6] J.B. Green says that it refers to “the graphic quality of proclamation” and that he may have told the passion narrative in a way similar to the gospels. [7] A.B. Luter, Jr. says it is the “summary of the content of the gospel”. [8] R.H. Mounce sees it as simply a synonym for other words used by Paul such as “to make know”, “to proclaim”, “to testify”, “to teach”, et cetera. [9]
M. Silva sees it as an illusion to the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, which seems to indicate that he sees “previously written” in the sense that I suggested during my last post. In other words, Silva sees Paul as showing Christ as the one crucified from the Scriptures. At least this is what I think he is saying. [10]
That being said, I do not have a verse-by-verse commentary of Galatians with me right now. If anyone finds an exegete who follows Yancey and John’s suggestion that art may have been the means by which Paul communicated the message of the crucifixion please let me know. Otherwise, while most of these definitions do not exclude the idea of drawing/sketching neither do they mention it. This may be evidence of Yancey and John’s contention that most scholars are simply overlooking extra-biblical materials that could help fill in this text’s context.
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[1] Gordon Fee, God’s Empowering Presence, 382.
[2] Ibid. n. 47.
[3] Thomas Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ, 99.
[4] J.D.G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle, 209.
[5] Ibid. 235.
[6] Bruce W. Longenecker, The Triumph of Abraham’s God, 154.
[7] J.B. Green “Death of Christ” in G.F. Hawthorne, et al. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 202.
[8] A.B. Luter, Jr. “Gospel” in Ibid, 370.
[9] R.H. Mounce, “Preaching, Kerygma” in Ibid. 735.
[10] M. Silva, “Old Testament in Paul” in Ibid. 640. Silva’s reason for this is because he hears an echo of the LXX reading of Isaiah 53.1 in 3.2. Is. 53.1 reads, “Who has believed our report and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?”. The words translated “report” is ἀκοῇ. In Gal. 3.2 Paul refers to the “hearing (ἀκοῆς) of faith”. “Hearing” is not a participle but rather a noun indicating it may be something like “the announcement”.
the archives near Emmaus 
A dinner guest at a banquet might see his discourse as a word picture in a domus that had beautiful frescoes on its walls. This is was common-place reference. For example Lucian (second century sophist) was speaking in such a house and said:
“To me, at least, it seems that a splendid hall (οἶκος [house]) excites the speaker’s
fancy and stirs it to speech, as if he were somehow prompted by what he sees. No
doubt something of beauty flows through the eyes into the soul, and then fashions into the likeness of itself the words that it sends out. … It wants a cultured man for a spectator, who, instead of judging with his eyes, applies thought to what he sees…. Certainly, then, the beauty of this hall has power to rouse a man to speech, to spur him on in speaking and to make him succeed in every way. I for my part am trusting in all this and have already trusted in it, in coming to the hall [house] to speak, I was attracted by its beauty as by a magic wheel…. The painter derived his model, I suppose from Euripides or Sophocles. (De domo [περὶ τοῦ οἶκου]4 , 6, 13, and 23).
Lucian also refers to Homer as “the best of all painters” τὸν ἄριστον τῶν γραφέων Ὄμηρον (Εἴκονες 8). This, of course does not mean that Homer literally painted his scenes, but that he told his stories so effectively that they were like paintings. Accordingly, I think Paul could have:
(1) Preached so effectively that his audience experienced the crucifixion through his words and identified with Christ through his preaching.
(2) Preached effectively and made use of the inspiration of graphic art on the walls where he preached to bridge a connection with the audience, who were profoundly touched by the message thus contextualized.
(3) Preached with the aid of graphic art that he himself created.
(4) Preached with dramatic portrayal, using the methods of theater arts.
(5) Combinations of the above.
Any of these methods could be described by the verb προγράφειν. The value of breaking free from the textual world is in its freeing of the imagination of the textual scholar and the consequent ability to re-imagine the text. Do this is to capture the essence of the ancient Greek θεωρία, the trip as a foreign embassy to visit and observe the temples, customs, and government of a strange culture as a means of enriching one’s own.
You know Richard Hays in his Galatians commentary gives the “written beforehand” translation as a legitimate possibility.
“One other possibility, however, deserves attention. The verb προεγράφη (prographo, translated as “clearly portrayed” by the NIV and as “publicly exhibited” by NRSV) is used elsewhere by Paul to mean “written beforehand” in Scripture (Rom 15:4). Is it possible that by selecting this verb Paul implies that his story of Christ crucified was told through interpretation of scriptural texts? If so, the reference would be not to the gospel passion narratives—which had not yet been written at this time—but to the lament psalms, interpreted as prefigurations of Christ’s crucifixion.”
Just thought I’d mention that.
@Yancy,
I can definitely see this as a possibility. I need to get my hands on those journal articles you mentioned.
@Bryan,
Thanks for posting this! I was beginning to think my initial assumption had no weight at all, but this makes me feel a bit better.
I came across an interesting article by Basil S. Davis (“The Meaning of PROEGRAPHE in the Context of Galatians 3.1″). After polling all the various suggestions, he comes to a conclusion that is similar to Fee’s you mentioned above:
The display there would be Paul’s own life and sufferings. This, to me, is plausible given that Paul came to the Galatians with a “physical infirmity” (4:13 NRSV) and declared the gospel to them because of that (di’ astheneian tes sarkos). Whether Davis points this out in the article, I do not know – I only got the chance to skim through it.
By the way, I’m sending you the article through email.
Oh yeah and I think I saw Richard Longenecker taking the interpretation that Mike did.
@JohnDave,
Thanks! I will make sure to look those over ASAP.
Send me your email to yancywsmith@sbcglobal.net and I’ll get you whatever you want (within reason).