essence _of  Jiis^doctrine  Js  the  truth  of  God,  given
him  by  revelation,  and  not  merely  his  personal


THE  ALIEN  RIGHTEOUSNESS          317

position  assumed  to  hold  standing  ground  for  him
self  as  a  determined  opponent  of  the  old  Jewish
party  in  the  Church.  In  other  words,  the  con
flict  with  the  Judaizers  was  not  first  with  Paul  and
his  doctrine  of  salvation  second,  either  in  time  or
importance;  but,  on  the  contrary,  his _doctrine_of
^alyation  was  first  and  his  controversy  with  the
Judaizers  both  subsequent  and  consequent  to_it.
He  did  not  hold  this  doctrine  of  salvation  because
he  polemicized  the  Judaizers,  but  he  polemicized
the_ Judaizers  because  he  held  thi^doctrine  ol
salvation.  He  did  not  attain  this  doctrine  of  sal
vation  then  in  controversy  with  the  Judaizers,
but  he  controverted  the  Judaizers  because  their
teaching  impinged  on  this  precious  doctrine.
Though,  therefore,  the  forms  in  which  he  states  the
doctrine  in  these  epistles  take  shape  from  the  fact
that  he  is  rebutting  the  assaults  on  it  and  the
subtle  undermining  of  it  derived  from  the  con
ceptions  of  the  Judaizers,  the  doctrine  stated  is
prior  in  the  order  of  time  and  thought  in  his  mind
to  the  rise  of  the  danger  to  it  which  he  is  repelling
in  these  expressions.  The  interest  and  impor
tance  of  this  to  us  is  that  it  thereby  is  brought  to
our  clear  consciousness  that  Paul's  fundamental
interest  in  this  matter  turns  not  on  the  violence
of  his  conflict  with  the  Judaizers  but  on  the  pro
fundity  of  his  conviction  of  the  truth  of  his  po
sition.  Whenever  he  replies  to  the  Judaizers'
assault  in  whatever  sharpness  of  rebuke  and


318  FAITH  AND  LIFE

keenness  of  polemic  thrust,  his  primary  interest
is  not  in  silencing  his  opponents  but  in  uphold
ing  his  teaching.
