The so-called "Antioch Incident"--the confrontation between the apostles Peter and Paul recorded in Galatians 2.11-21--continues to be a source of controversy in scholarly as well as popular estimations of the emerging early church. This innovative interpretation of the event argues that the central issue at stake in Antioch--whether the Torah or Jesus Christ determines who are the people of God--gains great clarity and force when viewed in relation to a form of Judaism knows as Maccabean martyr theology.

The so-called "Antioch Incident"--the confrontation between the apostles Peter and Paul recorded in Galatians 2.11-21--continues to be a source of controversy in scholarly as well as popular estimations of the emerging early church. This innovative interpretation of the event argues that the central issue at stake in Antioch--whether the Torah or Jesus Christ determines who are the people of God--gains great clarity and force when viewed in relation to a form of Judaism knows as Maccabean martyr theology.