As the consensus of scholarship rightly recognizes, Acts 13:46-47 represents a crucial theological and narrative juncture in Acts with regard to the mission of God and Paul to the Gentiles. The consensus of scholarship also rightly recognizes that Paul and Barnabas are portrayed as seeing themselves as carrying out the role of salvific agent to the Gentiles as the Servant of Isaiah 49. However, a crucial element in this juncture has not been adequately studied: the recognized connection that φῶς has with νόμος in OG Isaiah and the significance that this connection bears upon the evocation of Isa 49:6 in Acts 13:46-47. Although φῶς indeed is immediately connected with σωτηρία in Act 13:47, the rich connotations that νόμος possesses in OG Isaiah within its Second Temple translational milieu must also be taken into account in Paul and Barnabas’ solemn pronouncement.
Therefore, I argue that Paul and Barnabas’ turning to the Gentiles in Antioch entails being nothing less than a νόμος to them. To demonstrate this, I examine (1) the meaning(s) of νόμος in OG Isaiah and (2) to what extent such a meaning(s) is carried over into Acts 13:46-47. Throughout the study, I will be seeking to demonstrate whether or not the νόμος concept in Acts 13:46-47 functions to polemically communicate God’s covenantal shift from the Jews to the Gentiles.