Does Paul scorn Cephas for doing the very thing that Paul says he does? (See details)?

Question

Galatians 2:11-14 -
Paul says he opposed Cephas to his face because Cephas was eating with Gentiles, but when Jewish believers came near, Cephas withdrew, apparently to please the Jewish believers.

Elsewhere, however, Paul says that he is a Jew to the Jews, and a Gentile to the Gentiles. Is Cephas not doing that very same thing in this story? Why is Paul so mad?

Thanks. Any light you could shed on the verses will be much appreciated!

Answer 1

In the Church, Paul feels it is his duty to reprimand the leader of the Church. Jesus promised Peter that his faith would not fail, but he did not say that he would never make a mistake.
Jews did not eat with pagan non-Jews since, for them, it would have been something "impure." But when some Jews had converted to Christianity, if they had maintained this attitude towards their Christian brothers and sisters from another race, they would have divided the Church. Hence, the outburst of Paul. Peter knows that now all people are equal; yet, he is afraid of what his friends and compatriots will think. Peter does not realize, that in order to please them, he is endangering the evangelization of those who are Jewish.
What Paul meant by being a Jew to the Jews is the fact that he never renounced his Jewish heritage even though he dropped the Mosaic Law in his teachings.
Peace and every blessing!

Answer 2

Being a "Jew" means both an ethnicity and a religion. So when Paul says he is a Jew and then says he is a gentile, that is actually a true statement and not a contradiction. He is a Jew ethnically and a gentile spirituality (meaning he follows Christ as opposed to the Jewish faith). What Paul is angry at Cephas for is practicing the Jewish faith around Jews and then discarding the Jewish faith rituals when he is around gentiles. There is a difference.
Hope this helps you, God bless.