Household Cults as Proximate Analogues for Pauline Christ Groups
Brill | Schöningh eBooks, Jan 16, 2024
Early Christianity in the Villages of Corinthia
Chapter Two. History of Scholarship
An End to Enmity, 2011
Encounters with Hellenism : studies on the First letter of Clement
This volume deals with the encounter of early Christianity with Hellenistic culture, particularly... more This volume deals with the encounter of early Christianity with Hellenistic culture, particularly with the question of ancient rhetorical influence on the First Letter of Clement. It contains reprints of two classical studies by A. von Harnack and W. Jaeger, which were seminal for the understanding of the letter against a Hellenistic background. Furthermore, it makes available in English an important essay of the Dutch scholar W.C. van Unnik on the literary and rhetorical genre of First Clement (genos symbouleutikon). The editors also present two studies: Breytenbach describes the Hellenistic background of Clement's use of metaphorical language and Wellborn questions the traditional dating of First Clement on the basis of an analysis of the rhetorical situation.
The Runaway Paul
Harvard Theological Review, 1999
The little narrative of Paul's flight from Damascus in 2 Cor 11:32-33 holds a promise to the ... more The little narrative of Paul's flight from Damascus in 2 Cor 11:32-33 holds a promise to the ear of the historian. In the first place, Aretas is the only figure of political history mentioned in an authentic letter of Paul. This fact alone indicates the importance of this text for the chronology of the apostle's life. Second, there is the remarkable parallel provided by the account in Acts 9:23–25. The extent of the agreement is impressive: it consists not only of the general course of events, but extends to the wording, which is partly identical and partly synonymous. The correspondence appears more extraordinary in light of the fact that Acts otherwise exhibits no verbal connections with the letters of Paul. Third, there is the vivid manner in which Paul relates the experience: the mention of a place and a particular person, the detailed description of the circumstances, and the concentrated account of the action, together create a living image of a dramatic event. The cla...
Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches, 2010
e Ethics of Obscene Speech explores the rhetorical valence of obscenity as well as the arguments... more e Ethics of Obscene Speech explores the rhetorical valence of obscenity as well as the arguments of those who would seek to control it. As Jeremy Hultin acknowledges, only a very few early Christian writers explicitly identified obscenity as a problem. Nevertheless, injunctions regarding the importance of decorous speech became ever more important, culminating in Clement of Alexandria's lengthy treatment of the topic. Offering a comprehensive account of foul language at it appears in ancient literature, comedy, poetry, graffiti, love charms and other sources, Hultin places early Christian rhetoric within a broad discursive context, cataloging the terms employed and arguments put forward by a wide spectrum of writers. e book also discusses the many warnings against obscene speech, which was associated with loose morals and a degraded character by philosophers and moralists. In the process, Hultin collects a treasure trove of literary evidence, offering new insights into Christian warnings against aischrologia (vulgar talk). Early Christian writers may not have agreed fully on the nature and consequences of an unbridled tongue, but, when they did address the problem, they adopted perspectives quite similar to those of their neighbors. e introductory chapter sets the stage by considering obscenity as a linguistic phenomenon. Displacement is fundamental to the identification of words as offensive-words are perceived as foul when they are used at the wrong place, at the wrong time, or in the wrong way-and avoidance of obscene speech therefore serves as a gauge of social status. Still, a witty riposte, employed at the right time against an opponent, or the ritual utterance of foul language, whispered, for example, to ward off the evil eye, were expected features of ancient discourse. Philosophers may have worried aloud about the impact of obscenity on the young, but foul language remained pervasive and popular. Next Hultin considers the importance of foul speech to group definition. e Pythagoreans, known for their masterful control of the tongue, can be fruitfully compared to Cynics, famous for their outrageous speech. Early Stoics also rejected the notion that words can be obscene: since language is part of nature, words related naturally to their objects, and simply speaking a word could pollute neither the speaker nor the audience. Beginning in the second century BCE, however, there was a perceptible shift in Stoic thought, away from an earlier emphasis on "natural" names and free speech, which could include vulgar words, and toward a disciplinary rhetoric emphasizing the importance of closely controlled speech patterns. As Seneca put it, "as the speech, so the life," and thus a true gentleman avoids unseemly vocabulary. Interestingly, a corresponding discussion of the use of obscenity is missing from Jewish writings. Instead the biblical books adopt a discreet, euphemistic vocabulary for sex acts, genitalia, defecation and masturbation and, though often explicit in content, prophetic metaphors carefully avoid offensive words. e rabbis also preferred euphemism to explicit description, though they were willing to apply foul language to descriptions of idolaters. In Jewish literature, then, the earliest direct warnings
This essay suggests that Paul's acceptance of the role of the "fool," and, arising ... more This essay suggests that Paul's acceptance of the role of the "fool," and, arising out of this, his evaluation of the message of the cross as "folly," are best understood against the background of the popular theater and the fool's role in mime. The interpretation is, therefore, a corrective to the traditional view that the proclamation of the crucified Christ was an absurdity to the people of the ancient world. The essay also offers an alternative to the attempt, in some recent monographs and commentaries, to subsume Paul's "foolishness" under the category of the anti-rhetorical. The essay argues that the term "folly" was generally understood as a designation of the attitude and behavior of a particular social type, the lower class buffoon. As a source of amusement, these lower class types were widely represented on the stage in the vulgar and realistic comedy known as the mime. The essay suggests that Paul's Corinthian detrac...
Close attention to the rhetoric, style, and epistolary conventions of Paul's commendation of Step... more Close attention to the rhetoric, style, and epistolary conventions of Paul's commendation of Stephanas in 1 Corinthians 16:15-18 permits inferences into Stephanas' relationship to Paul, his position within the Christian community, and his status in Corinthian society. Select Bibliography • Nils Dahl, "Paul and the Church at Corinth" in Christian History and Interpretation, ed. W.
Uploads
Papers by Larry Welborn