Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - Re: Paul a dualist?

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: <Stephen.Finlan AT durham.ac.uk>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Paul a dualist?
  • Date: Sun, 16 Jun 2002 19:50:21 +0100


> If Paul was so dualistic though, why say in [Rom]
> 12.1 to offer their swmata as a living sacrifice as our
> spiritual/reasonable (logikos) worship? Wouldn't swmata
> include our sexual natures? If he was dualistic, how
> can he use swmata, technical cultic language, and greek
> philosophical terms all in one context?

You'll have to ask him. Paul was a great conflater
of imagery from different realms. He conflates
judicial and cultic imagery when he says we are
justified by the blood (R 5:9), and so on.

I do think you are onto something by mentioning swma.
He does use swma in a more neutral manner. In other
words, one's swma can either serve God or serve sin
and death. One can turn one's mind to the spirit,
and make one's swma serve God, or one can turn one's
mind to the sarx, in which case one's swma will
serve sin. But that still sounds dualistic, and,
when combined with the other passages, it suggests
anti-sexuality to me.

Stephen.finlan
University of Durham



  • Paul a dualist?, polymath, 06/15/2002
    • <Possible follow-up(s)>
    • Re: Paul a dualist?, Stephen.Finlan, 06/16/2002

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page