Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - Re: [Corpus-Paul] Paul, an apostle, not from humans nor through a human?

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Christopher R. Hutson" <crhutson AT salisbury.net>
  • To: <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] Paul, an apostle, not from humans nor through a human?
  • Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 03:02:47 -0500

In response to the question:


> Anyway, is it too far off to theorize--if only for that sake--that some
> of Paul's opponents, either in Galatian and/or in Corinth, are actually
> believers in Jesus who proclaim the gospel in a manner similar to the
> mysteries? What I mean is, could it be that circumcision, kosher food
> laws, and the other "works of the law" were seen as rites of initiation
> or fuller expressions of faith? I guess this sounds something like a
> Jewish/Gnostic, or protognostic thing. Has it already been discussed,
> refuted?
>
> Tom Edmondson


Tom,

You may want to begin by reading up on the work of the old
Religionsgeschichtliche Schule (History of Religions School) that thrived
ca. 1890-1915 or so. Those scholars were especially interested in ideas of
religious syncretism and how Christianity might have been influenced by
hellenistic religions. On your question in particular,

Franz Cumont, Textes et monuments figurés relatifs aux mystères de Mithra
1899).

Franz Cumon, Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism (ET, 1910).

Richard Reitzenstein, The Hellenistic Mystery Religions (1910).

Wilhelm Bousset, Kyrios Christos (1913).


You can find a summary of the ideas of the History of Religions School in
any introduction to the history of scholarship on the New Testament, such as
that of Kümmel. See also the comments by Abraham J. Malherbe in E. J. Epp &
G. W. MacRae, editors, The New Testament and Its Modern Interpreters
(Fortress & Scholars Press, 1989), 11-13.

Your question seems to be framed more in terms of Galatians than of 1
Corinthians. On the identity of the "troublers" in Galatia and their issue,
I find Mark Nanos, The Irony of Galatians (Fortress, 2002) most provocative.
I'll let him speak for himself, since he's on this list, but he reads the
"troublers" as non-Christian Jews from the local synagogue and does not
posit any influence from mystery religions in order to explain Paul's
rhetoric in the letter.

As for 1 Corinthians, it was fashionable a generation ago to find Gnostics
under every bush in the NT, including 1 Cor, but I personally don't see a
need to posit proto-Gnostics in Corinth in order to explain Paul's rhetoric
in that letter.

But I will grant that the mystery religions are very interesting, and
wouldn't be surprised if some early Christian converts from paganism
understood some of their Christian rituals in part in categories they
brought with them from prior worship of Mithra or Isis or some such.
Whether Paul targets the mysteries or proto-Gnostics in any particular
letter is not at all certain to me.

Did you have in mind a particular passage?

Happy studies,

Chris

___________________________
Christopher R. Hutson
Hood Theological Seminary
800 West Thomas Street
Salisbury, NC 28144
(704) 636-6818
crhutson AT salisbury.net
___________________________

---
[This E-mail scanned for viruses by Internet Of Salisbury, Inc.]





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page