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corpus-paul - Re: [Corpus-Paul] Paul's poverty in Ephesus and the cost of travel

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  • From: Richard Fellows <rfellows AT shaw.ca>
  • To: bobmacdonald AT shaw.ca, Corpus-Paul <corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Cc:
  • Subject: Re: [Corpus-Paul] Paul's poverty in Ephesus and the cost of travel
  • Date: Sat, 03 May 2003 18:04:05 -0700

Bob MacDonald wrote:
> Too many unknowns. All it would take is one real benefactor or patron -
and
> Paul had several: Lydia in Philippi or an equivalent; Gaius in Corinth;
> Philemon who 'owes him' his life as Paul notes.

Bob,

We are concerned with Paul's situation in Ephesus. Lydia was in Philippi and
Gaius was somewhere in Achaia. They were not in Ephesus, and neither was
Philemon. Nor was there a generous and wealthy equivalent of Lydia or Gaius
in Ephesus at the time in question. If Paul had been the beneficiary of a
sponsor at that time he would surely not have been homeless and hungry (1
Cor 4:11). I made this point in my earlier email. Please address it.

Also note that the hypothetical trips in question would not have been the
type of trips for which it would have been easy to raise funds. Their
purpose would have been to impose Paul's authority on a rebellious
Corinthian church. These missions would have been more political than
charitable and finding a benefactor would have been difficult. Private
benefactors tend to fund charitable projects that have a positive image.
Paul took the gospel to regions where it had not been preached, and I can
well imagine that such missions would have received funding from wealthy
believers. It is also very believable that the believers would fund Paul and
Timothy when they traveled around the Aegean collecting money for the poor
in Judea, and when they took that collection to Jerusalem. The Philippians
supported Paul when he went to Thessalonica and Achaia to preach the gospel,
and Paul hoped for help from the Corinthians for his onward journey from
Corinth, and the Philippians supported him when he was in prison. But the
hypothetical trips by Paul and Titus to Corinth to enforce discipline are
not of the same character. They are the LEAST likely to have been funded by
benefactors.

Richard Fellows










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