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  • From: "Stevan Davies" <miser17 AT epix.net>
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: Pauline authorship of the Pastorals - additional commen
  • Date: Fri, 30 Apr 1999 21:51:55 -0500



> >>Jack Kilmon wrote:
> >
> > Given that Tim I & II and Titus reflect church structures not in place
> > till long after Paul's death...and used by Theophilus of Antioch,
> > Irenaeus of Lyon, and the Muratorian list..I have always suspected
> > Polycarp.

> The above quote reflects, it seems to me, an axiom in NT scholarship
> concerning the dating and authorship of the pastoral epistles, one which
> for years now I have grown to question. Here are two main questions I
> have:
>
> Is there enough extant evidence at our disposal to begin to describe
> accurately the nature of "church structure" during the years 33-90 CE? If
> there is not, is it not an assumption, then, rather than a "given," that
> the Pastoral Epistles should be dated late, certainly later than Paul's
> lifetime?
> Jim Oxford

This sort of thing tends towards circularity, I think, if (as seems
to happen) Acts is put late because of the indicated church organization
and then the Pastorals must be late because the late organization
is attested to in Acts (or vice versa).

I think a bit of common
social sense is called for. If there are churches that exist as
discreet organizations it stands to reason that they will develop
some sort of local heirarchical structures within a matter of months.
Somebody is in charge, others do a lot of the work, and so forth.
Those people will have some sort of labels attached, evidently
bishop and deacons would be appropriate. There may have been
several influential people with some greater voice than others...
elders. Thus e.g. Philippians 1:1 shouldn't require some decades
long evolutionary process to have occurred, nor the organizational
structures vestigally evident in Acts.

It would do no harm to look into synagogue organizational patterns
back then, although I don't think much evidence exists. Indeed,
it might be wise to look at how small-group new churches organize
themselves now.... or small community mosques... or wicca covens.
Humans are heirarchical animals and the development of church
heirarchies would surely not take decades to occur.

Stevan Davies
College Misericordia



  • Re: Pauline authorship of the Pastorals - additional commen, Stevan Davies, 04/30/1999

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