Corpus-Paul

[Richard Fellows <rfellows AT intergate.bc.ca>]

Sheila McGinn wrote:
>L.M. Barre mentioned Paul's Roman citizenship in his thesis re: Rom 13.
This reminded me of a question I've been wanting to ask.  (Sorry, I'm not
going to discuss Rom 13:1-7; I just supervised a thesis on this, and I'm
sick of it!)  At any rate, do we really know that Paul was a citizen?  I
find it curious that (a) Paul never mentions it, even when he is "bragging"
and
>(b) he is frequently the subject of physical chastisement, which I
understood was forbidden to do to citizens.
>

There is an abundance of Latin names in the letters, indicating that many
of Paul's converts and associates were Roman citizens.  Given this and the
evidence of Acts, it seems very likely that Paul was also a citizen.

"The fact that 30 of the 91 personal names in the Pauline connection are of
Latin derivation poses tantalizing questions to those interested in the
social pattern of the Pauline churches.  It has usually been taken for
granted that it arises from the free use of Latin names by Greeks, and does
not therefore indicate Roman citizenship.  But the proportion is ten times
as high as for non-Romans with Latin names in the first-century texts
collected in the series beginning with V. Ehrenberg/A.H.M. Jones, Documents
Illustrating the Reigns of Augustus and Tiberius (Oxford, 1955).  Moreover,
the cognomina amongst the Pauline Latin names correspond quite closely with
the names favoured by Greeks acquiring Roman citizenship through service in
the auxiliary forces, or through emancipation from slavery to a Roman."
(New Documents Illustrating Early Christianity, G.H.R.Horsley 1982 (1977?))

Is anyone aware of any other research on the Pauline onomastics?

>I find it curious that (a) Paul never mentions it, even when he is
"bragging" 

His readers would have known that he was a citizen, so why mention it?.
Which passages do you have in mind, and how would it have served his
purpose to mention his citizenship in those passages?  Generally he brags
to counter the boasting of his rivals.

Richard Fellows
Vancouver
rfellows AT intergate.bc.ca