Corpus-Paul

["Liz Fried" <lizfried AT umich.edu>]

Dear All,
The question popped up on another list asking whether Paul was indeed a
Pharisee. I thought I'd bring the question over here.

It seems to me that understanding Paul as a Pharisee goes a long way in
helping to understand Paul.  Paul said that he had persecuted Christians
prior to his conversion. I had always wondered what form this persecution
would take. It occurs to me that the Gospels describe the Pharisees as
hounding Jesus. They are shown continually questioning the degree to which
he follows the law or teaches following the law.  It seems the Pharisees are
shown persecuting him. Could this be the sort of thing Paul refers to?

Moreover, the Pharisees are shown criticizing Jesus for eating with sinners.
Sanders says the main criticism the Pharisees had against Jesus is that he
ate with sinners without attempting to reform them first. He ate with
unrepentant sinners.  Sanders says the Pharisees would have had no problem
with Jeus if he had eaten with *repentant* or *reformed* sinners. Presumably
that is what the Pharisees themselves tried to do. According to Sanders,
that Jesus ate with sinnners "just as they were", unreformed and
unrepentant, is what angered the Pharisees.

It seems to me that this explains a great deal about Paul.  In 1 Cor. 5:1-5
Paul states that the man who is living with his father's wife should be
removed from the community.  In vs. 6 he accuses his addressees of boasting
in being saved without being righteous (is this not what he accused the Jews
of? boasting in the law/grace without following it?).  Then he lists in vs.
5::9-11all the different types of sinners the Christian shouldn't associate
with. In vs 11 he says: "DO NOT EVEN EAT WITH SUCH A ONE."

In vs. 12 Paul tells them to judge one another, even tho Jesus argued that
one should "Judge not, lest ye be judged."  It seems to that these are all
Pharisaic attitudes, and that a lot about Paul is explained by understanding
him as a Pharisee.

What do you all think?

Liz


Lisbeth S. Fried
Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies
New York University
51 Washington Sq. S.
New York, NY 10012
lqf9256 AT is3.nyu.edu
lizfried AT umich.edu