Corpus-Paul

[Edgar Krentz <ekrentz AT lstc.edu>]

 Lisbeth S. Fried wrote:
>
>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?
....
>
>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."  It seems to that these are all
>Pharisaic attitudes

>lqf9256 AT is3.nyu.edu
>lizfried AT umich.edu

Let me commend pages 24-27 in Calvin J. Roetzel, Paul: the Man and the Myth  (Columbia: University of Couth Carolina Press, 1998). Calvin has a nuance discussion of Paul as Pharisee, but in a Hellenistic context. I will be interested in the reactions of others to his interpretation.



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Edgar Krentz
Professor of New Testament Emeritus
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 E. 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615  USA
773-256-0752
e-mail: ekrentz AT lstc.edu (Office)
 GHRASKW AEI  POLLA  DIDASKOMENOS.
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