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corpus-paul - Re: Paul's use of early Christian formula

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  • From: Edgar Krentz <ekrentz AT lstc.edu>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Paul's use of early Christian formula
  • Date: Mon, 14 Jun 1999 13:09:49 -0500

>I've noticed increasingly that whenever scholars encounter an
>'infrequent' Pauline word or concept they are quick to detect an early
>Christian formula, often baptismal. This tendency ISTM is similar to the
>discarding of certain epistles as authentic Paul due to the presence of
>vocabulary, ideas and theology (all of which overlap of course) assumed
>as rare in Paul.
>
>Both exegetical steps are, I presume, built on the same (dubious?)
>methodological assumption that one can reconstruct Paul's theology and
>his (theological) vocabulary.
>
>While not wishing to (re)open the second can of worms, I would like to
>pose some questions re the first.
>
>First 2 brief examples:
>
>EXELHTAI in Gal 1:4 (Dunn Galatians?)
>AXIWS in 1 Thess 2:12 and elsewhere (Donfried: Kingdom of God in Paul in
>Willis ed, Kingdom of God in 20th Century Interpretation p182)
>
>Some Questions
>
>1. Does anyone know who was the first to take this exegetical step (ie
>rare word = pre-Pauline formula)? References would be useful.

Take a look at GOTTFRIED SCHILLE, FRUEHCHRISTLICHY HYMNEN, for a discussion of criteria for isolating early Christian formulae . It goes back at least as far as EDUARD NORDEN, AGNOSTOS THEOS (1912).

I wrote an article, "Epideiktik and Hymnody," Biblical Research 40 (1995) 50-97, which might give you some help. You will find a rather extensive bibliography there.

Vocabulary is only one of a number of criteria for identifying such citations.
>
>2. Has anyone made a significant study of this phenomenon (ie early
>Christian tradns in Paul)? I'm particxularly interested in
>methodological discussion as well as the existence of an exhaustive
>list.
>
>3. Has anyone done a serious (methodological) critique of this tendency?

>Thanks in advance.
>
>Jonathan Ryder

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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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