Corpus-Paul

["John Dickson" <dicksonj AT bigpond.net.au>]

Dear friends,

I am looking for a favour from someone who might have a spare moment and the appropriate volume at arms length.  I am investigating the Jewish background to the notion of offering an appropriate reply to unbelievers (Col 4:6; 1 Peter 3:15). Let. Arist. 122 provides a fascinating parallel ("They had a tremendous natural facility for the negotiations and questions arising from the Law … and engaged in discourse and listening to and answering each and every one, as is meet and right"), as does the later Tractate ’Abot 2:14 ("Be constant in learning of Torah. And know what to reply to an Epicurean"). As I am away from the library for the next few days I am unable to check the Hebrew of this latter text. Would someone please be so kind as to post (perhaps off-line) a transliteration of the line, "And know what to reply to an Epicurean")?

Many thanks in advance,

John Dickson
Department of Ancient History
Macquarie University
Sydney, Australia