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  • From: Frich107 AT aol.com
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Jewish origins of apostle
  • Date: Sat, 8 Dec 2001 03:53:08 EST


Dear List-members,

As I have said a few months ago am I researching Paul's apostleship,
particularly in terms of how he exercises power or authority through this,
using rhetorical criticism and socio-scientific methodology, all against the
background of the New Perspective. As part of my early research I have been
trying, rather unsuccessfully I have to say, to locate apostleship in a
Jewish context. The only suggestion that I have uncovered is one suggested
originally by Lightfoot in his commentary on Galatians, and then furthered by
the work of K. H. Rendtorf.

They suggest that apostle may be an equivalent, or even translation, of the
Hebrew 'saliah', meaning ambassador, or something of the like. However, the
evidence for this is found no earlier than the Mishnah, which for me is a
problem as I am not confident of dating this any earlier than Second Century
CE. What I'm really wondering is whether anyone is aware of earlier
references to 'saliah', or alternative suggestions for fitting apostle into a
Jewish context.

I have also been considering whether there is any way of suggesting that a
missionary (lit. one sent) could be understood to be Jewish in a Diaspora
setting. Again my research is giving me little joy on this idea. The only
other idea I have had, and it's really quite a stab in the dark, is that
apostleship is a development of the prophetic ministry found in large
sections of the Hebrew Bible. Again I am aware of the problems of this,
especially considering how Paul himself describes apostleship in his letters.
My interest is to particularly understand Paul's apostleship, and his
understanding of the office, over against apostleship in general in the NT.

Regards,
Fred Rich.

Ph.D. student, University of Sheffield.




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