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  • From: Jill and Dale Walker <jilldale AT rcnchicago.com>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Jewish origins of apostle
  • Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2001 19:52:10 -0600

My understanding of the imperial cult is that its spread was a
matter of social networks and particularly imperial relations,
not missionary work. However, apostolos might be relevant
in regard to embassies. A kyrios with ekklesiai and an
euangelion could certainly have apostoloi. But I speak theoreticlly,
I haven't any inscriptions to quote. (One thing that is clear from
inscriptions is that people came to the emperor offering honors,
the emperor didn't go begging people to give him cult.)



At 02:49 PM 12/8/01 -0700, you wrote:
>First of all, let me apologize to any of you who picked up the badtrans worm
>from me last week.  It was a project to rid my computer of it, and I hope
>others have not had the same experience.  It was a clever little sucker and
>fooled me with
>
>On your questions about the "Jewish origins of apostleship" -- Why assume
>that the origins are Jewish?  What about the missionary activity of
>other cults and contexts?  Have you considered the Imperial cult or other
>"pagan" cults?  Have you considered basic political language and the
>language of social relationships in that context?
>
>To understand Paul in his context, we certainly have to look beyond the
>Jewish context.  Even the Jewish context was not in some hermetically sealed
>container.  Jews also spoke and thought in the broader context of their
>time.  Perhaps you need to turn over some other stones in your search.
>
>My research on this issue is not extensive, but my impression is that the
>evidence for what we might call missionary activity and initiative is not
>particularly strong for Judaism.  The ascendancy of the Imperial cult in the
>first century gives a much stronger probable relevant background for
>understanding missionary initiative, imho.  Perhaps others with more depth
>of familiarity with the Imperial cult can offer some better clues.
>
>Elli
>
>
>
>
>
>Elli Elliott
>(The Rev. Dr. Susan M. Elliott)
>
>Pastor, Zion United Church of Christ, Sterling, Colorado
>and Immanuel Congregational United Church of Christ, Brush, Colorado
>PhD, New Testament & Early Christianity, Loyola University Chicago
>
>Church e-mail: ZionImmanuelUCC AT hotmail.com
>Personal e-mail: elli AT kci.net
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <Frich107 AT aol.com>
>To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
>Sent: Saturday, December 08, 2001 1:53 AM
>Subject: [corpus-paul] Jewish origins of apostle
>
>
>> 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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>
>
>
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