Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - Significance of the Apostolic Decree

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Bob MacDonald <bobmacdonald AT shaw.ca>
  • To: 'Corpus-paul' <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Significance of the Apostolic Decree
  • Date: Sat, 08 Jun 2002 10:05:48 -0700


Mark Nanos in Mystery of Romans makes a strong connection between the
Apostolic Decree and the 'form of teaching to which you were handed over'.
(Romans 6:17)

Past commentaries and translations from my youth have not made this
connection in the slightest. E.g. the old Jerusalem Bible has "you submitted
without reservation to the creed you were taught". Now I always took this
paraphrase with a grain of salt - as much salt as was needed for this
sacrifice of 'being handed over to a form of words'.

Barrett has "you gave obedience to the Christian doctrine to which as slaves
you were handed over". Others have noted how strange that use of the
adjective "Christian" sounds when the curtain is even slightly drawn back on
the first century. Yet Barrett makes the point that it is not the tradition
that is handed over but the Romans who have been handed over to the
tradition - they are not masters of it, but are themselves created by the
word of God. Perhaps he is guilty of a little too much free association (not
to mention unnecessary polemic), but what is this "form of words", teaching,
didache to which the Roman gentile believers have been handed over? Surely
it is too little to say that it is the Apostolic decree. (Mystery page 215).
I have heard (very conservative) people say that Acts cannot really be the
'Word of God' because of the limited freedom implied by the Apostolic
decree. (This is just to note how widely divergent views are in the mind of
this world and how far the law-free gospel has distorted the need for
appropriate fruits.) And Hyam Maccoby has noted in a recent post that eating
blood is not an unethical practice of itself.

The decree itself as recorded as a written letter (Acts 15:23-29) is an
affirmation with witnesses who have "dedicated their lives to the name of
our Lord Jesus Christ" and a series of four requested abstinences. Mark, I
believe, focuses on the purification issues around the abstinences. It seems
to me that Paul's 'form of teaching' could reflect these only to the extent
that observing them is a deference to others (Romans 14:15-18) who would
otherwise be hurt by non-observation of the same.

The form of teaching seems itself to be outside of these prohibitions and is
better reflected in the 'dedication' of the witnesses than in the
'prohibitions' of certain acts. Forms of teaching which illustrate this are
such as 'he who saves his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for
my sake and the gospels will save it' etc. Or in Romans, 'if you by the
Spirit do put to death the deeds of the body you will live' (8:13) - i.e.
conformity to the death of Christ - a teaching reflected throughout Romans.

Still working through Mystery - with enthusiasm and a risk of believing
everything as explained. Thanks, Mark. But I thought a little question might
be useful for balance.

Bob


mailto::BobMacDonald AT shaw.ca
+ + + Victoria, B.C., Canada + + +

Catch the foxes for us,
the little foxes that make havoc of the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in flower. (Song 2.15)
http://bobmacdonald.gx.ca





  • Significance of the Apostolic Decree, Bob MacDonald, 06/08/2002

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page