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  • From: Bob MacDonald <bobmacdonald AT shaw.ca>
  • To: 'Corpus-paul' <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Musings on Pauline Studies
  • Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 22:25:09 -0700


Musings are getting us far afield - embracing every random association.

The character of Paul is not likely to be summarized in a few words - might
get accused of reductionism! And this format is small - but not as small as
instant messenger. The challenge there is really to put the message into
very short sentences.

Faith comes by hearing - sometimes even very short sentences. Mark Nanos
gives grace to Hebrew for having no word for Obey (I left Mystery downtown
so can't reference a page number - my son-in-law thinks he is overstating
the case since "The Hebrew phrase 'shema bekol Elohim' ('hear the voice of
God') is _very_ common in the OT and is used (of course) to introduce
injunctions that must be obeyed, emphasising the centrality of aural/oral
instruction.") Still - faith is in the doing based on hearing - Shema. I
wonder: can faith ever come by reading musings?

The musings of Scroggs are not converging. The debate arising out of the
desire to justify both oneself or another against the perceived authority of
an interpreted Paul and a modern tenderness reacting to the coldness of
Western civilization's fleeing its youthful lust (somewhere in the
pastorals) is not an easy debate to summarize or follow.

Nevertheless, Paul was neither homophobic nor misogynist. Nor can he be
modified in a scholarly way by other adjectives or categories like
anti-Judaic or anti-Semitic. Equally Paul was not Christian in the
historical sense that we might understand the word. It would be fair to say
he was not Jewish either - for he was of the tribe of Benjamin, not of
Judah. Call him 'tribal' and one who loves both his origins and his calling.

What is the scholarly way? How does one define a scholarship that builds
some degree of confidence (faith?) on some evidence? Opinions are
interesting only because they define our positions around the ring. Mike
Tyson in one corner and Loren Rosson III in another. Angels in one corner
(whatever that means) and apocalypticists in another. (It's a big ring). But
opinions unsubstantiated quickly reduce to name-calling.

And why do scholars exist? How does their message relate to the real world?
Do real problems get resolved through better explanations and illustrations
of our religious and cultural battles? We had better believe it - we need
this dialogue more than ever - I am thankful for the mutual deference that
Mark Nanos attempts to explain in his Mystery. Maybe explanation can lay the
groundwork for love.

(Son-in-law strikes again) English also has no word for Obey - Obey comes
from the French ('obeir'), which is a modification of the Latin compound
'obedire' (i.e., ob + audire). So 'to obey' in English is (etymologically)
'to hear' also.

But what are we to hear - that God is One and you must love (etc).
Name-calling is not love. Naming (Adam's abstraction task) - may be love, if
done with grace.

Paul was deeply loved and also deeply despised,

muse with grace

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


-----Original Message-----
From: jwest AT highland.net [mailto:jwest AT highland.net]
Sent: Wednesday, June 12, 2002 5:11 AM
To: Corpus-paul
Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Musings on Pauline Studies


> > modern interpretations of the bible misread
> > paul on this point.
>
> Please clarify. If you mean to say that modern folk
> have generally misunderstood Paul's views on the
> subject, I fear you are woefully mistaken.
>

i do indeed. see anything by robin scroggs, for instance.

jim




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