Corpus-Paul

["Runar M. Thorsteinsson" <Runar.Thorsteinsson AT teol.lu.se>]

> I have recently been considering Romans chapter 14, and in particular the
> antithesis of the 'weak and the 'strong'. I began by considering that they
> were simply Christians with rather different beliefs about specific issues
> (as does Stanley Stowers - 'A Re-reading of Romans'). However, as I thought
> about this, it became apparant that this was inadequate.

Fred,

Stowers does not claim in his Rereading that these are Christians. In fact,
he refuses to read the (anachronistic) concept of Christianity into Paul's
letter (see pp. 22-7). According to Stowers, the weak and the strong in Rom
14 are not particular groups or parties or theological positions but
"dispositions of character" (p. 321; with further ref. to the work of
Clarence Glad). You might also want to consult his "Paul on the Use and
Abuse of Reason," in D.L. Balch et al. (eds.), Greeks, Romans, and
Christians (1990).

Best wishes,

Runar

-- 
Runar M. Thorsteinsson

Department of Theology and Religious Studies
Lund University
Sweden

Runar.Thorsteinsson AT teol.lu.se
www.teol.lu.se