Corpus-Paul

[Richard Fellows <rfellows AT intergate.ca>]

Fred,

in your study of apostleship in the letter openings, you may like to look
at the choice of co-senders (Timothy, Silvanus, and Sosthenes). These
individuals had been important in the establishment of the believing
communities that Paul was addressing. It therefore seems that part of
Paul's purpose in the letter opening is to stamp the letter with the
authority of the community founders. His appeal to his own apostleship and
his use of 'co-senders' might therefore have the same purpose.

You may be aware of the work of Augustine Myrou, who argued that Sosthenes
was none other than the archisynagogos formerly known as Crispus. My own
work confirms this, and shows that Sosthenes was instrumental in the
founding of the Corinthian church (consider Acts 18:8 "Crispus, the
archisynagogos, became a believer in the lord, together with his whole
household, and many of the Corinthians hearing became believers", and
consider the meaning of the name "Sosthenes" ("Saving Strength" or similar)).

Happy new year, everybody.

Richard Fellows.