Corpus-Paul

["David Inglis" <david AT colonialcommerce.com>]

On 26 Apr 2003 Richard Fellows wrote:

> In 1 Cor 4:11 we read that Paul and his companions were hungry, thirsty,
> poorly clothed and homeless. How, then, could they afford to make the
> unscheduled trips to Corinth that the commentators propose? Given that
Paul
> was barely able to feed and clothe himself, he surely did not command the
> resources to fund journeys for which he had not budgetted.

Richard,

I have no idea of the cost of travel round the Med about this time, but,
even assuming we had all the costs, would that help us?  The reason for my
question is that cost of travel depends highly on the mode of travel, and
until we know their mode of travel, how can we know how much it cost?  For
example, in the modern world the cost of trans-Atlantic travel various
enormously, from possibly nothing by signing on as a courier for a single
trip, to several thousands of pounds/dollars to fly on Concorde.  Perhaps
more relevant is the cost of pack-packing, which can be kept to zero by
walking all the way.

My point is simply that until we know how Paul and his companions traveled,
and whether they paid someone else to transport them or not, there's no way
we can determine, on cost grounds, whether a trip could have been made or
not.

Dave Inglis
davidinglis2 AT attbi.com
3538 O'Connor Drive
Lafayette, CA, USA