Corpus-Paul

[Edgar Krentz <ekrentz AT sbcglobal.net>]

--- tiona AT comcast.net wrote:

> 
> I would disagree that Paul does not expect his audience (gentile or not) to 
> have a
> grasp on the TANAK.  In many of his writings, especially Romans, where his 
> audience
> is a large part gentile, Paul uses very sophisticated Rabbinic style 
> teaching.  In
> the course of a dialogue, he will quote one verse or a part of a verse that 
> contains
> a specific point that he wishes to make. ie Rom 1:17.  His use of the 
> String of
> Pearls method looks very much like the Rabbis of his generation.    The OT 
> scriptures
> that he quotes are clearly from the LXX.  And even though he doesn't quote 
> the OT
> directly in 1Th, his verbage sounds like any of a number of the Rabbis 
> teaching
> halakah.

If you will look at Abraham Malherbe's Anchor Bible commentary on the 
Thessalonian
letters, you will learn that what you call Halakah is also good 
Hellenistic-Roman
ethical teaching, indeed closer toit than to Jewish halakah.
> 
> I think to assume that his audience in not taught in the scriptures is to 
> assume that
> Paul would not have used the scriptures when he was teaching them how to no 
> longer be
> Pagan.  IMO Paul would have expected them to know scripture because to 
> quote James
> when addressing the council "Moses of old time hath in every city them that 
> preach
> him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day".
> 
> Respectfully,
> Jeff> ________________________

 Jeff, a citation from James in Acts 15 has nothing to do with Paul, just as 
Paul's
sermon in Acts 18, which does not use the OT, does not tell us how Paul 
proclaimed the
good news. I not that you assume that Paul used the OT in his initial 
preaching? How do
you KNOW that, not assukme it?

Ed Krentz


=====
Edgar and Becky Krentz
Christ Seminary Seminex Prof. of NT Emeritus
Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
1100 E. 55th Street
Chicago, IL 60615

ekrentz AT sbcglobal.net