Corpus-Paul

["John Brand" <jbrand AT gvsd.mb.ca>]

Jim West wrote:
> What would the typical Greek have understood by the word "anointed"? 
> Because, as you will surely know, when Paul uses "christos" it isn't
> yet a Title or a capitalized term.  Its just a word.  Jesus "the"
> anointed would have meant something completely different than most
> Christians today understand it.  But the problem is, what?

John Brand responds:
You could answer your own question by considering the number of 
contenders that there were in the Greek mystery religions for 'Lord' 
of the cult (Dionysos, Mithras, Athene, etc.). Augustus was hailed as 
a saviour (Suetonius) because of the Pax Romana. In Zoroastrian 
thought which influenced Pythagoras there was an expectation of a 
coming 'righteous one' similar to what we see in Isaiah. You are 
surely familiar with the thought that the wise men of Luke's gospel 
may have been Zoroastrian.  In short, the question is not whether the 
Greeks would have been familiar with the concept of an anointed 
saviour. The question is which one of the contenders is saviour/lord.

Tim wrote: 
> > He never pretends that they are adopting a new religion just dropped
> > fresh out of the sky. The gospel for the world is the salvation of
> > Israel.

Jim West wrote: 
> Im not sure if the average greek on the street would have given a
> thought to the salvation of Israel.  Would they have really cared all
> that much?  I dont think so.  I think, in fact, that any language Paul
> used would have resonated from their own upbringing in the Mysteries. 
> Blood, washing, salvation, all that stuff wouldn't have been heard by
> greeks the same way it was by jews.  When Paul spoke to greeks did
> they hear what he meant or what they understood?  

John Brand asks:
Why the Mysteries only, Jim? Why wouldn't language Paul used resonate 
from philosophical thought represented in Cicero or Lucretius 
(Epicurean) or (later) Marcus Aurelius (Stoic)? Wouldn't it be more 
accurate to say that some of his audiences would resonate with 
language from the Mysteries (i.e. Ephesus) while others would 
resonate with more sophisticated language of philosophy (i.e. 
Romans)?

John Brand

B.A. (Providence College, 1980)
M.Min. (Providence Seminary, 1990)