Corpus-Paul

[Robert Kraft <kraft AT ccat.sas.upenn.edu>]

As a tangent to the current thread on Romans 1-2, I'm wondering why recent
translations of Rom 2.22 seem to have moved to a highly etymological 
translation
in preferring "rob temples" to the older KJV (etc) "commit sacrilege"? Do we
have much evidence of Jews/Judeans literally robbing temple treasuries or
desecrating temple images and sites? LJS gives both meanings, as does BAGD 
(with
an unexplained preference for the former). Ed Krentz did an article on this in
1990, which I haven't read (or at least, don't recall the details of), but 
which
presumably (judging from the BAGD listing) argues for the more idiomatic "act
irreverently" or the like. That also seems more likely to me, without having 
done much homework on the issue.

My question, amid all that rambling, is whether the claim that in Paul's time 
there were reports or traditions about Jewish desecration of temples 
(presumably pagan) can be sustained. (Nevermind that the text might not be 
making such an actual claim; just run, for the sake of investigation, with 
the 
assumption that it is actually calling some Judeans/Jews "temple-robbers" in 
some sense of the Greek term.) 

Bob

-- 
Robert A. Kraft, Religious Studies, University of Pennsylvania
227 Logan Hall (Philadelphia PA 19104-6304); tel. 215 898-5827
kraft AT ccat.sas.upenn.edu
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/rs/rak/kraft.html