Corpus-Paul

["Jeffrey B. Gibson" <jgibson000 AT comcast.net>]

JERRY SUMNEY wrote:

> Bob Kraft writes:
>
> 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.

> Jerry:
>
>         While it is precisely not temple robbing, many (most) within the
> Jewish community would know the story of the Maccabeans destroying the
> temple on Mt. Gerizim.  That might qualify as an act of sacriledge to many
> people--maybe even some Jews, after all, it is not included in all accounts
> of the exploits of the Hasmoneans.  I expect that the conqueror took the
> treasury when the temple there was razed.
>
> But maybe that is too distant an act?

Plutarch's "Cilician" Pirates did just this around 67 BCE (see Pompey 25).

Jeffrey

--

Jeffrey B. Gibson, D.Phil. (Oxon.)

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