Corpus-Paul

[Loren Rosson <rossoiii AT yahoo.com>]

Bob wrote:

>Could Paul's audience include non Christ-believing
>Jews as Nanos implies? This postulate is needed
>in order for Nanos' interpretation of the weak
>and the strong to hold. Esler disagrees stating
>that the synagogue prayer houses (as
>unearthed in Ostia) were separate and distinct
>from the house churches.

But Esler also allows that the Judean Christians may
have continued attending synagogues (separate from the
house churches) despite this. If this were the case,
one wonders how much interaction took place between
Gentiles and "unbelieving Israel". 

I think Esler's ideas may be compatible enough with
Nanos'. Let's look at what Paul is doing from the
perspective of each.

According to Esler, Romans targets the "Judean and the
Greek" every step of the way, diminishing advantages
of each group without erasing their ethnic identity in
the process. The Judean is judged by the law
(2:6-3:20) and dies to the law (7:1-25), just as the
Greek is judged apart from the law (1:18-2:16) and
dies to ungodliness (6:16-23). The result is that
circumcised Judeans and uncircumcised Greeks are
justified, equally, by faith (3:21-4:17), and both
fulfil the requirement of the law by an entirely
different route, the spirit (8:1-17). Both parties are
on the same playing field, in different ways. (Esler
calls this recategorization.)

Rom 9-11 also targets the "Judean and the Greek", but
now with respect to unbelieving Israel. Here the
Judean (Christian) is legitimated (and Israel shamed)
(9:6-10:21), while the Greek (Christian) is indicted
(and Israel glorified) (11:1-32). 

Just as unbelieving Israel is in view (but not
addressed directly) in chs 9-11, it seems to be in
view in chs 14-15 (as Nanos argues). The weak in faith
refer to non-Christian Judeans, and the function of
these two chapters would be the same as 11:13-32 --
too stifle Greek freedom in the hope that unbelieving
Israel will be provoked (through jealousy)
to reacquire her salvation (cf 11:17-24). 

Mark would probably not care for the way I've revised
his Roman scenario, but I can't help but think
unbelieving Israel is in view in chs 14-15 in a
similar way to Caesar in ch 13: believers do and must
deal with the "outside". Rom 12-15 instructs accordingly.

Loren Rosson III
Nashua NH
rossoiii AT yahoo.com

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