Corpus-Paul

[Ron Price <ron.price AT virgin.net>]

Richard Fellows wrote:

> It might be fruitful to explore the possibility that Paul's collection for
> Jerusalem was designed to relieve depravation caused by the Sabbatical year
> of 55-56, .......

Richard,

Paul's appeal for this collection in 2 Cor 8-9 indicates that at least a
significant portion of it came from the churches in Macedonia and Achaia,
which we might reasonably expect to have been composed predominantly of
Gentiles. The question thus arises: Did these Gentiles know that the money
was required because some Jews had deliberately abandoned any attempt to sow
and reap their crops in deference to some supposed religious obligation in
the Sabbatical year? If they knew, then it seems to me inconceivable that
Gentiles would have contributed generously (2 Cor 8:2) to such self-imposed
penury. If they did not know, then Paul would be guilty of shameful deceit
in 2 Cor 8-9. Such a reading of this text seems hardly credible.

Ron Price

Derbyshire, UK

Web site: http://homepage.virgin.net/ron.price/index.htm