HistoryofReligions

1
History-of-Religions

• A Study in Possible Parallels

2
Introduction

• Parallels important if they connect us with
  religious tradition
• analogy vs. genealogy
• differences more important than similarity
• Often dependent on dating
• Traditional dating (44-62)
• John Knox, Chapters in A Life of Paul (40-58)

3
Goal

• Find history of ideas, or trajectory for ideas
• Where a concept splits from parent view, may
  identify new religion
• Notice how gospel is packaged in
  culturally-appropriate forms
• May help with meaning

4
Paul Galatians 113-17

• For you have heard of my previous way of life
  (anastrophe) in Judaism, how intensely
  (huperballo) I persecuted (imperfect) the church
  of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing
  (imperfect, proekopton) in Judaism beyond many
  Jews of my own age in my generation and was
  extremely zealous for the traditions of my
  fathers. But when God, who set me apart from
  birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to
  reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him
  among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man,
  nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who
  were apostles before I was, but I went
  immediately into Arabia not a desert, but a
  thriving city and later returned to Damascus.

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Paul

• Earliest source for self-proclaimed Pharisee
• Next earliest source 180 (R. Judah)
• Ioudaismos Paul uses Judaism for first time in
  written history!
• First Christians labeled by outsiders (Acts
  1126)
• BDAG, p.479 only in Gal. 113 (in NT)
• References to 2 Macc 4 Macc. (now known to be
  post-Christian)
• Synagogue in Stobi.

6
Paul

• Church. Greeks had 2 chambers in political
  democracy
• Boule upper chamber property requirement
• Ekklesia lower class open to every free man
• Zealous
• BDAG absolute sense (in a bad sense!)

7
Josephus

• Son of wealthy landowner
• Probably Sadducee
• Jewish general / Roman historian
• Some Jews distrustful of Josephus for this
• Tendency to blame common people (especially
  zealots) for the war
• Tends to exaggerate numbers characteristics
• Book, life, Greek very close to NT

8
Josephus, Life 7-12

• Now, my father Matthias was not only eminent on
  account of is nobility, but had a higher
  commendation on account of his righteousness, and
  was in great reputation in Jerusalem, the
  greatest city we have. I was myself brought up
  with my brother, whose name was Matthias, for he
  was my own brother, by both father and mother
  and I made mighty proficiency in the improvements
  of my learning, and appeared to have both a great
  memory and understanding. Moreover, when I was a
  child, and about fourteen years of age, I was
  commended by all for the love I had to learning
  on which account the high priests and principal
  men of the city came then frequently to me
  together, in order to know my opinion about the
  accurate understanding of points of the law. And
  when I was about sixteen years old, I had a mind
  to make trim of the several sects that were among
  us. These sects are three - The first is that of
  the Pharisees, the second that Sadducees, and the
  third that of the Essenes, as we have frequently
  told you for I thought that by this means I
  might choose the best, if I were once acquainted
  with them all so I contented myself with hard
  fare, and underwent great difficulties, and went
  through them all. Nor did I content myself with
  these trials only but when I was informed that
  one, whose name was Banus, lived in the desert,
  and used no other clothing than grew upon trees,
  and had no other food than what grew of its own
  accord, and bathed himself in cold water
  frequently, both by night and by day, in order to
  preserve his chastity, I imitated zelot him in
  those things, and continued with him three years.
  So when I had accomplished my desires, I returned
  back to the city, being now nineteen years old,
  and began to conduct myself according to the
  rules of the sect of the Pharisees, which is of
  kin to the sect of the Stoics, as the Greeks call
  them.

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Similarities

• Trace their advancement in Judaism
• More zealous than the others
• Personal ability

10
Differences

• Josephus presents rational investigation of 3
  sects a guru to choose the best
• Paul was chosen by God and called by Grace
• Josephus claims human choice
• Paul claims revelation
• Josephus within Judaism
• Paul to preach among the nations

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Lucian, Peregrinus 11-13

• It was now that he came across the priests and
  scribes of the Christians, in Palestine, and
  picked up their queer creed. I can tell you, he
  pretty soon convinced them of his superiority
  prophet, elder, ruler of the Synagoguehe was
  everything at once expounded their books,
  commented on them, wrote books himself. They took
  him for a God, accepted his laws, and declared
  him their president. The Christians, you know,
  worship a man to this day,the distinguished
  personage who introduced their novel rites, and
  was crucified on that account. Well, the end of
  it was that Proteus was arrested and thrown into
  prison. This was the very thing to lend an air to
  his favorite arts of clap-trap and
  wonder-working he was now a made man. The
  Christians took it all very seriously he was no
  sooner in prison, than they began trying every
  means to get him out again,but without success.
  Everything else that could be done for him they
  most devoutly did. They thought of nothing else.
  Orphans and ancient widows might be seen hanging
  about the prison from break of day. Their
  officials bribed the jailers to let them sleep
  inside with him. Elegant dinners were conveyed
  in their sacred writings were read and our old
  friend Peregrinus (as he was still called in
  those days) became for them 'the modern
  Socrates.' In some of the Asiatic cities, too,
  the Christian communities put themselves to the
  expense of sending deputations, with offers of
  sympathy, assistance, and legal advice. The
  activity of these people, in dealing with any
  matter that affects their community, is something
  extraordinary they spare no trouble, no expense.
  Peregrinus, all this time, was making quite an
  income on the strength of his bondage money came
  pouring in. You see, these misguided creatures
  start with the general conviction that they are
  immortal for all time, which explains the
  contempt of death and voluntary self-devotion
  which are so common among them and then it was
  impressed on them by their original lawgiver that
  they are all brothers, from the moment that they
  are converted, and deny the gods of Greece, and
  worship the crucified sage, and live after his
  laws. All this they take quite on trust, with the
  result that they despise all worldly goods alike,
  regarding them merely as common property. Now an
  adroit, unscrupulous fellow, who has seen the
  world, has only to get among these simple souls,
  and his fortune is pretty soon made he plays
  with them.

12
Compare with NT

• Lords supper
• Poor, widows, orphans,
• Etc.

13
Epictetus, Discourses 1.15.7-8

• "How then shall my brother cease to be angry
  with me?" Bring him to me and I will tell him.
  But I have nothing to say to you about his anger.
  When the man, who was consulting him, said, "I
  seek to know this- how, even if my brother is not
  reconciled to me, shall I maintain myself in a
  state conformable to nature?" Nothing great, said
  Epictetus, is produced suddenly, since not even
  the grape or the fig is. If you say to me now
  that you want a fig, I will answer to you that it
  requires time let it flower first, then put
  forth fruit, and then ripen. Is, then, the fruit
  of a fig-tree not perfected suddenly and in one
  hour, and would you possess the fruit of a man's
  mind in so short a time and so easily? Do not
  expect it, even if I tell you.

14
Compare with Mark 426-29

• Fruit (karpos)
• Order of progression seed to full grain
• Point reconciliation takes time, must go through
  stages
• Requires patience warns against expectation
• Humans can benefit, but only at proper time

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Epictetus, Discourses 2.1.21-25

• What then is the fruit of these opinions? It is
  that which ought to he the most noble and the
  most becoming to those who are really educated,
  release from perturbation, release from fear,
  freedom. For in these matters we must not believe
  the many, who say that free persons only ought to
  be educated, but we should rather believe the
  philosophers, who say that the educated only are
  free. "How is this?" In this manner. Is freedom
  anything else than the power of living as we
  choose? "Nothing else." Tell me then, ye men, do
  you wish to live in error? "We do not." No one
  then who lives in error is free. Do you wish to
  live in fear? Do you wish to live in sorrow? Do
  you wish to live in perturbation? "By no means."
  No one, then, who is in a state of fear or sorrow
  or perturbation is free but whoever is delivered
  from sorrows and fears and perturbations, he is
  at the same time also delivered from servitude.
  How then can we continue to believe you, most
  dear legislators, when you say, "We only allow
  free persons to be educated?" For philosophers
  say we allow none to be free except the educated
  that is, God does not allow it. "When then a man
  has turned round before the praetor his own
  slave, has he done nothing?" He has done
  something. "What?" He has turned round his own
  slave before the praetor. "Has he done nothing,
  more?" Yes he is also bound to pay for him the
  tax called the twentieth. "Well then, is not the
  man who has gone through this ceremony become
  free?" No more than he is become free from
  perturbations. Have you who are able to turn
  round others no master? is not money your master,
  or a girl or a boy, or some tyrant, or some
  friend of the tyrant? why do you tremble then
  when you are going off to any trial of this kind?
  It is for this reason that I often say Study and
  hold in readiness these principles by which you
  may determine what those things are with
  reference to which you ought to have confidence,
  and those things with reference to which you
  ought to be cautious courageous in that which
  does not depend on your will cautious in that
  which does depend on it.

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Compare with NT

• Freedom as ultimate joy (Jn 836)
• Truth (Jn) vs. Education (Ep)
• Future in own hands (Ep) or in Gods (NT)
• Person can be slave without knowing it!
• Rom. 6
• s

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Epictetus, Discourses 2.8.9-13

• Will you not then seek the nature of good in the
  rational animal? for if it is not there, you not
  choose to say that it exists in any other thing.
  "What then? are not plants and animals also the
  works of God?" They are but they are not
  superior things, nor yet parts of the Gods. But
  you are a superior thing you are a portion
  separated from the deity you have in yourself a
  certain portion of him. Why then are you ignorant
  of your own noble descent? Why do you not know
  whence you came? will you not remember when you
  are eating, who you are who eat and whom you
  feed? When you are in conjunction with a woman,
  will you not remember who you are who do this
  thing? When you are in social intercourse, when
  you are exercising yourself, when you are engaged
  in discussion, know you not that you are
  nourishing a god, that you are exercising a god?
  Wretch, you are carrying about a god with you,
  and you know it not. Do you think that I mean
  some God of silver or of gold, and external? You
  carry him within yourself, and you perceive not
  that you are polluting him by impure thoughts and
  dirty deeds. And if an image of God were present,
  you would not dare to do any of the things which
  you are doing but when God himself is present
  within and sees all and hears all, you are not
  ashamed of thinking such things and doing such
  things, ignorant as you are of your own nature
  and subject to the anger of God.

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Compare with 1 Cor. 6

• See also Acts 17 (Paul on Mars Hill)
• Holy Spirit in you
• Not to join body with harlot
• One in whom we live, move, and have our being