Paul Flashcards
History of the Word ‘Charity’
Origins in the greek word ‘agape’
Becomes ‘caritas’ in Latin
‘Charity’ used to just be the english translation of this word for this type of love
Until KJB
Eventually became a certain kind of active love, until the early 17th century where it became defined as benevolence to one’s neighbours, especially the poor
Who was pivotal in charity?
Luther
Secularisation
The delivery of charity by monasteries supplanted by largely secular deliveries of charitable aid within society
When the Protestants dismantled monasteries, new charitable foundations took their place
Negative Associations With ‘Charity’
By 1687 the word became associated with charitable institutions
There is a certain negative association to the word charity
Depending on benevolence
Quite close to pity
Arguably should not exist if the state was decent
Very corporate
Nietzsche and Paul
Admired Jesus but did not like Paul, believed that Jesus was the only real Christian
Believes that Paul invents the Christian slave morality which he wishes to transcend in his ‘ubermensch’ theory
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900), The Antichrist and Daybreak
Supported by Ludwig Feuerbach
Von Harnack, What is Christianity
Paul adds a series of Hellenistic additions to the raw and simple message of Jesus
William Loader, 2009
‘None of Paul’s writings would lead one to understand that good news for the poor was a central feature in the message of Jesus, but then he says little if anything about Jesus’ own teaching and preaching.’
Some question how well Paul actually knew the message of Jesus
What can social scientific approaches to NT criticism contribute?
Evidential base of periodic poverty for many in the 1st century
Suggestive of some internal dynamics of communities Paul engages with
e.g. what is the social status of Priscilla and her husband who dye cloth?
Suggestive for our understanding of some distinctive features of the Jesus communities in relation to the wider world
Does this approach risk over-reading the evidence?
The NT is very short - we must make speculative claims
Bruce Longenecker
Remember the Poor
RtP - care for…
‘Care for the indigenous Poor … lay at the heart of Paul’s understanding’
Christianity was the culmination of his attempt to configure Jesus-groups towards this
RtP - economy
Adapts Steven Friesen’s ‘poverty scale’ for the Greco-Roman world in an economy scale
Gives a sense of the exposure to risk - who could survive periodic famines or floods?
The majority are either just at or just below subsistence level or consistently below it
RtP - it seems…
‘It seems then, that Paul imagined initiatives for the poor within their communities … to be incarnations of a divine order…’
The Jesus-communities were acting in counter-cultural ways to model an alternate way of existing in the world
They became living parables
Typical Patterns Of Benevolence, Patronage, And Giving In The Greco-Roman World (3)
General obligation for the very wealthy was to give civic donations which enhanced their reputations
Very harsh attitudes - Legal to expose unwanted or disabled children (heavily criticised by early Christian writers which is in part how we know about this practice)
There were medical treatments and hospitals
Galen
Trained at Alexandria, and then became a doctor at a Gladiatorial school
Good quality medical care reserved for assets - gladiators, soldiers, etc
There was not medical care for the poor
Seneca, De Clementia
Pity is described as a sickness of the soul as compassion can get in the way of reason and justice
Lucian of Samosata
‘The earnestness with which the people of this religion help one another is incredible. They spare themselves nothing to this end’ (not a compliment)
Gillian Clark, Christianity and Roman Society
‘No Roman cult groups, not even those that were primarily mutual groups, are known to have looked after strangers and people in need … provision for the poor was not a priority’
Avoid being polemical (Christians nice, pagans mean)
Paul’s general attitude
In Galatians he is writing to followers of Jesus in Galatia
Often writes on the tensions between Jews and Gentiles:
Should gentiles be circumcised?
Should the two groups eat together?
Acts has sections in the middle where the author uses the first person plural to describe Paul’s journey, suggesting that the author was travelling with Paul
Some have suggested Luke
It is a pro-Pauline document
Acts may corroborate Paul’s own account of being in Jerusalem
When was Paul active
Active late 40 - early 50 CE
David Horrell
From Paul’s point of view, Christ is a model for how the Christians should live their lives not only through his teaching but through who he is
e.g. Jesus as a selfless gift from God
Jesus sets the pattern for charity through sacrifice and salvation
Longenecker
Argues that Jesus’ radical self-emptying serves as the model for Paul’s teachings on economic solidarity, where Christians are called to imitate Jesus’ self-giving love
2 Corinthians 8:9 - ‘Although he was rich, on your account he became poor…’ Paul emphasises Jesus’ self-giving nature as the example to follow for charity
Paul connects Jesus’ poverty to both material and spiritual elements, seeing Jesus’ self-sacrifice as the model for Christians
Dunn
Explains that Paul connects Jesus’ material poverty and spiritual richness to suggest that material poverty and spiritual purity are linked.
Paul teaches that charity is not only about giving material wealth but also about aligning spiritually with the humble, sacrificial nature of Christ
2 Corinthians 8:9 - Paul discusses Jesus’ material poverty and spiritual richness, urging Christians to imitate this self-emptying
Charity is a personal necessity for salvation, not just an ethical choice
C.T. Rhyne
Suggests that Paul integrates material and spiritual concerns, where charity is tied directly to spiritual growth and salvation, not merely a moral obligation
Romans 15:27 - Paul views the collection for the poor as a spiritually significant act, linking generosity to salvation
Rhyne highlights that Paul connects charitable actions to the believer’s spiritual life
Romans 15:27
‘They were pleased to do this, and indeed they owe it to them; for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material things’
