Magus55

Did soap exist?

Mageth

Surely God knew of soap and could tell them how to make it. After all, you claim he informed them of germs and ways to avoid them.

knuckles644

No, but neither did wooden ships 400 feet long. But He managed to create that!

ichabod crane

Most scholars would agree with placing I Thessalonians as early, Romans and I Corinthians as middle, and II Corinthians as late. Keep in mind that II Corinthians may be an amalgam of two or more letters, and that there may have been one or more letter(s) between I and II Corinthians. But we are talking on the order of a couple of years. It's not possible to be more precise than that.

The idea of a development in Paul's eschatology has had a reasonable following amongst scholars. Examples include R.H. Charles, C.H. Dodd, and W.L. Knox et al. The latter see things essentially the same as I do - that Paul starts out with a Jewish view of resurrection, and gradually becomes more Hellenized over time.

Amaleq13

I would be interested in reading more on that subject but it should probably have its own thread. I've almost got my new place beaten into submission so I expect to have mucho free time for the next few weeks. I also have, thanks to a gift card from my former coworkers and the plentiful book point certificates resulting from using my Border's visa to pay for much of the move, a substantial bookbuying fund available. I've been intending to purchase some books specifically on Paul but haven't gotten around to it.

Could you name the most recent tome on the above subject for me? And how about one arguing the opposing view? Maccoby is probably the closest I have given that he argues for Paul's beliefs as more Hellenistic than Jewish.


Thanks in advance.

Toto

Please add them to the Books on Paul thread, if they are not already there

jbernier

This position might apply to the pre-exilic kingdoms but is extraordinarily dated in the Roman period.

jbernier

I think that the work of anthropologists such as Mary Douglas have been able to show pretty easily that the Levitical purity laws have to do with a "logic of ritual pollution" more than anything else. It is a logic whereby the world is divided into pure and impure and in which the impure can pollute the pure by its very presence - thus the impure must be avoided. This, also, btw, makes the impure sacred in the French sense of something which is set apart and must be given special treatment. I think that some of the work on the origins of food taboos from Tasmania and Madagascar can quite ably explain the tabooing of certain foods: That pig, etc., were banned either because of changes in the subsistence base which necessitated a movement away from such foods and ideological justifications for such movements or in an attempt to distinguish themselves from neighbouring groups via practice or a combination of the above. No resort to divinely given germ theory is necessary.

ichabod crane

Not sure of the latest tome; but Sander's "Paul and Palestinian Judaism" is absolutely essential (it presents the "New Perspective" on Paul). But there are stacks of books from all points of view available. Maybe have a look in a few University libraries for books on Paul first, and see what you think of them, before you buy, especially if the University has a New Testament studies department. If they're in a good University library, they're more likely to be scholarly and reliable (one would hope!).

myndreach

a couple of my favorites, just blatant contradictions

Pr.8:17
"Those that seek me early shall find me."
compared to...

Pr.1:28
"Then shall they call upon me but I will not answer; they shall seek me early but shall not find me."
and then...

Jas.1:13
"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man."

compared to...

Gen.22:1
"God did tempt Abraham."

which always makes me wonder why Jesus, while instructing people on the model prayer, said, "And lead us not into temptation." If God doesn't tempt any man, why would you have to pray for him not to???