Steven Carr

In http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Early_Traditions.htm NT Wright writes about 1 Corinthians 15 'This, as is now regularly argued by a good many commentators, and almost as regularly admitted even by those who think Paul’s belief was false, is to allow into the argument a hellenistic worldview that is totally out of place in this most Jewish of chapters. '

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9 verses 22-23 'To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.'

How likely is it that Paul would write in such a way that the Greeks in Corinth would find his words very strange to them, as he had written 'this most Jewish of chapters'?

andrewcriddle

Greek authors going back at least to Plato (in the Phaedrus) draw a distinction between oral communication, where one can tailor what one is saying precisely to one's audience, and written communication, where anyone can get to read the text and (mis)understand it.

Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 is probably referring to how he tailored his spoken sermons to his audience. When writing he would have had much less flexibility.

Andrew Criddle

Steven Carr

Was Paul Greek?

It would still be interesting to know what the Greek Corinthians made of 'this most Jewish of chapters'....

Clivedurdle

I really wish we would dump this false dichotomy of Greek here Jew there or whatever. When any idea meets another idea both are immediately changed into something else. It is called co-evolution in biology - I think that is a reasonable concept to use here.

It is as if a species model is being used when the reality is the bacteriological model of everything and everyone mating, becoming symbiotic and parasitic with everyone else. There are no island ecologies here!

Steven Carr

Of course it is a false dichotomy. Judaism had a lot of syncretism - picking up ideas of named angels from other religions etc.

Ben C Smith

Hey, I have that one. Plato, Phaedrus 275de, Socrates speaking:

Δεινον γαρ που, ω Φαιδρε, τουτ εχει γραφη, και ως αληθως ομοιον ζωγραφια. και γαρ τα εκεινης εκγονα εστηκε μεν ως ζωντα, εαν δ ανερη τι, σεμνως πανυ σιγα. ταυτον δε και οι λογοι· δοξαις μεν αν ως τι φρονουντας αυτους λεγειν, εαν δε τι ερη των λεγομενων βουλομενος μαθειν, εν τι σημαινει μονον ταυτον αει. οταν δε απαξ γραφη, κυλινδειται μεν πανταχου πας λογος ομοιως παρα τοις επαιουσιν, ως δ αυτως παρ οις ουδεν προσηκει, και ουκ επισταται λεγειν οις δει γε και μη. πλημμελουμενος δε και ουκ εν δικη λοιδορηθεις του πατρος αει δειται βοηθου, αυτος γαρ ουτ αμυνασθαι ουτε βοηθησαι δυνατος αυτω.

For writing, O Phaedrus, has this terrible thing somehow, and is truly very similar to painting. For the things that are born from it stand as if living, but, if one should ask anything, they are solemnly and utterly silent. And words are also like this. You might think that they spoke as if sentient. But, if you ask them anything, wishing to learn of what they are saying, they always repeat for you the very same thing. And each word, when once it is written, is rolled about everywhere, similarly among those in the know as likewise among those for whom it amounts to nothing, and it does not know to whom it must indeed speak and to whom not. And when it is missounded and unjustly abused it always has need of its father to help it, for it is able neither to defend nor to help itself.

Ben.