Moral Formation according to Paul: The Context and Coherence of Pauline Ethics

273 Pages·2011·2.35 MB·English

by  James W. Thompson

Moral
Formation
Paul
according to
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 1 8/4/11 3:50 PM
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 2 8/4/11 3:50 PM
M o r a l
Fo r m a t i o n
Pa u l
according to
The Context and Coherence of Pauline Ethics
James W. Thompson
K
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 3 8/4/11 3:50 PM
These websites are hyperlinked.
www.bakerpublishinggroup.com
© 2011 James W. Thompson
www.bakeracademic.com
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
www.brazospress.com
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakeracademic.com
www.chosenbooks.com
Printed in the United States of America
www.revellbooks.com
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or
www.bethanyhouse.com
transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the
prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Thompson, James, 1942–
Moral formation according to Paul : the context and coherence of Pauline ethics / James W.
Thompson.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978–0–8010–3902–7 (pbk.)
1. Bible. N.T. Epistles of Paul—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Ethics in the Bible. I. Title.
BS2655.E8T56 2011
241.5—dc23 2011020294
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are the author’s own translation.
Scripture quotations labeled ASV are from the American Standard Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®),
copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission.
All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2007.
Scripture quotations labeled KJV are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Scripture quotations labeled NEB are from The New English Bible. Copyright © 1961, 1970, 1989
by The Delegates of Oxford University Press and The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press.
Reprinted by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®.
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights
reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright
© 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in
the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of
the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian
Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United
States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 4 8/4/11 3:50 PM
Gewidmet der Familie Schauer
in Dankbarkeit für ihre
Gastfreundschaft
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 5 8/4/11 3:50 PM
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 6 8/4/11 3:50 PM
Contents
Preface ix
Abbreviations xi
Introduction: Paul’s Moral Teaching in Context: Living Worthily of
the Gospel 1
1. Ethics in Hellenistic Judaism: Maintaining Jewish Identity in the
Diaspora 19
2. Shaping an Identity: Moral Instruction and Community
Formation 43
3. From Catechesis to Correspondence: Ethos and Ethics in
1 Thessalonians 63
4. Pauline Catechesis and the Lists of Vices and Virtues 87
5. Paul, the Law, and Moral Instruction 111
6. Paul, the Passions, and the Law 135
7. Putting Love into Practice 157
8. Ethics and the Disputed Letters of Paul 181
Conclusion: The Coherence of Paul’s Moral Teaching 207
Works Cited 215
Index of Subjects 231
Index of Modern Authors 237
Index of Ancient Sources 241
vii
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 7 8/4/11 3:50 PM
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 8 8/4/11 3:50 PM
Preface
I
n Pastoral Ministry according to Paul I argued that moral formation was
the goal of Paul’s missionary work among his churches. His work as a
missionary was never complete, for his ambition was to present “blame-
less” churches to God at the parousia (cf. 2 Cor. 1:14; 11:1–4; 1 Thess. 3:13).
Both the results of the earlier book and the contemporary conversation about
spiritual formation have left unanswered questions that I will explore in the
following pages. What is formation in actual practice? What are the specific
qualities of moral formation? Does Paul have a coherent vision of what he
expects of all of his churches?
The revolution in Pauline studies has also stimulated my investigation of
the apostle’s moral instruction. Whereas earlier interpreters assumed that
Paul’s doctrine of freedom from the law precluded the Old Testament as a
source of his ethic, recent works on Paul have shown that it had a continuing
relevance for his work of shaping new communities. These developments have
led me to explore the continuing role of the law as a source of his instruction.
Although I hope that this book has contemporary relevance, my primary
task is not to ask the hermeneutical questions about the many moral dilem-
mas that now confront us, but to grasp the specific shape and inner logic of
Paul’s moral instructions. Writing to house churches that were far removed
from the public square, Paul addressed the issues that were vital for the moral
formation of his communities. I am convinced that Paul’s address to minority
communities in a pre-Christian world has continuing relevance for Christian
communities in a post-Christian world.
I am grateful to the many who provided support and guidance as I com-
pleted this work. My wife, Carolyn, devoted many hours to copyediting and
bibliographic research. My graduate assistant, Joel Brown, also aided with
research and proofreading. Editors at Baker Academic, especially James Ernest
ix
_Thompson_Moral_BB_mw.indd 9 8/4/11 3:50 PM