Subsistence, Swapping, and Paul's Rhetoric of Generosity

Schellenberg, Ryan S.

doi:10.1353/jbl.2018.0013

Cited by 2 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“… 54. This conclusion puts a theological point on the socio historical hypothesis of Justin Meggitt (1998), Steven Friesen (2010: 50–51), and Ryan Schellenberg (2018: 227–28) that the collection involves the relatively poor in Corinth subsidizing the relatively poor in Jerusalem, so that, in due season, equality emerges through a kind of mutualism that promotes ‘swapping’. But this approach is not merely a ‘survival strategy’ (Meggitt 1998).…”

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confidence: 89%

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God, Grace, and Equality in 2 Cor. 8.13–14

Briones

2023

Journal for the Study of the New Testament

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What does ‘equality’ (ἰσότης) mean in 2 Cor. 8.13–14? What is the significance of the phrase ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἰσότητος (8.13)? To date, no one has sufficiently dealt with Paul’s striking use of ἐκ in the phrase ἐξ ἰσότητος. Dieter Georgi sought to explain it by comparing Paul’s use of ἰσότης with Philo’s understanding of the term as a divine cosmic power, but the majority of scholars have rightly rejected this comparison as unconvincing and implausible. However, in so doing, they overlook one of his major insights. Paul wrote ἐξ ἰσότητος (8.13). This article accounts for Paul’s otherwise unexpected use of ἐκ by advancing a new reading of ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἰσότητος (8.13) that takes seriously Paul’s broader theology of the Christ-gift in 2 Cor. 8–9. Contrary to many who reject the theological significance of ἰσότης in 2 Cor. 8.13–14, this article will disclose the nature of equality in Christ, God’s fundamental role in its realization, and its socially disruptive effects on gift-giving relationships in the church. What results is a sociotheological reading of ἰσότης, one that centers on the grace of God in Christ (2 Cor. 8.9).

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confidence: 89%

“…1.26; 11.21–22; 16.2). Scholars generally agree on this socioeconomic portrait (see Schellenberg 2018: 217 n. 12).…”

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confidence: 93%

God, Grace, and Equality in 2 Cor. 8.13–14

Briones

2023

Journal for the Study of the New Testament

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“…Because of the Thessalonians’ conﬂict with outgroup members and struggle with poverty, it is likely, as some scholars have suggested, that Paul instructed them on communal self-sufficiency rather than individual financial independency through labour in 1 Thess. 4.11-12 (Aasgaard 2004: 164-65; Schellenberg 2018: 229-31; cf. Meggitt 1998.161-62).…”

Section: Evidence From the Pauline Lettersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As Paul exhorts in 4.11-12, they had to work for their self- or communal-sufficiency while not depending on others (cf. Aasgaard 2004: 164-65; Schellenberg 2018: 229-31). This gives an impression of the believers’ economic insecurity or vulnerability.…”

Section: Free(d) Casual Workers With Social Network In the Thessamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Paul’s Letter to Free(d) Casual Workers: Profiling the Thessalonians in Light of the Roman Economy

Jung

2020

Journal for the Study of the New Testament

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There is a long history of dissonance between the (so-called) Old and New Consensuses with regard to the early Christians’ socio-economic status. The composition of the Thessalonian congregation, however, has been barely explored. Not only has some valuable evidence in 1 Thessalonians been neglected or underplayed, but also the Thessalonians’ socio-economic status has been deemed the same as that of the Corinthians or other Pauline Christians. In this regard, this article explores clues in the Pauline letters for the membership of the Thessalonian church in light of the Roman economy, while keeping open the possibility of its difference from other Pauline communities. It concludes that the Thessalonian church was a fairly homogeneous community of free/freed casual workers who lived around subsistence level (mostly PS6 and partly PS5 or PS7).

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Subsistence, Swapping, and Paul's Rhetoric of Generosity

Cited by 2 publications

References 8 publications

God, Grace, and Equality in 2 Cor. 8.13–14

God, Grace, and Equality in 2 Cor. 8.13–14

Paul’s Letter to Free(d) Casual Workers: Profiling the Thessalonians in Light of the Roman Economy

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