Paul and the Reader of Animal Entrails

[robert j]

Was Paul any different from the ranks of professional itinerant cynic-philosophers, faith-healers, magicians, astrologers, pneumatics, temple priestesses, charismatics, diviners, and readers of animal entrails that plied the streets of 1st C. Greco-Roman cities?

Well, if one credits Paul as a true believer, he could rise above many of those others --- certainly the readers of animal entrails --- but how far?

After all, Paul did have the sacred Jewish scrolls as his proof text. But for those that do not accept the Judeo-Christian faith, realistically, he should not be given much more credibility and reverence than some of those others listed above that may also have truly believed in their trades --- some of those others also had traditions behind them. For many, gods and religions, like philosophies, are merely human constructs that come and go as cultures evolve.

Paul’s claim that “we are not like the many peddling the word of god …" (2 Corinthians 2:17) was empty rhetoric as I have argued before. Paul clearly demonstrated an out-sized interest in monetary compensation and collections.

And Paul’s claims to speak for the heavens, to speak for a heavenly Lord (1 Cor. 9:14, 11:23, and 14:37) were Paul-speak for --- ‘I made it up’.

Paul was not that much different from Juvenal’s caricature from the streets of Rome (about 100 CE) of a palsied Jewess that interpreted the scrolls of Jerusalem as a trusty go-between with the highest heaven --- and would tell of dreams for a mere small coin (The Ways of Women, Satire 6).

Not that much different, that is, except for Paul’s business plan. Specifically, Paul’s self-patented idea that promised his Gentile followers --- without the need of circumcision --- full participation with the ancient god of Israel.

--- and Paul’s enterprise that evolved to include some junior partners, the writing of letters after his initial evangelizing efforts to keep his flocks in-line and to encourage compensation, and some of those partners saving his letters and following in his footsteps, and the author of gMark using Paul’s writings in his tale, and Marcion finding what he saw as a kindred soul and using Paul’s letters to demote the god of the Jews, and the emerging-catholics responding vehemently to counter Marcionism, and ….. Eusebius … Constantine … the Holy Roman Empire ….

robert j.

[Clive]

The sailing business school graduate snake oil salesperson hypothesis?

[neilgodfrey]

The "churches" Paul established or wrote to were modeled on the burial or craft or religious cult associations of the day. These held their regular meetings: there were rules and procedures governing orderly processes when different people wanted to address the meeting; there were rules governing behaviour and penalties for breaking them; in a Bacchic association there were penalties to apply for any member who took a matter between members to the public courts instead of to the leaders of the cult (sound familiar?); different members had different roles (gifts); they shared common meals; they had initiation ceremonies; they shared common property.

Such associations were subject to certain Roman imperial controls since they could become places where people got together to discuss "politics" and plot civil disturbances.

See Robert Wilken, "The Christians as the Romans Saw Them".

James C. Hanges in "Paul, Founder of Churches", points to the practice of tongues and going into visionary trances being part and parcel of what religious leaders did.

Both Wilken and Hanges firmly place Paul's activities in the social and cultural context of the day.