Callia Rulmu, «Between Ambition and Quietism: the Socio-political Background of 1 Thessalonians 4,9-12», Vol. 91 (2010) 393-417
Assuming the Christian group of Thessalonica to be a professional voluntary association of hand-workers (probably leatherworkers), this paper argues that 1 Thessalonians in general, and especially the injunction to «keep quiet» (4,11), indicates Paul’s apprehension regarding how Roman rulers, city dwellers, and Greek oligarchies would perceive an association converted to an exclusive cult and eager to actively participate in the redistribution of the city resources. Paul, concerned about a definite practical situation rather than a philosophically or even theologically determined attitude, delivered precise counsel to the Thessalonians to take a stance of political quietism as a survival strategy.
407
BETWEEN AMBITION QUIETISM
AND
of the sacred games (agwnouethv) for Augustus “son [of God]†58 ;
ß ¥
a series of coins bearing on the obverse the legend UEOS upon
the head of Caesar and on the reverse the head of Caesar’s son,
Octavian, with the inscription UESSALONIKEWN or even
UEISEBASTOY ; finally, an earlier format of a coin displaying
on the obverse the head of Zeus and on the reverse a prow with the
legend UESSALONIKEWN is modified by replacing Zeus’ head
w i t h the head of Augustus with the legend KAISAR
SEBASTOS 59. An unpublished but often quoted Thesis by
Holland L. Hendrix adduces more evidences for the factual
presence on the Imperial Cult in Thessalonica 60.
b) Paul’s Critique of the Cult of the Emperor
Comparing the well known first decree of the Asian League
concerning the new provincial calendar (Priene, 9 BCE) 61 and the
Pauline eschatological vocabulary of 1 and 2 Thess (eırhnh, ߥ
1 Thess 1,1; 5,3.23; epifaneia, 2 Thess 2,8); elp¥v, 1 Thess 1,3;
ß ¥ ßı
2,19 ; 4,13; 5,8; 2 Thess 2,16; eyaggelion, 1 Thess 1,5; 2,2.4.8.9;
ß ¥
3,2 ; 2 Thess 1,8; 2,14; swthrıa, 1 Thess 5,8-9; 2 Thess 2,13;
Â¥
xara, 1 Thess 1,6; 2,19-20; 3,9), Harrison reads 1 Thess 4,13–5,11
Â¥
as a systematic critique of the “imperial propaganda of his dayâ€
and the “Augustan eschatology and apotheosis traditions†62.
He shows, how throughout 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Paul deliberately
uses vocabulary drawn from the semantic field of the Cult of the
Emperor. For instance, paroysıa (1 Thess 4,15) is found in an
Â¥
inscription from Tegea (“ . . . parousia of the god Hadrian in
Greece â€) 63, and its Latin equivalent appears on the Neronian coins
IG [X] II/I 31, ln. 5-7.
58
Though HARRISON (“ Paul â€, 82) recognizes that, in this particular case,
59
“ the Thessalonians might have been making only the more modest claim that
Augustus’s exercise of his imperium was ‘Zeus-like’â€.
H . L . H E N D R I X , T h e s s a l o n i a n s Honor Romans ( U n p u b l i s h e d
60
Th.D. Thesis, Harvard University 1984) esp. 330-337.
V. EHRENBERG – A.H.M. JONES, Documents Illustrating the Reigns of
61
Augustus and Tiberius (Oxford 1976) § 98b (ln. 32-41).
HARRISON, “Paulâ€, 79-92.
62
G. MENDEL, “Fouilles de Tégée: rapport sommaire sur la campagne de
63
1900-1901â€, Bulletin de correspondance hellénique 25 (1901) 275.
FOLLOW US