415 BETWEEN AMBITION QUIETISM AND imperial patrons. Instead, they appeared to have turned their attention to the local Greek oligarchs, who, in turn, exploited the political role of voluntary associations for their ongoing conflict with magistrates and rulers sent by the Empire: Greek patrons would gain more power in the city by having a larger clientela. This appears to have resulted in hostility towards the Christian group from the Roman rulers, since the Christians not only challenged the social system of the Empire by giving up the Cult of the Emperor, but also indirectly supported the pretensions of local Greek oligarchs. In the meantime, the Empire promoted a broad wave of socio- political renewal in the Eastern provinces in an attempt to regain control over cities ruled de facto by Greek oligarchies. The Christian Thessalonians appear to have strived to claim the rights offered by the Empire’s new policy, which would obviously have displeased any potential Greek patrons. The end result of this c o m p l i c a t e d picture would be that the Christian group of Thessalonica put its own existence in jeopardy by attracting the contempt of both Greek and Roman influential personalities. Paul is therefore using political language when he coins the oxymoronic expression filotimeısuai hsyxazein (“ strive to keep quiet”, ˜ Ω ¥ 1 Thess 4,11), knowing that his readers would easily relate his exhortation to quietism to their “dangerous” striving for more i nv o l v e m e n t in the politic life of their town. The verb filotimeomai was mainly used to describe the ambitious efforts of ¥ people who hoped to gain honor by their active involvement in political, and thus public, activities (cf. Philo, Rewards 11) 93. Moreover this specific verb, when followed by verbs in their infinitive form (as precisely in 1 Thess 4,11), depicts the strong desire for or ambitious attempt to obtain a given thing (cf. X e n o p h o n , O e c . 21. 6 ; Plato, Phaedr. 2 3 2 A ) ; the fact that filotimeomai and its cognates frequently appear with spoydazein ¥ ¥ (“ to be eager or earnest”) shows the intensity correlated to the ‘striving’ (Epitectus, Diatr. 4.4 title; Philo, Creation 81; Dreams 2.55 ; Embassy 60 ; Plutarch, Them. 5.4 ; Garr. 504A; Stoic rep. 1036B) 94. MALHERBE, The Letters, 246. 93 The word was also used sometimes as the equivalent of generosity 94 (Plutarch, Cic.3.1; Phoc. 31.3), and it could even describe hospitality (Philo,