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Motivation for the Sharing of Material Possessions in Acts, Philo's De Vita Contemplativa and the Didache: a Comparative Study

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Motivation for the Sharing of Material Possessions in Acts, Philo's De Vita Contemplativa and the Didache: a Comparative Study Andrews University Digital Commons @ Andrews University Dissertations Graduate Research 2019 Motivation for the Sharing of Material Possessions in Acts, Philo's De Vita Contemplativa and the Didache: A Comparative Study Lena V. Toews Andrews University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations Part of the Biblical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Toews, Lena V., "Motivation for the Sharing of Material Possessions in Acts, Philo's De Vita Contemplativa and the Didache: A Comparative Study" (2019). Dissertations. 1692. https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/1692 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Research at Digital Commons @ Andrews University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Andrews University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT MOTIVATIONS FOR THE SHARING OF MATERIAL POSSESSIONS IN ACTS, PHILO’S DE VITA CONTEMPLATIVA AND THE DIDACHE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY by Lena V. Toews Adviser: Robert Johnston ABSTRACT OF GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH Dissertation Andrews University SeventH-day Adventist Theological SeMinary Title: MOTIVATIONS FOR THE SHARING OF MATERIAL POSSESSIONS IN ACTS, PHILO’S DE VITA CONTEMPLATIVA AND THE DIDACHE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY Name of researcher: Lena V. Toews NaMe and degree of faculty adviser: Robert Johnston, Ph.D. Date completed: July 2019 Luke, in the book of Acts, depicts the sharing of possessions as a practice in the JerusaleM comMunity of the first century. Several pericopes, occurring priMarily in the first part of the book of Acts, eMbody the idea of shared property and seeM to have iMportant parallels to other sources of the tiMe, including the Jewish author Philo’s work De vita contemplativa, where he describes a group he calls, “Therapeutae,” and in the Jewish Christian document Didache. This study seeks to identify beliefs correlated with the Material sharing practices in the comMunity of Acts and compare theM witH De vita contemplativa and the Didache with the goal of better understanding the motivations for Material sharing in the early JerusaleM comMunity as described by Luke in the book of Acts. Chapter 1 introduces the three documents to be exaMined. It also outlines the reasons for the selection of these three different sources. In addition, it describes the literary methodology that is used as the basis for the study. Chapter 2 analyzes various passages in Acts related to sharing of Material possessions. The descriptor “everything in comMon,” is first found in Acts 2:41–47 where it describes the life of the first Christians where κοινωνία functions as a pivotal term used to describe the practice of material sharing by the JerusaleM comMunity. This is further illustrated in Acts 4:32 where “no one claiMed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” The story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1–12 narrates a negative experience of material sharing. However, this passage clarifies that the sharing practices in Acts did not lead to a loss of private property rights. In Acts 6:1–7 the administrative structure for sharing is altered in response to a disagreeMent within the comMunity. While exponential growth in meMbership takes place in the context of material sharing, the growth contributes to changes in administrative structures. Acts 6 is the last tiMe in the book where the comMunity-wide daily sharing is described. In Acts 11:27–30 the need for the church in Antioch to share with the believers in JerusaleM brings into question the effectiveness of the earlier Models described in Acts 2, 4, and 6. A key motivation for sharing in the Acts comMunity is their belief in the “last days” as indicated by Peter’s quotation of Joel 2 and its connection to the Spirit in Acts 2:17 and also in 2:38 which provides the setting for the κοινωνία described in 2:42–44. This belief in the parousia is not contrary to the belief in the Spirit but works along with it. The miraculous sharing of possessions happens under the transformative influence of the Holy Spirit as highlighted in the promise for the last days found in Acts 2:17. Chapter 3 analyzes the description of the Therapeutae in Philo’s De vita contemplativa. AMong this comMunity, κοινωνία is also significant. However, the term is used differently than in Acts. For Philo, κοινωνία is an iMportant philosophical concept related to humanity’s search for the ultiMate experience of seeing and knowing God through the life of the soul. Material sharing happens priMarily in the context of joining the Therapeutae when the initiate gives away all of their belongings. While an underlying practice of comMon things in relationship to weekly meals and celebrations exists, the goal of spiritual self-realization aMong the comMunity of the Therapeutae distinguishes their Material sharing from the practice described in Acts. Chapter 4 studies the Christian comMunity who were the recipients of the anonymous document, the Didache. While the Didache has some descriptive eleMents, it Mostly gives instructions on the life of the comMunity. In this document, the comMunity is instructed to practice material sharing. It appears here in a different form than in the early chapters of Acts, being a form of personal alMs giving rather than a daily, comMunity-wide practice of having “all things in comMon.” In the Didache, the κοινωνοί are those who are fellow believers in the comMunity rather than those sharing Material possessions. In the concluding chapter 5, the three different comMunities are compared and contrasted as to their practice of material sharing. The unique outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the last-days led the comMunity described in Acts to radically reorient their approach to Material possessions. This organic Ministry Model stands in contrast to that of the inner-life focus of the Therapeutae and the instructional exhortations to material sharing found in the Didache. Andrews University SeventH-day Adventist Theological SeMinary MOTIVATIONS FOR THE SHARING OF MATERIAL POSSESSIONS IN ACTS, PHILO’S DE VITA CONTEMPLATIVA AND THE DIDACHE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY A Dissertation Presented in Partial FulfillMent Of the RequireMents for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Lena V. Toews July 26 2019 © Copyright by Lena V. Toews 2019 All Rights Reserved MOTIVATIONS FOR THE SHARING OF MATERIAL POSSESSIONS IN ACTS, PHILO’S DE VITA CONTEMPLATIVA AND THE DIDACHE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY A dissertation presented in partial fulfillMent of the requireMents for the degree Doctor of Philosophy by Lena V. Toews APPROVAL BY THE COMMITTEE _______________________________ _______________________________ Faculty Adviser, Director of Ph.D./Th.D. PrograM Robert Johnston Thomas Shepherd Professor of New TestaMent, EMeritus _______________________________ _______________________________ Teresa Reeve Dean, SDA Theological SeMinary Associate Professor of New TestaMent Jiří Moskala _______________________________ Thomas Shepherd Professor of New TestaMent _______________________________ John Reeve Assistant Professor of Church History _______________________________ _______________________________ Ross Winkle Date approved Professor of New TestaMent Pacific Union College TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................... vii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION .................................. 1 Background of the ProbleM .......................... 2 ComMunity and Sharing in the Book of Acts .............. 2 Philo’s De vita contemplativa and the Didache ............ 10 The ProbleM ................................... 14 Purpose of Study ................................ 15 Justification for the ResearcH ......................... 15 Scope and DeliMitations ............................ 19 Methodology ................................... 21 2. SHARING AS DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF ACTS ........... 23 Acts 2:41–47 ................................... 24 Verse 41 ................................... 27 Verse 42 ................................... 31 Excursus on the Meaning of κοινός and Its Cognates ....... 37 SumMary .............................. 53 The Breaking of Bread and Prayers ................. 55 SumMary .............................. 61 SumMary ................................ 62 Verse 43 ................................... 62 SumMary ................................ 66 Verse 44 ................................... 66 Verse 45 ................................... 75 Verse 46 ................................... 82 Verse 47 ................................... 86 Conclusions ................................. 88 Spiritual Sharing in Acts 3:1–10 ....................... 90 Conclusions ................................. 92 Acts 4:32–35 ................................... 93 Verse 32 ................................... 94 Verse 33 .................................. 102 Verse 34 .................................. 103 Verse 35 .................................. 107 Conclusions ................................ 109 Acts 4:36, 37 and 5:1–11 ........................... 111 Verses 36, 37 ............................... 111 iv Acts 5:1–11 ................................ 112 Conclusions ................................ 121 Acts 5:12–16 .................................. 122 Verse 12 .................................. 123 Verse 13 .................................. 124 Verse 14 .................................. 126 Verse 15 .................................
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