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Gaining Virtue, Gaining Christ: Moral Development in the Letters of Paul

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Gaining Virtue, Gaining Christ: Moral Development in the Letters of Paul GAINING VIRTUE, GAINING CHRIST: MORAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE LETTERS OF PAUL BY Laura B. Dingeldein B.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006 M.A., Duke University, 2008 DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Religious Studies at Brown University PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND MAY 2014 © Copyright 2014 by Laura B. Dingeldein This dissertation by Laura B. Dingeldein is accepted in its present form by the Department of Religious Studies as satisfying the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Recommended to the Graduate School Date____________ ______________________________________________ Dr. Stanley K. Stowers, Advisor Date____________ ______________________________________________ Dr. Ross S. Kraemer, Reader Date____________ ______________________________________________ Dr. Susan A. Harvey, Reader Approved by the Graduate School Date____________ ______________________________________________ Dean Peter M. Weber, Dean of the Graduate School iii CURRICULUM VITAE Laura Dingeldein was born in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on March 19, 1984. Though as a toddler she briefly lived with her family in New Orleans, Louisiana (where she perfected her southern accent), she spent most of her childhood in the small town of Burlington, North Carolina. Laura conducted her undergraduate studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 2006 with a double major in Religious Studies and Journalism and Mass Communication. She received her Master’s degree in Religion in the area of New Testament from nearby Duke University in 2008. From 2008 to 2014, Laura was a doctoral student in the Department of Religious Studies at Brown University. Her main research interests were the historical contextualization of early Christianity and the intersection between ancient Mediterranean philosophy and religion. Laura worked extensively with the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning, serving one year as the Head Teaching Consultant for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Her publications include “‘ὅτι πνευματικῶς ἀνακρίνεται’: Examining Translations of 1 Corinthians 2:14,” an article in Novum Testamentum 55.1 (Jan. 2013); and entries on “Aquila and Prisca,” “Codex Alexandrinus,” and “Junia” in the forthcoming Routledge Dictionary of Ancient Mediterranean Religions. She received a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Brown in May 2014. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Throughout the writing of this dissertation, and during the past several years of my doctoral education, I have been examined, corrected, encouraged, and restored by many wise mentors, friends, and family. This project would not have been possible without these people, and the extent of their intellectual and emotional support of me, as well as my gratitude for it, is far greater than what can be acknowledged here. I am immensely grateful to Stanley Stowers, who has inspired, exhorted, and guided me throughout my graduate career with his thoughtful brilliance and understated humor. Stan has been an exemplary dissertation advisor, and I owe many of the insights found in this project to him. I am indebted to Ross Kraemer as well: Ross’ indefatigable curiosity and precision have greatly stimulated my own thinking, and she has helped me to navigate the muddy waters of academia and life on more than one occasion. I also owe great thanks to Susan Harvey, who has, with careful consideration and great understanding, always encouraged me to focus on the larger picture – in my research, my teaching, and my personal pursuits. I also extend my gratitude to Nicola Denzey Lewis, who has provided me with indispensible advice and counseling with regard to my teaching and other professional matters. Kathy Takayama, Laura Hess, Stratis Papaioannou, and Mark Goodacre have also been wonderful mentors during my v graduate career, and I thank the staff of the Department of Religious Studies for patiently listening to my rants more times than they probably desired. Several other friends and members of my academic family have been particularly instrumental in helping me not only to progress through the various stages of my doctoral studies, but also to successfully handle the twists and turns characteristic of an academic’s life in her twenties. The graduate students in the Department of Religious Studies, as well as Jane Anderson and Claudia Moser, deserve special mention. These people have sustained me through New England winters, sailing catastrophes, job interviews, and dissertation-related malaise, and I am most thankful for their humor, their generosity, and their excellent culinary skills. I will end by thanking those people who have been there for me since the beginning. I thank my sister, Andrea, who has became an unexpected source of stability and comfort for me as our relationship has evolved and matured over the last several years. I am eternally grateful to my parents, Steve and Mary, for their unfailing love and devotion to me. They have always insisted that I pursue my dreams, they have always been committed to helping me achieve my goals, and they have always been there for me when I have stumbled. I could not ask for better parents, and none of this would have been possible without them. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abbreviations ix Introduction Why Paul and Moral Progress? 1 The Scope and Structure of this Dissertation 2 Definitions and Categories 20 Chapter 1 The Puzzle of Moral Progress in Paul’s Letters 40 An Egalitarian Paul 44 Allergies to Virtue Acquisition 50 Hellenistic Jewish Myopia 63 Chapter 2 Theories of Virtue Cultivation in Ancient Mediterranean Philosophy 74 The Basics: Shared Assumptions about Moral Progress 76 Stoic Moral Progress: Reasoned Virtue 82 Epicurean Moral Progress: Freedom from Pain 104 Middle Platonic Moral Progress: Becoming Like God 121 Chapter 3 Philosophers’ Programs of Moral Progress in Early Imperial Rome 138 Creative Genius, not Crafty Jackdaw: Philo on Moral Progress 141 His Own Favorite Stoic: Seneca on Moral Progress 166 A Practical Platonist: Plutarch on Moral Progress 179 Chapter 4 Paul’s Program of Moral Development for Christ Followers 196 The Basic Moral Condition of Non-Jews 198 Moral Abounding in 1 Thessalonians 201 Pursuit of the Prize in Philippians 218 Encouragement toward Virtue in Galatians 234 Paul’s Vision of Non-Jews Moral Development: A Summary 254 Paul’s Alignment with Middle Platonism 263 vii Chapter 5 Moral Differentiation amongst Christ Followers in 1 Cor 2:6-3:4 273 The Standard Interpretation 275 Rebuttal of the Standard Interpretation 279 A New Reading of 1 Cor 2:6-3:4 306 Conclusion Paul’s Philosophy: Gaining Virtue, Gaining Christ 321 Bibliography 330 viii ABBREVIATIONS Texts and Translations Abr. De Abrahamo (On Abraham) Acad. Academica (Academics) Adv. Col. Adversus Colotem (Reply to Colotes) Anim. Proc. De anime procreatione in Timaeo Aud. De recta ratione audiendi (On Listening to Lectures) Ben. De beneficiis (On Benefits) Caus. cont. De causis continentibus (On Sustaining Causes) Civ. De civitate dei contra paganos (The City of God Against the Pagans) Cohib. ira De cohibenda ira (On Controlling Anger) Col. Adversus Colotem (Against Colotes) Comm. not. De communibus notitiis contra stoicos (On Common Conceptions, Against the Stoics) Comm. Rom. Commentarii in Romanos (Commentary on Romans) Conf. De confusione linguarum (On the Confusion of Tongues) Congr. De congress eruditionis gratia (On Mating with the Preliminary Studies) Contempl. De vita contemplativa (On the Contemplative Life) Contr. Jul. Contra Julianum (Against Julian) Crat. Cratylus Decal. De decalogo (On the Decalogue) Det. Quod deterius potiori insidiari soleat (That the Worse Is Wont to Attack the Better) Deus. Quod Deus sit immutabilis (On the Unchangeableness of God) Dogm. Plat. De dogma Platonis (On Platonic Dogma) Ebr. De ebrietate (On Drunkenness) Ecl. Eclogae (Eclogues) E Delph. De E apud Delphos (On the E at Delphi) Elect. De electionibus et fugis (On Choices and Avoidances) Ep. Epistulae Morales (Moral Epistles) Ep. Men. Epistula ad Menoeceum (Epistle to Menoeceus) ix Epit. Epitome doctrinae platonicae (Handbook of Platonism) Fat. De fato (On fate) Fin. De finibus bonorum et malorum (On Moral Ends) Fug. De fuga et invention (On Flight and Finding) Gig. De gigantibus (On the Giants) Garr. De garrulitate (On Talkativeness) Her. Quis rerum divinarum heres sit (Who is the Heir of Divine Things?) Hipp. Maj. Hippias Major (Greater Hippias) Inst. Orat. Institutio Oratoria (Institutes of Oratory) Intr. Introductio sive medicus (Medical Introduction) Jos. De Josepho (On Joseph) Ira De ira (On Anger) Lat. viv. De latenter vivendo (Is “Live Unknown” a Wise Precept?) Leg. Leges (Laws) Leg. all. Legum allegoriae (Allegorical Interpretation) Legat. Legatio ad Gaium (Embassy to Gaius) Lib. De libertate dicendi (On Frank Criticism) Lib. ed. De Liberis Educandis (On the Education of Children) LW Luther’s Works Marc. Ad Marciam de consolatione (Consolation to Marcia) Migr. De migratione Abrahami (On the Migration of Abraham) Mixt. De mixtione (On Mixture) Mos. De vita Moses (On the Life of Moses) Mul. virt. Mulierum virtutes (Virtues of Women) Mut. De mutatione nominum (On the Change of Names) ND De natura deorum (On the Nature of the Gods) Non posse Non posse suaviter vivi secundum Epicurum (That Epicurus actually makes a pleasant life impossible) NQ Naturales quaestiones (Natural Questions) Off. De officiis (On duties) Opif. De opificio mundi (On the Creation)
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