Teaching, Tradition and Thaumaturgy A Sociological Examination of the Polemic of the Pastorals by Lloyd Keith Pietersen For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The Department of Biblical Studies University of Sheffield August 2000 Summary of Thesis Much historical-critical work on the opponents in the Pastoral Epistles has resulted in sweeping generalisations concerning their Jewish and/or Gnostic nature. Literary analyses have been somewhat more promising in focusing on the stereotypical nature of the polemic but either fail to do justice to the urgency of the language in the Pastorals or fail to provide a convincing description of the opponents. This thesis approaches the problem of the opponents from a social-scientific perspective. Utilising labelling theory and social control theory from the sociology of deviance, the thesis argues that the Pastorals function as a literary version of a status degradation ceremony whereby previously influential insiders within the communities addressed are transformed into outsiders. Following a survey of approaches to the problem of institutionalisation, the thesis argues that the scholarly consensus (that the Pastorals reflect the institutionalisation of initially charismatic Pauline communities) needs to be revised. It suggests a developmental model for charismatic communities which involves both the process of institutionalisation and the simultaneous, thaumaturgical subversion of that process. This model arises out of the sociological analysis of the development of a contemporary charismatic community and it is argued that developments in the second century CE church, particularly the rise of Montanism, yield results which are consistent with this model. The thesis examines the Pastorals in the light of this developmental model and argues that they reflect a power struggle within the communities between those who advocate an ecstatic spirituality rooted in the memory of a thaumaturgical Paul and the author, who appeals to Pauline tradition and sees Paul as primarily a great teacher. TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments 8 Abbreviations 9 Introduction 10 Chapter One 14 The Opponents in the Pastoral Epistles 14 Introduction 14 2 The Opponents as Real 15 A Jewish-Christian Emphasis ~ 18 B Gnostic Emphasis 30 3 The Polemic as (Primarily) a Literary Device 33 A Dibelius and Conzelmann 33 B R.1. Karris 34 C L.T. Johnson 37 D B.Fiore 39 E Summary 41 4 The Opponents in the Light of Competing Images of Paul.. 45 A The Pastorals and Jewish-Christian Ecstatics 45 B The Pastorals and the Acts of Paul 47 C The Pastorals and Proto-Montanism 49 Chapter Two 52 A Social-Scientific Approach 52 1 Introduction 52 2 The Use ofModels 52 3 Approaches in the Sociology of Deviance 54 1 A Differential Association 54 B Social Control 55 C Labelling Theory 56 I Deviance as Power Struggle 58 II Master Status 59 4 Status Degradation and the Authenticity of the Pastorals 60 5 Conclusion 62 Chapter Three 64 Thaumaturgical Persistence and the Institutionalising Process 64 1 Introduction and Definition of Terms 64 2 Institutionalisation 67 A Introduction 67 B Max Weber 69 I Charismatic Authority 70 II The Routinisation ofCharisma 71 C The Routinisation of Charisma in the Pauline Communities 74 D Criticisms of Weber's Concept of "Routinised Charisma" 78 E Institutionalisation 80 F Denominationalisation 86 G Sects 87 I Ideal Type 87 II Sect Development 89 3 Thaumaturgical Persistence 96 A Introduction 96 B Christianizing the Roman Empire 98 2 C Ecstatic Religion 103 D The Thaumaturgical Response to the World 106 I Wilson's Typology of NRMs 107 II The Cultural Conditions Necessary for a Thaumaturgical Response .. 109 III Thaumaturgical Persistence 111 4 Conclusion 113 Chapter Four 117 A Case Study 117 Introduction 117 2 Beginnings 118 3 Distinctives 119 A Christianity as an Everyday, Lived Reality 119 B Conversionist 121 C The Charismatic Dimension 121 D Eschatology 122 4 Development 123 5 Analysis 130 6 Validation 137 A Questionnaire 137 I Results 138 II Data Set 140 III Significant Changes 140 IV Comments From Respondents Concerning Changes 142 V Emphases 145 VI Correlations 146 3 a High Positive Correlations 148 b Moderate Negative Correlations 150 VII Conclusion 150 B Interviews 151 I Cell Church 153 II Leadership Changes 156 III Second Generation 158 IV Pioneer 160 V People leaving 161 VI "Toronto Blessing" 166 VII Diminishing Supernatural Expectations 168 VIII Trends 170 IX Institutionalisation 173 7 Conclusion ~ 176 Chapter Five 185 Second Century Developments: Ignatius, Proto-Montanism and Montanism ........ 185 Introduction 185 2 Ignatius and the Demand for Charisma 186 A Ephesians 186 B "SilI ence ".In Ignatius. 188 C Philadelphians 190 D Conclusion 191 3 Proto-Montanism 191 4 Montanism 193 A Beginnings 193 4 B Teaching 194 C Women 197 D Subsequent Developments 197 5 Ecstasy and the Pastorals 199 6 Conclusion 200 Chapter Six 202 Teaching, Tradition and Thaumaturgy 202 Paraenesis or Polemic? 202 A Paraenesis and Other Literary Arguments 202 I Polemic in the Service of Paraenesis 202 II The Function of Personal Example in Paraenesis 204 III The Social Function of Paraenesis 205 IV Epistolary Novel 206 B Polemic 208 I As an Explanation of Occasion and Purpose 208 II The Pastorals as Primarily Polemical Documents 209 III Status Degradation Ceremony 210 2 The Significance of Ephesus and Crete 213 3 Thaumaturgy and the Pauline Communities 216 A Corinth 217 I 1 Corinthians 217 II 2 Corinthians 218 B Colossae 219 C Conclusion 221 4 Thaumaturgy and the Pastoral Epistles 222 5 A Realised Eschatology 222 B Asceticism 223 C Meaningless Talk 224 D Myths and Genealogies 226 5 The Opponents' Success with Households 229 A Household Emphasis 230 B Libertarian Women 231 C Ecstatic Women 236 6 The Opponents as "Magicians" 241 A Jannes and Jambres 241 B The use ofy611C; 242 7 A Composite Picture of the Opponents 245 8 The Author's Strategy 247 9 Conclusion 251 Conclusion 252 Paul as Thaumaturge 254 2 Institutionalisation and Thaumaturgical Persistence 257 3 1 Timothy 4 259 4 A Final Autobiographical Note 260 Bibliography 264 Appendix One 274 Uses of the Y011-Word Group 274 Appendix Two , 290 . Quesuonnaire 290 Appendix Three 294 6 Ranking of Key Changes 294 Appendix Four 297 Means and Standard Deviations 297 Appendix Five 311 Trend Lines 311 Appendix Six 322 Correlations 322 7 Acknowledgments Now that this thesis is finally finished I would like to thank the following: • The elders of Bristol Christian Fellowship for releasing me from eldership to pursue further studies and for providing me with initial financial support. • Members of staff and colleagues in the Department of Biblical Studies from whom I have learned much. • My cyber-friends, Mark, Mike, Sarah and especially Natasha, who kept me going during the last few months of writing up. • My academic friends Fiona Black, Mark Blackwell, Helen Bond, James Harding, John and Katie Lyons, Ruth Anne Reese and Andy Reimer. I have greatly appreciated your friendship, the collegial chats and the malt whisky. • My "Workshop" colleagues Sue Haines, Cherryl Hunt, Noel Moules, Jill Ogilvy, Rosemary Pike, Carole Pitma~ and Simon Scott. Thank you for your support and friendship. Thanks especially Sue for helping me with my German! • My supervisor, Dr Loveday Alexander, who has contributed so much to this work through her guidance and encouragement. • My children, Beth, Keren, Kezzie and Jed, for putting up with Dad spending long hours in the study. • My wife Sheila without whose love and support I would never have finished this thesis. Thank you so much for all the sacrifices you have made. This is for you, though I doubt whether you a~e foolish enough to read it. To Sheila 8 Abbreviations AB The Anchor Bible AnBib Analecta biblica ANF The Ante-Nicene Fathers BDF A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. F. Blass and A. Debrunner, translated and edited by R.W. Funk BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester ConB Coniectanea biblica Ebib Etudes bibliques EKKNT Evangelisch-Katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament FRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments HTR Harvard Theological Review HR History of Religions ICC International Critical Commentary. JBL Journal of Biblical Literature JRelS Journal of Religious Studies JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament JSNTSup Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series JSSR Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament NIGTC New International Greek Testament Commentary NovT Novum Testamentum NovTSup Novum Testamentum, Supplements NTS New Testament Studies OTP Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, ed. lH. Charlesworth SBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series SBLMS Society of Biblical Literature Monograph Series SBLSBS Society of Biblical Literature Sources for Biblical Study SBLSP Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers SNTSMS Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. G. Kittel and G. Friedrich WBC Word Biblical Commentaries WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 9 Introduction Speaking of the Pastorals, Dunn (1975: 349) states: Clearly then the vision of charismatic community has faded, ministry and authority have become the prerogative of the few, the experience of the Christ-Spirit has lost its vitality, the preservation of the past has become more important than openness to the present