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University of Glasgow Oaiiii in Thessalonica UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW OAIIII IN THESSALONICA: A STUDY OF THE CONFLICT RELATIONS OF PAUL AND THE THESSALONIAN CHRISTIANS WITH OUTSIDERS A THESIS SUBMITTED TO TIE FACULTY OF DIVINITY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT OF BIBLICAL STUDIES BY © TODD DIXON STILL JUNE 1996 Abstract The purpose of this project is to explore the discordant relations of Paul and the Thessalonian Christians with non-Christian outsiders. My thesis is that conflict characterized the interaction of believers with unbelievers and that there were particular reasons for and results of the hostile relations between the two groups. 1 Thessalonians (inclusive of 2: 13-16 which some scholars [erroneously] regard as a later interpolation [chapter one]) serves as the primary source for this attempt to delineate the contours of the conflict. 2 Thessalonians (chapter two) and Acts 17: 1-10a (a secondhand account of the conflict in Thessalonica [chapter three]) function as secondary resources for this study and are used with due caution. Ancient literary parallels, non-literary evidence, and theoretical material culled from the social sciences (social- scientific theories of deviance and conflict are set forth in chapters four and five respectively) also inform this interpretive task. Parts three and four comprise the core of this investigation. I argue in these sections that non-Christians perceived both Paul and the Thessalonian Christians as deviant and that they actively opposed these non-conformists in their midst. In chapter six I maintain that Paul encountered conflict with outsiders while in Thessalonica and that he was ultimately driven from the city by some unbelieving Jews. Those Jews who banished Paul likely regarded him as a threat to the integrity of the Jewish community for his laxity in association with Gentiles and for his "Law-free" instruction of Pauline Christians (chapter seven). In chapter eight I suggest that the apocalyptic and polemical texture of 1 (and 2) Thessalonians may be usefully explained as Paul's specific reaction to the non-Christian opposition to him and his converts in that city. Concerning the Thessalonian believers' conflict, I contend that they experienced verbal (and perhaps physical) abuse, social ostracism, and political sanctions at the hands of their own Gentile compatriots (chapter nine), who seemingly viewed these Pauline Christians as an exclusive assembly which was (potentially) subversive to the family, religious, and political life of the wider community (chapter ten). In chapter eleven I note that the church's growth in faith, love, and hope was positively linked to its conflict with outsiders. B.y, way of conclusion, I summarize the study, comment upon its, significance, and make a few suggestions for further research. Table of Contents Acknowledgements i. Author's Declaration iii . Notes iv. Abbreviations V. Introduction 1 Part One: A Treatment of Disputed Texts Chapter One: 1 Thess 2: 13-16: A Deutero-Pauline Interpolation? Introduction 8 1. Form-Critical Concerns 11 II. Grammatical/Syntactical Issues 14 III. Historical Matters 19 IV. Theological Considerations 23 Conclusion 27 Chapter Two: Is 2 Thessalonians Authentically Pauline? Introduction 29 I. Arguments against Authenticity 30 II. Evaluating Objections to Pauline Authorship 34 III. A Sitz im Leben for 2 Thessalonians 38 Conclusion 44 Chapter Three: Acts' Account of the Conflict in Thessalonica Introduction 46 I. The Proposed Origin of the Opposition 47 II. The Reason G iven for Jewish Opposition 50 III. The Reported Attack 54 IV. The Recorded Accusations 58 V. The Purported Outcomes 63 Conclusion 65 Part Two: The Social-Scientific Study of Deviance and Conflict Chapter Four: The Sociological Study of Deviance Introduction 68 1. The Use of Deviance Theory by NT Scholars 69 II. The Sociology of Deviance 71 III. Three Approaches to Deviance 75 IV. Defining Deviance 84 V. The Deviance Process 86 Conclusion 92 Chapter Five: The Social-Scientific Study of Intergroup Conflict Introduction 95 I. Factors Affecting Conflict 97 II. Classifying Conflict 99 III. Defining Intergroup Conflict 102 IV. Characteristics of Intergroup Conflict 104 V. Causes of Intergroup Conflict 106 VI. The Cycle of Intergroup Conflict 108 VII. Consequences of Intergroup Conflict 109 VIII. Coping with Intergroup Conflict 112 Conc lusion 1 13 Part Three: The Apostle's A IF9N Chapter Six: Non-Christian Opposition to Paul in Thessalonica Introduction 116 1. Opposition in Chessalonica 1 16 II. Expulsion from Thessalonica 120 III. Prohibited from Preaching to the Gentiles 127 IV. 1 Thess 2: 1-12: Apology and/or Parenesis? 129 Conclusion 141 Chapter Seven: Why Did Some Jews Oppose Paul? Introduction 143 I. Passing Out of Judaism in the Diaspora 146 II. Paul's Pre-Christian Persecution of the Church 160 III. Paul's Conflict with His Own People 165 Conclusion 182 Chapter Eight: Apocalyptic and Polemic: Paul's Reaction to Opposition in 1 (and 2) Thessalonians Introduction 18 8 I. Apocalyptic and Conflict 189 II. Polemic and Conflict 198 Conclusion 204 Part Four: The Thessalonians' ®A I IF 12 Chapter Nine: The Nature and Source of the Thessalonian Christians' Conflict Introduction 206 I. The Thessalonians' OAIIIE 206 II. The Origin of the Thessalonians' Opposition 216 Conclusion 224 Chapter Ten: Why Did the Thessalonian Christians Encounter Opposition from Their Gentile Compatriots? Introduction 226 I. Conversion to Pauline Christianity 227 II. The Thessalonian Christians as Exclusive 231 III. The Thessalonian Christians as Subversive 251 Conclusion 269 Chapter Eleven: The Impact of Intergroup Conflict on the Thessalonian Congregation Introduction 272 I. Affliction and Faith 272 II. Conflict and Community 277 III. Opposition and the Parousia 285 Conclusion 291 Conclusion 293 Bibliography of Works Cited 297 Acknowledgements The writing of this thesis has been a strenuous, yet satisfying, task. Thankfully, I have received the support of various individuals and institutions along the way. I gratefully acknowledge some of them here. Firstly, I would like to thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. John M. G. Barclay. I selected to carry out my post-graduate research at the University of Glasgow so that I could be under Dr. Barclay's tutelage, and I am pleased that I did. If ever there were a "gentleman and a scholar, " it is he. I can only hope that this piece reflects, at least at points, his rigorous, stimulating, and fair- minded scholarship. If not, the student, not the supervisor, is to blame. I also want to express my appreciation to Dr. Philip F. Esler for meeting with me on a couple of occasions in the autumn of 1993 when Dr. Barclay was on sabbatical leave. Post-graduate study for overseas students is extremely expensive. I am thankful to those who have helped me to absorb the tremendous costs. I extend my sincere gratitude to the University of Glasgow and to the Overseas Research Students Award Scheme for awarding me generous scholarships. I also want to thank my parents (Willard and Betty Still) and my parents-in-law (Dennis and Radene Christian) who offered financial and other kinds of assistance. The unsolicited gifts of caring couples also helped to lighten the financial load. These couples include: J. P. and Carolyn Sims, Ron and Melanie Mittel, David and Katherine Middelbrook, Dr. Todd and Alison Moffatt, Dr. Jeff and Tami Holt, Shawn and Cheryl Todd, Rob and Stephanie Tanner, Todd and Jill Hawkins, Billy and Tracye Beacham, and Dr. Herbert and Joy Reynolds. Additionally, I am thankful to the wonderful people at Uddingston Baptist Church who granted me the privilege to serve 1 as their pastor from February 1993 to December 1994. They not only provided for my wife (Carolyn) and me a lovely manse ("Shalom"), but they also graciously endured many a message in a "foreign tongue. " Carolyn, my companion and friend, also worked to help support her husband's dream of pursuing a PhD overseas. Living in Scotland, while not always. easy (especially in the winter months! ), was a memorable and enjoyable experience. Friendships with Dr. David and Mary Graham, Paul and Cheryl Gahm, the folks at Uddingston Baptist (in particular, the Campbell, Cloudsley, Durham, Leitch, and Marren families), Dr. Eddie Adams, Marion Carson, and Richard Gibbons made it all the more pleasurable. The hospitality of the Biblical Studies faculty, particularly the Barclay family, was also a highlight of our sojourn in Scotland. In December of 1994, Carolyn and I returned to Texas where, at the invitation of President Gary Cook, I took up a position teaching New Testament at Dallas Baptist University. I would like to offer my appreciation to Dr. Cook and to my colleagues Dr. Davey Naugle and Dr. Mike Williams for the encouragement they have offered me as I completed my thesis. Dr. E. Earle Ellis, Dr. R. Bruce Corley, Dr. H. Alan Brehm, Dr. Robert Sloan, Dr. Charles Tolbert, Dr. Harold Osborne, Dr. Allan Walworth, Jason Bradley, and Jeff Fish have also lent their support as I worked on this project. The birth of our first child, Samuel Christian, has been a pleasant distraction for me during the final stages of thesis preparation. I can only hope that his mother and I can be the type of Christian role-models and care-takers for him as my parents have been for me. Mom and Dad, I dedicate this project to you in thankful appreciation. ii Notes This thesis has been prepared using an Apple Macintosh® computer (PowerBook 100), a MicroSoft Word® program (4.0D), and a Hewlett-Packard@ printer (LaserJet 4MP). The style of documentation employed throughout this project (largely) follows Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 5th ed., rev. and expanded by Bonnie Birtwistle Honigsblum (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987). Full documentation of sources is provided only in the bibliography of works cited section at the end of the volume.
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