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Symbolic Universe, Metaphor and Conviction

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Symbolic Universe, Metaphor and Conviction SYMBOLIC UNIVERSE,METAPHOR AND CONVICTION: A STUDY OF THE SLAVE METAPHOR IN PAUL'S LETTER TO THE GALATIANS A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Arts Biblical Studies Department University of Sheffield In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Sam Tsang August 2001 Accepted on CONTENTS Abstract Introduction ChapterI ISSUESIN RESEARCHINGGRECO-ROMAN SLAVE IDENTITY AND PAUL'S RHETORIC: PRELIMINARY REMARKS 28 1.1. The State of the Scholarly Questions in Greco-Roman Slave Identity 28 1.2. Scholarship on First-Century Greco-Roman Slave Identity and Paul 35 1.3 Scholarship on the Metaphors of Paul: Symbolic Universe, Metaphors and Rhetoric 39 1.4. Conclusion 48 Chapter 2 IDENTITY SHIFTS OF THE SLAVE IN THE PROCESS OF GRECO-ROMAN SLAVERY: FROM BONDAGE TO FREEDOM AND OBLIGATION - THE SYMBOLIC UNIVERSE OF PAUL'S SOCIETY ON SLAVERY 52 2.1. Greco-Roman Slavery 52 2.2. Greco-Roman Manumission 69 2.3 Greco-Roman Re-enslavement 85 2.4. The Identity and Power Shifts in Greco-Roman Processof Slavery 87 Chapter3 THE APOLOGETICUSAGE OF THE SERVILE METAPHOR IN GALATIANS 90 3.1. Paul's Self Descriptionin Gal. 1.1,10 90 3.2. Paul's Self Descriptionin Gal. 6.17 105 Chapter4 THE POLEMICAL USAGE OF THE SERVILE METAPHOR IN GALATIANS 113 4.1. Paul's Attack on the Agitators in Gal. 2.4 113 4.2. Paul's Attack on the Agitators in Gal. 4.30 121 Chapter5 THE DIDACTIC USAGE OF THE SERVILE METAPHOR IN GALATIANS 147 5.1. Paul's Teachingof the Galatiansin Gal. 3.23-26 147 5.2. Paul's Teachingof the Galatiansin Gal. 4.1-10 162 Chapter6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION 185 6.1. The Functionof Paul's Metaphorof Slaveryin His Self-defense 185 6.2. The Function of Paul's Metaphor of Slavery in His Attack on the Agitators 188 6.3. The Function of Paul's Metaphor of Slavery in His Teaching of the Galatians 190 6.4. The Function of Paul's Metaphor of Slavery in Galatians 191 6.5. Paulls Metaphor and Conviction in the light of the Slave Metaphor 193 Bibliography 198 Abstract This thesisinvestigates the symbolicuniverse of Paul's socialworld to interpret his slavemetaphors in his letterto the Galatians.It adoptsthe approachto metaphorbelonging to the 'New Rhetoric' of C. Perelmanand L. Olbrechts- Tyteca, which not only deals with the formation of metaphors but also incorporates the formation processinto the interpretive model for metaphors. This approach enablesa nuancedaccount of the various argumentative functions of Paul's slavemetaphors in Galatians.The findings arerelated to the questionof Paul's own convictions regarding slavery as witnessed in Galatians 3.28. In order to interpret the processand meaning of Paul's slave metaphors, this studyinvestigates the socialcontext from which Paul formedhis metaphors, namelyGreco-Roman slavery in the first century.This contextprovides the better-knownarea of discourse(the 'phoros') underwhich aspectthe lesser- known areais presented(the 'theme') in a metaphor(a fusion of themeand phoros). Galatiansevidences three distinct slavemetaphors, revolving around Paul as a 'slave' of Christ,the 'enslavement'threatened by Paul's 'opponents', andthe manurnission,adoption, and potential re-enslavement of his Galatian converts. The route from Paul's metaphorsto his own convictionsabout slavery is indirect,but the latter will be of vital interestto contemporaryreaders. This thesis raisesthe questionof Paul's convictionsonly after working carefully throughthe argumentativefunctions of Paul's metaphors.Raising the questionin this way, one is ableto provide a more circumspectanswer than is sometimesfound when this latter questionis placedto the fore. In his letters,Paul's concernsare not thoseof the modernreader. Instead,he usedwhat he could from his environment to further his gospel. INTRODUCTION The Need for This Study In looking at the Sarah-Hagarepisode in Galatians, E. A. Castelli writes, "It is troubling that Paul derives his figurative imagery in this passagefrom the economic institution of slavery... "' What bothers Castelli most is how metaphors and the real world are a reflection of each other in Paul's religious document. What appearsunacceptable in the modem perspective seemsto be the norm to Paul.2 Castelli's observation is pertinent in any interpretation of metaphors becausemetaphors themselves come from a pool of information from the human experience. This study looks at the pool of experience regarding slavery and seeshow it affects Paul's slave metaphors in Galatians. Since this pool of experience is part of Paul's life and society, there is also the issue of how Paul's conviction on slavery relatesto his metaphor. How then does Paul's metaphor relate to his conviction towards certain controversialissues in both the ancientand modemchurch? In orderto understandthe relationship,one has to understandboth the meaningof Paul's metaphoras well asthe reality and limitations underwhich Paul ministered.As it touchedmany ancient societies at different levels,slavery certainly influenced Paul's world very heavily.D. J. Williams, in his recentwork, Paul's Metaphors, constructsPaul's manymetaphors as an insight into Paul's mind andthe society 3 surroundinghim, cataloguingand briefly describingmetaphors in Paul's letters. The issuesof slaveryand freedomtake up a whole chapterof his book. Williams' work demonstratesthe importanceof slaveryin Paul's mind. In his letters,Paul did not hesitateto useslavery as a metaphorbecause slaverywas a largepart of his world. As G. W. Hansen'sstudy indicates, the slavemetaphor clearly dominatesGalatians. 4 In orderto understandPaul andhis 1E. A. Castelli, "Paul on Women and Gender," in R. S. Kraemer and M. R. D'Angelo (eds.), Womenand Christian Origins (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), p. 23 1. 2 D. B. Martin, Slavery as Salvation (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1990), p. xiii, comments accurately with the right amount of emphasison the "modem perspective". He writes, "Slavery in the Roman Empire was, as it always is from our modern perspective, an oppressive and exploitative institution. " 3 Williams, Paul's Metaphors: Their Context and Character (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1999). 4 Hansen, G. W., "Paul's Conversion and His Ethic of Freedom in Galatians," in R. N. Longenecker (ed.), The Road 2 metaphors fully, one must also understandthis cruel institution of slavery and all its related issues. Many authors have addressedthe subject of the slave metaphor. D. B. Martin's Slavery as Salvation illuminates afresh the slavery metaphor in 5 Paul's writings, especially in the book of I Corinthians. F. Lyall, who is an expert on Roman law, writes on slavery as a background to many Pauline 6 metaphors. J. L. White uses all of Paul's metaphors to derive theological ideas 7 from Paul. 1. A. H. Combes in The Metaphor ofSlavery in the Writings of the Early Christian Church surveys the effect the New Testament slave metaphors 8 had on the first five Christian centuries. His survey demonstrates the power of such metaphors over the history of the early church. However, there is little work that focuses as specifically on Galatians, particularly asking how Paul used the 9 slave metaphor to persuade his audience. According to The New Rhetoric of Perelman and Olbrechts-Tyteca, "the object of the theory of argumentation is the study of the discursive techniques allowing us to induce or to increasethe mind's adherenceto the thesespresented ftom Damascus:The Impact ofPaul's Conversionon His Life, Thought,and Ministry (Grand Rapids:Eerdmans, 1997), pp. 213-221,shows how the slavemetaphor is sprinkledthroughout the letter. 5 D. B. Martin, Slaveryas Salvation,p. ix, focuseshis thesison Christiansalvation and leadership from a sociologicalmodel. On the metaphorof slaveryin Rom. 8 as a test case,see the fine paper by W. G. Rollins,"Greco-Roman Slavery Terminology and the PaulineMetaphors for Salvation" in K. H. Richards(ed. ), SBLSeminar Papers 1987 (Atlanta: ScholarsPress, 1987), pp. 100-110. Rollins givesnumerous literary examplesof slaverybeing a metaphor.Also seeD. J. Kyrtatas, TheSocial Structureof the Early ChristianCommunities (London: Verso, 1987),pp. 36-37,who briefly mentionsthe metaphorbut goeson to seethe metaphoras reflecting the Christianattitudes towardsslavery. Othersuse similar method to interpretother parts of the New Testament.See M. A. Beavis,"Ancient Slaveryas an InterpretiveContext for theNew TestamentServant Parables with SpecialReference to the Unjust Steward(Luke 16:1-8)" JBL 111(1992), pp. 37-54. 6 F. Lyal1, Slaves, Citizens, Sons: Legal Metaphorsin the Epistles(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984). Much of the studyremains quite generalbut goesinto little detailsabout the specificideas behindthe major Paulinetexts. 7 J. L. White, The. 4postle of God(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1999). 8 1.A. H. Combes,The Metaphor ofSlavery in the Writingsof the Early Church(JSNTSup 156; Sheffield:Sheffield Academic Press, 1998). Seethe interestingtheory that the modernwork ethic hasits origin from moralteaching and justification of slavery. D. J. Kyrtatas,"Slavery as Progress:Pagan and ChristianViews of Slaveryas Moral Training," InternationalSociology 10 (1995),pp. 219-234. Kyrtatastraces the conceptbackwards starting from the ideasof Hegeland Engelabout slavery as a precursorto progressin civilization. Then,he looks at how the concept hasbeen taught as applications on the individual slaves. 9 This is not to saythat no work hasbeen done on Paul'smetaphors. Many works on slaveryand Paulstop at the studyof metaphor,without connectionwith Paul'srhetoric. E.g. Lyall, Slaves, Citizens,Sons:
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