
PAUL IN ACTS AND EPISTLES The Miletus Speech and I Thessalonians as a Test Case by Stephen John Walton A thesis submitted as a requirement for the degree of PhD in the Department of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield April 1997 Abstract StephenJohn Walton Paul in Acts and Epistles:The Miletus Speechand 1 Thessaloniansas a Test Case This study contributes to debates over the portraits of Paul in Acts and his epistles by considering the one Pauline speech to Christians in Acts, the speech to the Ephesian elders at Miletus (Acts 20:18b-35). After surveying previous work, a two-way comparison is made, comparing the Miletus speech with (i) speechesby Jesusin Luke's Gospel, to see how Lukan it is, and (ii) 1 Thessalonians, to see how Pauline it is. A hierarchical method is outlined for identifying parallels. A study of the speech shows it to be a well-structured 'farewell', in which Paul commissions the elders for ministry after his departure to Jerusalem. The speech has four major themes: faithful fulfilment of leadership responsibility; suffering; the attitude to wealth and work; and the death of Jesus. Paul is offered as a model of Christian leadership for imitation. A comparison with Luke's Gospel identifies three passages which parallel the speech (22:14-38; 12:1-53; 21:5-31), and four briefer passages (7:38,44; 9:2; 10:3; 13:32f). 22:14-38 parallels the speech especially closely. A clear picture of Luke's view of Christian leadership emerges - modelled by Jesus, taught to his disciples, modelled by Paul, and then taught to the elders, the leaders of the next Christian generation. The comparison with 1 Thessalonians recognises the four major Miletus themes in the letter, and identifies a number of passagesand ideas in the letter which have parallels in the speech. A clear picture of Christian leadership emerges, looking remarkably like that found in Luke-Acts. A conclusion reviews the argument, concludes that the speech is not dependent on the letter, and outlines results for debates about Paul in Acts and epistles. Contents Abstract Contents Acknowledgements vii Abbreviations ix 1. Why Study the Miletus Speech? 1 I. I. The Paul of Acts/Paul of the epistlesdebate I 1.1.1. Four schools of thought 1 1.1.2. Vielhauer and Haenchen 4 1.1.3. Responsesto Vielhauer and Haenchen 7 Methodologicalresponses 7 EvidentiWresponses 10 Responseson particular issues 14 1.1.4. The relevance of the Miletus speech 18 1.2. Luke's knowledgeof the Pauline epistles 19 1.2.1. The case for no knowledge 20 1.2.2. The case for knowledge 21 1.2.3. Responsesto the casefor knowledge 22 1.2.4. The relevance of the Miletus speech 23 1.3. Reviewof previouswork on the speech 23 1.3.1. Pauline tradition 23 1.3.2. Lukan composition 26 The speechderivedfrom the epistles 26 Style criticism 27 Redactioncriticism 29 1.3.3. Farewell speech as genre 38 1.3.4. Structural studies 40 1.3.5. An attempt to re-set the agenda 41 1.3.6. Narrative-critical approaches 41 1.3.7. Rhetorical-critical approaches 43 1.3-8. Studies of individual points 45 1.4. Orientation of this study 46 2. Are Parallels in the Eye of the Beholder? - Questions of Approach 48 48 2.1. Introduction . 2.2. Parallelism in Luke-Acts 48 2.2.1. Rackham 49 2.2-2. Goulder 51 2.2.3. Talbert 53 2.2.4. Conclusion 55 2.3. What kind of unity haveLuke and Acts? 55 2.4. A hierarchy of connections 59 iv 2.5. Acts and the Pauline parallels 62 2.5.1. A parallel question? 63 2.5.2. The use of criteria 64 2.6. Conclusion 65 3. The Miletus Speech in Context 66 3.1. Immediatecontext 66 3.2. Literary genre 69 3.2.1. Is there a genre 'farewell speech'? 69 Jewishexamples 70 Graeco-Romanexamples 72 Conclusion 74 3.2.2. Is the Miletus speech a 'farewell speech'? 74 Occasion 74 Contents 75 Discussion 77 3.3. Structure 80 3.3.1. Markers of structure 81 Greeksentence structure 81 Repetitions 83 Timereferences 85 Changeof subject 85 3.3.2. Chiastic structure? 85 3.3.3. A proposed structure 89 3.4. Overview of contents 89 3.4.1. vv 18-21:Retrospect 90 3.4.2. vv 22-24: The future of Paul in Jerusalem 91 3.4.3. vv 25-27: Prospect and retrospect 92 3.4.4. vv 28-31: A charge to the elders 95 3.4.5. vv 32-35: Conclusion 96 3.5. Themes 98 3.5.1. Faithful fulfilment of leadership responsibility 98 3.5.2. Suffering 101 3.5.3. The attitude to wealth and work 103 3.5.4. The death of Jesus 105 4. The Miletus Speech and Luke's Gospel 107 4.1. Introduction 107 4.1.1. The context in Acts 107 4.1.2. Parallels in Luke's Gospel 107 4.2. Luke 22:14-38 108 4.2.1. The Last Supper discourse as a farewell speech 108 Occasion 108 Contents 109 4.2.2. Suffering to come ill 4.2.3. The efficacy of the death of Jesus 115 4.2.4. Leadership 118 4.2.5. Money and work 123 4.2.6. Summary 125 V 4.3. Luke 12:1-53 126 4.3.1. Leadership 127 4.3.2. Suffering 131 4.3.3. Money 133 4.3.4. Other verbal parallels 134 4.3.5. Summary 136 4.4. Luke 21:5-36 137 4.5. Briefer passages 139 4.5.1. Luke 7:38,44 139 4.5.2. Luke 9:2 141 4.5.3. Luke 10:3 142 4.5.4. Luke 13:32 143 4.6. Conclusion:leadership 143 5. The Miletus Speech and 1 Thessalonians 146 5.1. Introduction 146 5.1.1. Why 1 Thessalonians? 146 5.1.2. Our approach to parallels 148 5.2. Orientation to 1 Thessalonians 148 5.2.1. Authorship 148 The useof the plural 149 5.2.2. Date 151 The date of the letter 152 5.2.3. Occasion 154 The nature of the letter 154 Exigenciesof the letter 158 Eschatology 158 Persecution in Thessalonica 160 Ecstatic manifestations 161 Paul defending himself 162 Conclusions on exigencies 164 5.2.4. Summary 164 5.3. From the Miletus speechto I Thessalonians 165 5.3.1. Leadership 165 Verbsof knowing 165 Paul's 'defence' 168 The call to the Thessalonianleaders 168 5.3.2. Suffering 171 Paul's own suffering 171 The ThessalonianChristians' suffering 174 A Christian attitude to suffering 174 5.3.3. Money and work 176 1 Thess.2.5ff, 9 176 1 Thess.4: 11f 177 Conclusions 181 5.3.4. The death of Jesus 181 5.3.5. Conclusions 182 vi 5.4. From 1 Thessaloniansto the Miletus speech 183 5.4.1.6oU%CU(O 183 5.4.2. E'MOTPEý(O 184 5.4.3. The Christian message 186 T6 e&yyAtov Toij Oeoiý 186 (6) x6yo; Toi. -, ecoo 187 5.4.4. The teaching of Jesusas the basis for ethical exhortation 188 5.4.5. OL'KO80RC(O 190 5.4.6. Yj CKK, %q(YL'CL TO'O OFO'& 191 5.4.7. [taPTUPO[taL, &CEttap-rupo[taL 192 5.5. Leadershipin 1 Thessalonians 193 5.6. Conclusions 194 6. Concluding Reflections 196 6.1. Reviewand summary of results 196 6.2. Implicationsfor study of the Miletus speech 198 6.2.1. The Miletus; speech's place in Luke-Acts 198 6.2.2. Luke's source(s) 199 Schulze 200 Aejemelaus 202 Lukeand Paul 208 6.3. Implicationsfor the Paul qfActslPaul of the epistlesdebate 209 6.4. Future work suggestedby this study 209 Appendix 1: The Text and Translation of Acts 20:28b 211 Appendix 2: The Text of Luke 22:17-20 216 Bibliography 219 vii Acknowledgements It is in the nature of scholarship to combine individual effort and collective support, and I am acutely aware that without the latter this thesis would never have seen the light of day. First and foremost I wish to thank my successivesupervisors, Dr (now Prof. ) Andrew Lincoln and Dr Loveday Alexander. In quite different ways they have provided stimulation, critical challenge and warm Their encouragement, along with fine personal examples of scholarship. ideas patience in reading drafts of material and helping me to shape my has been exemplary. I am deeply grateful to them both. Next are those who helped me in my first steps in New Testament studies at Cambridge, particularly the Revd Canon Prof. C. F. D. Moule, who kindly supervised both an essay and an undergraduate dissertation which kindled my interest in the area which this thesis discusses, the Revd Dr R. T. France and the Very Revd Dr N. T. Wright. I have had excellent help from the university libraries of Cambridge, Sheffield and Nottingham, St John's College, Nottingham library and, particularly, Tyndale House, Cambridge, where I have very much appreciated the readiness of successive staff to help. The atmosphere and facilities there are beyond praise. Grants from Tyndale House Council and the St Aidan's College Charity were a considerable help at key stages of the work, as was financial assistancelatterly from St John's College, Nottingham. I owe a great deal to the encouragement and support of colleagues and friends over the period of this research, particularly those at the Church Pastoral-Aid Society, the Rt Revd John B. Taylor (whose Chaplain I had the privilege to be), and colleagues and students at St John's College, Nottingham, where I now teach.
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