The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (146 page)

²⁰⁰
Smith (ibid.) highlighted Arnold's concession that much of his papyrological evidence dates from the third and fourth centuries. But Arnold would also argue that the nature of the magical papyri would lead one to anticipate only minimal changes over time.

²⁰¹
Smith (ibid., 206) said that those who interpreted the
stoicheia
as laws or principles “disregard a first-century Jewish mind-set which saw the cosmic realm as determinative for human affairs.”

²⁰²
Ibid.

²⁰³
For a discussion of the origins of
Merkabah
mysticism, see C. L. Quarles, “Jesus as
Merkabah
Mystic,”
Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus
3/1 (2005): 5—22, esp. 8—15. The concern that Smith expressed over the date of many of Arnold's sources impacts Smith's theory as well.

²⁰⁴
Smith,
Heavenly Perspective
, 207.

²⁰⁵
Bujard,
Stilanalytische Untersuchungen
, 129, 229.

²⁰⁶
M. Wolter,
Der Brief an die Kolosser; Der Brief an Philemon
(Gütersloh: G. Mohn, 1993).

²⁰⁷
The elevated diction and extensive parallelism throughout the passage has prompted many scholars to label this passage as a “hymn.” Scholars then debate whether it is a Pauline or pre-Pauline composition. Other scholars doubt that 1:15—20 is a hymn because of a widespread failure to identify a metrical pattern. See the discussions in Lohse,
Colossians and Philemon
, 41—46; and O'Brien,
Colossians, Philemon
, 32—37.

²⁰⁸
E.g., M. J. Harris,
Colossians and Philemon
, Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991), 42. M. Dübbers (
Christologie und Existenz im Kolosserbrief: Exegetische und semantische Untersuchungen zur Intention des Kolosserbriefes
, WUNT 2/191 [Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005], 91) recently argued for two strophes (1:15—16 and 1:18—20), with 1:17—18a functioning as an in-between strophe. N. T. Wright (
The Climax of the Covenant: Christ and the Law in Pauline Theology
[Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996], 112) argued for a chiasm consisting of A (vv. 15—16), B (v. 17), and C (v. 18c-d).

²⁰⁹
See esp. R. Martin,
Colossians: The Church's Lord and the Christian's Liberty
(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1972), 40—55; Dunn,
Colossians and Philemon
, 83—87; and O'Brien,
Colossians, Philemon
, 32—37. V. A. Pizzuto
(A Cosmic Leap of Faith: An Authorial, Structural, and Theological Investigation of the Cosmic Christology in Col 1:15—20
[Leuven: Peters, 2006]) argued that the deutero-Pauline author of Colossians also composed the hymn.

²¹⁰
O'Brien (
Colossians and Philemon
, 35—36) noted that despite extensive efforts by scholars to resolve the issue of the structure of the hymn, no consensus has emerged. He suggested that “[n]o single reconstruction is completely convincing” and stated that the wisest course is simply to speak of parallels in the text.

²¹¹
The word order is slightly altered in the second appearance of the latter construction.

²¹²
See esp. Prov 8:22—31; Wis 1:7; 7:21—8:1. Dunn incorrectly stated that Wis 1:7 portrayed wisdom as the one who “holds all things together.” But the neuter gender of the substantive participle
to synechon
makes clear that the one being described is the Spirit of God mentioned in the preceding clause.

²¹³
C. F. Burney (“Christ as the APXH of Creation,”
JTS 27
[1926]: 160—77) argued that Genesis 1 alone was sufficient to explain the language of the Christological hymn.

²¹⁴
For the significance of Paul's Damascus road experience for his theology, see especially S. Kim,
The Origin of Paul's Gospel
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1982).

²¹⁵
J. H. Laenen,
Jewish Mysticism: An Introduction
, trans. D. Orton (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2001), 31.

²¹⁶
For evidence that the etymological sense of
tokos in prototokos
dropped out, see
TDNT 6:871—81;
O'Brien,
Colossians, Philemon
, 44—45; Bruce,
Colossians, Philemon, Ephesians
, 58—61; and R. R. Melick Jr.,
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon
, NAC (Nashville: B&H, 1991), 215—17. These two themes, priority in time and rank, permeate this hymn in the words
prōtotokos
(twice),
pro pantōn
, and
archē.

²¹⁷
Elsewhere Paul used the argument from priority in time to demonstrate man's authority over the woman (see 1 Cor 11:8-9).

²¹⁸
The use of
eimi
in the present tense rather than the imperfect may allude to Jesus’ eternality in this context. Lightfoot linked the use of
eimi
in vv. 17—18 to John's
egō eimi.

²¹⁹
In the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (Test. Levi 3), archangels are mentioned as the angelic class that resides in the uppermost heaven “with the Great Glory in the Holy of Holies.” They offer propitiatory sacrifices for the sins of ignorance of the saints. In the heaven just below them, the messenger angels, along with the thrones and authorities, continually offer praises to God. This source is dated to the second century BC. In 2 (Slavic) Enoch 20 (J: longer recension), archangels, dominions, authorities, and thrones are described as present in the seventh heaven. Thrones are described as many eyed and grouped together with cherubim and seraphim.

²²⁰
The principalities, powers, and “elemental spirits” are evil spiritual forces aligned against believers. See especially the helpful history of interpretation and persuasive study of P. T. O'Brien, “Principalities and Powers: Opponents of the Church,” in
Biblical Interpretation and the Church
, ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984), 110—50.

²²¹
Thielman,
Theology of the New Testament
, 351. So also M. J. Harris, “Colossians,” in
New Dictionary of Biblical Theology
, ed. T. D. Alexander and B. S. Rosner (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000), 324—25.

²²²
Lohse,
Colossians and Philemon
, 178.

²²³
See the analysis of Bevere (
Sharing in the Tnheritance, 225-54
, esp. 240), who argued that the household code is an integral piece of the entire letter in light of the lordship of Christ.

²²⁴
These words were spoken as part of his inaugural address at the founding of the Free University on October 20, 1880. J. D. Bratt, ed.,
Abraham Kuyper: A Centennial Reader
(Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 488.

²²⁵
A. G. Patzia, “Philemon, Letter to,” in
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters
, 703.

²²⁶
Carson and Moo,
Introduction to the New Testament
, 589.

²²⁷
F. C. Baur,
Paul: His Life and Works
(London: Williams and Norgate, 1875), 1:246.

²²⁸
E.g., O'Brien,
Colossians, Philemon
, xli—liv.

²²⁹
J. Knox,
Philemon Among the Letters of Paul
, 2d ed. (New York: Abingdon, 1959).

²³⁰
From early times (e.g., Theodoret), it has been conjectured that Apphia was Philemon's wife since her name appears beside his own (v. 2). See O'Brien,
Colossians, Philemon
, 273 (“probably correctly”). Some theorized further that Archippus

²³¹
Dunn,
Colossians and Philemon
, 300—1.

²³²
Kümmel,
Introduction
, 349.

²³³
The proposal of Corinth has found little scholarly support.

²³⁴
Dunn,
Colossians and Philemon
, 308; cf. B. M. Metzger,
A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament
, 2d ed. (New York: United Bible Societies, 1994), 589-90.

²³⁵
deSilva,
Introduction to the New Testament
, 668.

²³⁶
Carson and Moo,
Introduction to the New Testament
, 592. Dunn (
Colossians and Philemon
, 308) also claimed that one should observe the note of uncertainty in v. 22. He said that one cannot exclude the possibility that Paul was simply saying, “Keep a room ready for me; you never know when I might turn up.” was Philemon's and Apphia's son, though this is impossible to verify (ibid.: “possibly”).

²³⁷
J. G. Nordling, “Onesimus Fugitivus: A Defense of the Runaway Slave Hypothesis in Philemon,”
JSNT 41
(1999): 97-119.

²³⁸
Carson and Moo,
Introduction to the New Testament
, 590.

²³⁹
Bruce,
Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians
, 197; P. Lampe, “Keine Sklavenflucht des Onesimus,”
ZNW 76
(1985): 135—37; J. M. G. Barclay,
Colossians and Philemon
(Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997), 101.

²⁴⁰
S. Winter, “Paul's Letter to Philemon,”
NTS 33
(1987): 1-15.

²⁴¹
Knox brought the story full circle by proposing that Onesimus became the bishop of Ephesus who used his influence to ensure that the letter made it into the canon.

²⁴²
Winter (“Philemon,” 3—4) read the “hearing” of Philemon's faith (v. 5) as a report from Onesimus and the “sharing of your faith” as Paul's response to Philemon's sending of Onesimus (v. 6). While this reading is possible, it is by no means the most straightforward reading of the text.

²⁴³
Many scholars acknowledge the possibility that the Onesimus of Philemon and the Onesimus of Ignatius might refer to the same person (e.g., O'Brien,
Colossians, Philemon
, 268).

²⁴⁴
The claim that a coincidental meeting between Paul and Onesimus in Rome is likely unhistorical may unduly diminish scriptural teaching on God's gracious providence (e.g., Matt 2:1—12; Luke 2:25—38; Acts 8:26—40).

²⁴⁵
J. A. Fitzmyer,
The Letter to Philemon: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
, AB 34C (New York: Doubleday, 2000), 17-18.

²⁴⁶
Aune,
Westminster Dictionary
, 356.

²⁴⁷
Dunn (
Colossians and Philemon
, 303) contrasted this state of affairs with Pliny's letter to Sabinianus. He also claimed that this contrast is what led to widespread dissatisfaction with the runaway slave hypothesis. According to Dunn, the failure to explain this contrast is the “principal weakness” of Nordling's recent defense of the hypothesis (n. 11).

²⁴⁸
Carson and Moo,
Introduction to the New Testament
, 592.

²⁴⁹
F. F. Church, “Rhetorical Structure and Design in Paul's Letter to Philemon,”
HTR 71
(1978): 19-20.

²⁵⁰
S. K. Stowers,
Letter Writing in Greco-Roman Antiquity
(Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986), 153—65.

²⁵¹
J. P. Heil, “The Chiastic Structure and Meaning of Paul's Letter to Philemon,”
Bib
82 (2001): 178-206. J. W. Welch (“Chiasmus in the New Testament,” in
Chiasmus in Antiquity: Structures, Analyses, Exegesis
, ed. J. W. Welch [Hildesheim: Gerstenberg, 1981], 225—26) identified a similar chiastic arrangement, but his proposal is problematic because of the sheer complexity of identifying 20 chiastically paired units.

²⁵²
Patzia, “Philemon,” 703.

²⁵³
See O'Brien (
Colossians, Philemon
, 291—92) who noted that there are many extrabiblical instances of the play on words involving “useless” and “useful.”

²⁵⁴
Kümmel (
Introduction
, 349) regarded the idea that Paul expected Philemon to set Onesimus free as “unlikely,” though he never gave a rationale for this assertion.

²⁵⁵
Patzia, “Philemon,” 706.

²⁵⁶
N. R. Petersen
(Rediscovering Paul: Philemon and the Sociology of Paul's Narrative World
[Philadelphia: Fortress, 1985]) argued along sociological lines that the letter of Philemon is a narrative drama in which Paul confronted Philemon to choose between kinship with the church or the world.

²⁵⁷
For excellent treatments of slavery in the ancient Near East, the OT, and the Greco-Roman world, see the entries by M. A. Dandamayev and S. S. Bartchy in
ABD
6:56-73.

²⁵⁸
Carson and Moo,
Introduction to the New Testament
, 594.

²⁵⁹
Note that the Contribution to the Canon, Study Questions, and For Further Study sections cover all four Prison Epistles.

CHAPTER 15

CORE KNOWLEDGE

Basic Knowledge:
Students should know the key facts of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. With regard to history, students should be able to identify each book's author, date, provenance, destination, and purpose. With regard to literature, they should be able to provide a basic outline of each book and identify core elements of each book's content found in the Unit-by-Unit Discussion. With regard to theology, students should be able to identify the major theological themes found in the Pastoral Epistles.

Intermediate Knowledge:
In addition to mastery of the core content identified in Basic Knowledge above, students should be able to present the arguments for historical, literary, and theological conclusions. With regard to history, students should be able to discuss the evidence for Pauline authorship, date, provenance, destination, and purpose. With regard to literature, they should be able to provide a detailed outline of each book. With regard to theology, students should be able to discuss the major theological themes in the Pastoral Epistles and the ways in which they uniquely contribute to the NT canon.

Advanced Knowledge:
In addition to mastery of the core content identified in Basic Knowledge and beyond the Intermediate Knowledge noted above, students should be able to discuss the genre of the Pastorals and to discuss how ancient pseudonymous literature