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Observations On a Pauline Expression

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2009

P. W. van der Horst
P. W. van der Horst
Affiliation:
Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Type
Short Studies
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New Testament Studies , Volume 19 , Issue 2 , January 1973 , pp. 181 - 187
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1973

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References

page 181 note 1 Col. iii. 9 f.; Eph. iv. 22 ff.;

page 181 note 2 Apuleius, , Metamorphoses XI, 23 fGoogle Scholar. This description of Apuleius was discussed by Dibelius, M., ‘Die Isisweihe bei Apulejus und verwandte Initiationsriten’, Sitz.-Ber. Akad. Heidelberg 1917Google Scholar: 4. Also by Nock, A. D., Conversion (Oxford, 1933), pp. 138 ffGoogle Scholar. More literature in Nilsson, M. P., Geschichte der griechischen Religion, II (München, 1961), 632Google Scholar n. 5.

page 181 note 3 Lohse, E., Die Briefe an die Kolosser und an Philemon, KEK (Göttingen, 1968), p. 204Google Scholar: ‘Das Bild vom Ablegen und Anziehen eines Gewandes war in der alten Welt verbreitet und wurde in den Mysterienreligionen zur Deutung des mit der Initiation bewirkten Geschehens verwendet. So wird in der Schilderung die Apulejus in den Metamorphosen gibt, berichtet, daß der Myste in der Weihehandlung zwölfmal bekleidet wird und ein Gewand empfängt, das mit Tierbildern geschmückt ist. Durch das Anlegen der Gewänder wird er geheiligt, das bedeutet: Er wird mit den Kräften des Kosmos erfüllt und erfährt eine physisch-substantielle Veränderung an sich, durch die er göttlicher Lebenskraft teilhaftig wird. In gnostischen Texten wird das Bild vom Anlegen bzw. Empfangen des Gewandes als Ausdruck für die Verwirklichung der Erlösung verstanden, die sich vollzieht, indem der Mensch in die göttliche Welt aufgehoben und mit deren Licht und Kraft durchströmt wird.’ Compare his statements on pp. 153 f. (ad ii. 11). For parallels Lohse refers to Käsemann, E., Leib und Leib Christi (Tübingen, 1933), pp. 147 ff.Google Scholar, who sees gnostic conceptions behind Col. iii. 5 ff., as does Reitzenstein, R., Die hellenistischen Mysterienreligionen, 3. Auff. (Stuttgart, 1927), pp. 269 f., 345 ffGoogle Scholar. Cp. also Wendland, P., Die hellenistisch-römische Kultur (Tübingen, 1912), pp. 170 ffGoogle Scholar. esp. p. 172 n. 2.

page 181 note 4 Oepke, A., Der Brief des Paulus an die Galater, 2. Aufl. (Berlin, 1964), p. 89Google Scholar (ad iii 27), says ‘daß der orientalisch-gnostische Mythos das himmlische Urbild des Urmenschen mit seinem Gewande identifiziert. Die Erlösung wird als Wiederbekleidung des Heimkehrenden mit dem Himmelsgewande geschildert (so in dem berümhten Perlenhymnus Act. Thom. 112 f., Hennecke 280, weitere Einzelheiten bei Käsemann, E., Leib und Leib Christi, 1933, 87 ff.Google Scholar). Von hier aus wird die Vorstellung verständlich daß der Erlöser die Erlösten wie ein Gewand umschließt. Bei Paulus klingen davon letzte, versprengte Töne an.’

page 182 note 1 Cf. Percy, E., Die Probleme der Kolosser- und Epheserbriefe (Lund, 1946), p. 96Google Scholar: ‘Die von Käsemann als Belegstellen angeführte manichäischen Texte gehören ja einer ganz anderen Gedankensphäre als die Paulusbriefe an.’ See also the remarks of A. D. Nock on page xvii of the Introduction to the Harper Torchbook edition (1964) of his Early Gentile Christianity and its Hellenistic Background.

page 182 note 2 More examples in Köhler-Baumgartner, , Lexicon in Veteris Testamenti Libros (Leiden, 1953)Google Scholar, s.v. $$$ℶ$$$, and in the concordances. It is frequent in the Psalms.

page 182 note 3 More examples in the concordance to the LXX of Hatch-Redpath, s.v. ένδύω also T.W.N.T. II, p. 320. Bauer, W., Wörterbuch zum N.T. (Berlin, 1958)Google Scholar, s.v. ένδύω 2 b, points to the frequency of this use in Hermas.

page 182 note 4 Kommentar zum N.T. aus Talmud und Midrasch, II, 5. Aufl. (München, 1969), p. 301Google Scholar (ad Luke xxiv. 49). For the reason I cite this work as Billerbeck (without Strack) see Jeremias, J., Zeitschrift für neut. Wissenschaft LV (1964), pp. I f.Google Scholar

page 182 note 5 Cf. James i. 21; I Pet. ii. I. In Tacitus, Agricola IX. 3 we read: ‘tristitiam et adrogantiam et avaritiam exuerat’. See the commentary of Ogilvie and Richmond (Oxford, 1967), pp. 160 fGoogle Scholar. Cf. Annales I. 75; VI. 25; Historiae IV. 6.

page 182 note 6 Aristophanes, Eccl. 288 ένδυόμεναι Τόλμημα probably means ‘engaging in an adventure’.

page 182 note 7 Cf. Cicero, Tusc. Disp. I. 38. 92 ‘ponit enim personam amici, cum induit iudicis’.

page 183 note 1 Cf. Cicero, , De Off. III. 10. 43Google Scholar ‘simulationem induerat’. On (bad) psychical qualities as Χιτον Τῆς ψυκῆ ς see Wendland, P., ‘Das Gewand der Eitelkeit,’ Hermes LI (1916), pp. 481 ffGoogle Scholar. See e.g. Athenaeus XI. 507 D; Hippolytus, , Ref. I. 24. 2Google Scholar; Philo, , L.A. II. 56Google Scholar, etc.

page 183 note 2 Cf. Plato, Rep. 620 c, where the souls choose their own next life: … Τέν Τολ⋯ γελωτοποιοũ θερσίτου (sc. ψυχέν) πίθηκον ένδνομένην. Cf. Timaeus Locrus 104 D in Herman's, C. F. edition of Plato (Leipzig, 1852)Google Scholar or in Mullach, F. W. A., Fragmenta Philos. Graec. II, p. 46.Google Scholar

page 183 note 3 Critici Sacri sive annotata doctissimorum virorum in Vetus ac Novum Testamentum, VII (Amsterdam, 1698). This phrase of Chrysostom in Hom. in Eph. XIII.Google Scholar

page 183 note 4 In Kaibel, G., Epigrammata Graeca ex lapidibus conlecta (Berlin, 1878), 403. 5Google Scholar. The conception of the body as garment of the soul was widespread in antiquity. See already Empedocles, fr. 126 Diels; Pindar, , Nem. XI. 15 f.Google Scholar; Euripides, , Heracles 1269Google Scholar, Bacchae 746. For its origin see Dodds, E. R., The Greeks and the Irrational (Berkeley, 1966), pp. 135 ff.Google Scholar

page 183 note 5 Cf. Methodius, , De Resurrectione II. 15Google Scholar, ed. N. Bonwetsch, p. 225, who paraphrases Paul's έϕ' $$$ ού θέλομεν έκδύσασθαι with μέ θέλοντες Τό σῶμα άπεκδύσασθαι.

page 183 note 6 Ed. K. Latte, I (1953), p. 227. Compare II Peter i. 14 Ταχινέ έστινέ άπόθεσισ Το⋯ σκηνώματόσ μου.

page 184 note 1 Cf. Proculs, , ad Alc. I. 104E (138)Google Scholar; Clement of Alexandria, Strom. VI. 109. 3, and already Philo, leg. all. II. 56. Interesting is Plotinus, Enn. I. 6. 7. 3–7, speaking on the Good: έϕετóν μέν γάρ ώςάγαθóν και ή εŨϕεσις πρóς τοũτο, τεῦξις μέ αύτοῦ άναβαινουσι πρò α´νω και έπιστραϕετσι και άποδυομένοις ά καταβαίννοντες ήϕιέσμεθα οτον έπί τῶν ίερῶντος άνιοũσι καθάρσεις τε καί ίματίων άποθέσις τῶν πρίν καί τδ γυμνοτς άνιέναι. Cf. also the note of Nock-Festugière ad Corp. Herm. VII. 2.

page 184 note 2 The text in Cicero, , De Finibus v. 12. 35Google Scholar. may at first sight seem a striking parallel, but on closer investigation this turns out not to be true. The passage runs: the body and its parts have natural functions and movements; anybody who perverts these functions, e.g. by walking on his hands or backwards, ‘fugere plane se ipse et hominem ex homine exuens naturam odisse videatur’. The expression means ‘taking away from man his human conduct’.

page 184 note 3 See Zeller, E.Die Philosophie der Griechen in ihrer geschichtlichem Entwicklung III. I, 5. Aufl. (Leipzig, 1923), pp. 813 ff.Google Scholar Ph. Merlan, in Armstrong, A. H. (ed.), The Cambridge History of Later Greek and Early Medieval Philosophy (Cambridge, 1967), pp. 116 fGoogle Scholar. The fragments have been edited by Heiland, H., Aristoclis Messemï relinquiae (diss. Gießen, 1925).Google Scholar

page 184 note 4 See von Wilamowitz-Moellendorf, U., Antigonos von Karystos, 2. Aufl. (Berlin, 1965) (= 1881); the fragment on page 39Google Scholar. In Heiland, op. cit. pp. 66 f.

page 184 note 5 Sc. of Pyrrho of Elis and his pupil Timon of Phlius.

page 185 note 1 See E. Zeller, op. cit. III. 1, pp. 494 ff.; from later literature only Ch. Stough, L., Greek Scepticism; a Study in Epistemology (Berkeley, 1969), pp. 16 ff.Google Scholar A selection of texts in Vogel, C. J. de, Greek Philosophy, III (Leiden, 1964)Google Scholar, nos. 1082 ff. The reconstruction of Pyrrho's thought from later testimonies is very difficult and uncertain. This very short outline only serves to give the background of the remark at issue.

page 185 note 2 Translation by R. D. Hicks in the Loeb series: ‘He led a life consistent with this doctrine, going out of his way for nothing, taking no precaution, but facing all risks as risks as they came, whether carts, precipices, dogs or what not, and generally, leaving nothing to the arbitrament of the senses; but he was kept out of harm' way by his friends who, as Antigonus of Carystus tells us, used to follow close after him’.

page 185 note 3 Aristocles tells another story about Pyrrho' inconsistent behaviour (Eus. P.E., loc. cit.) and says that a friend of Pyrrho ηλεγεν ῶς σύ ποιοī σύμϕωνα τοīς σύδ' άξια τñς άπαθειας.

page 185 note 4 True, not the old man; that must be a specific Pauline addition. See Seesemann, H. in T.W.N.T. v, p. 716Google Scholar n. II.

page 185 note 5 Another striking parallel between Pyrrho and Paul is their attitude in a heavy storm. Who is not reminded of Acts xxvii when he reads in Diogenes Laertius IX. 68: ‘When his fellow-passengers on board a ship were all unnerved by a storm, he (Pyrrho) kept calm and confident, pointing to a little pig in the ship that went on eating, and telling them that such was the unperturbed state in which the wise man should keep himself’ (transl. of R. D. Hicks in Loeb).

page 186 note 1 One might think for a moment that it comes from Eratosthenes' book Περί πλούτου λαί πενέας that is mentioned in chapter 66, but this passage seems to be only a short insertion in the stories of Antigonus. Moreover, the story at issue does not suit the subject dealt with by Eratosthenes: wealth and poverty. See also Wilamowitz, op. cit. pp. 28 f.

page 186 note 2 Although the meaning may be here ‘escape’, the word is the same.

page 186 note 3 One can gather this from the list of classical authors from whom Wilamowitz collected the fragments of Antigonus' works.

page 186 note 4 An indication of a more frequent use may be found in the text in Cicero, De Finibus v. 12. 35, cited in note 2 on p. 184.

page 187 note 1 The adjective ‘old’ must be excepted, of course. That Antigonus uses έκδύναι whereas Paul uses άπεκδύσαοθαι is no objection. Double compounds are very frequent in later Greek. See Mayser, E., Grammatik der griechischen Papyri aus der Ptolemäerzeit, I (Leipzig, 1906), 497 ffGoogle Scholar. But cf. already Homer, Od. V. 372 εîματα δ' έζαπέδυνε. The Lexicon of Liddell and Scott gives on page 184 several examples of double compounds with άπεκ-. It expressess also the completeness of the action; see Lightfoot, J. B., St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon (London, 1876), p. 189Google Scholar, and Abbott, T. K., Ephesians and Colossians (I.C.C.) (Edinburgh, 1897), p. 258Google Scholar. The middle instead of the active adds the sense of ‘to strip of from oneself’; see Johnson, S. L. in Bibliotheca Sacra CXXI (1964), 27 n. 13.Google ScholarHoward, W. F. says in Moulton's Grammer of New Testament Greek, II (Edinburgh, 1929), 310Google Scholar: ‘άπεκδύομαι, like its noun άπέκδυσις, connotes complete stripping, of oneself or another in one's own interest’.

page 187 note 2 The author wishes to express his gratitude to Professor K. Hanhart who removed the solecisms and barbarisms from the English text.