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Pagan Philosophers and 1 Thessalonians

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 October 2006

JOHN GRANGER COOK
JOHN GRANGER COOK
Affiliation:
LaGrange College, 601 Broad St., LaGrange, GA 30240, USA
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Abstract

Certain ancient philosophers (Celsus, Porphyry, Hierocles, Julian, and Macarius Magnes' critic) responded antagonistically to the New Testament. Their responses to several New Testament themes that appear in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians and one specific text (1 Thess 4.15–17) show how difficult it was to persuade some individuals to give up paganism. Their criticisms of the New Testament probably indicate how the antagonists would have read 1 Thessalonians. The essay is a contribution to the history of the reception of the New Testament.

Type
Research Article
Information
New Testament Studies , Volume 52 , Issue 4 , October 2006 , pp. 514 - 532
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

An earlier version of this essay was read at the 2004 SNTS meeting in Barcelona as an offered short paper. My thanks to Troels Engberg-Pedersen for critical comments there. I also thank the reviewers at NTS for their comments, along with Vernon Robbins and John Hayes.