Paul And The Stoa: A Comparison -- By: David A. deSilva

Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 38:4 (Dec 1995)
Article: Paul And The Stoa: A Comparison
Author: David A. deSilva


Paul And The Stoa: A Comparison

David A. Desilva*

B. Metzger writes concerning the relationship of Paul and the Stoic thought of his day:

Like other educated men of his day, the apostle Paul was acquainted with a certain amount of Stoic teaching… Paul’s letters contain occasional phrases that have a Stoic ring… At the same time, however, the parallelism is more in the realm of words than basic ideas, for the theological presuppositions and the springs of Paul’s actions were very different from those of a Stoic philosopher.

Such a statement belongs to a larger stream of scholarship that seeks to distance Paul’s thought from Stoic influence. G. Fee, for example, discussing Stoic parallels to 1 Cor 3:23, claims that “Paul’s own radically different meaning for the phrase [‘all things are yours’] is another clear indication that finding the ‘source’ of his language is not always significant, since his ‘in Christ’ existence so thoroughly transforms everything … and gives it new meaning.” 1 A. D. Nock dissociates the two even more strongly: “Il nous est permis de douter que le stoïcisme ait exercé une grande influence sur les écrits pauliniennes… Si du reste Paul manifeste par endroits une certaine connaissance des idées stoïciennes, c’est pour combattre le systme dont elles faisaient parties.” 2 This tendency stands strangely in opposition to the author of Luke-Acts, who carefully presents Paul as one fluent in the popular philosophies of the day and able to turn his knowledge of them to missionary advantage as a point of contact with the audience. 3 Alongside the statements of Fee and Nock, Metzger’s appears as rather balanced, allowing for the influence of Stoicism at least on the level of words and phrases that Paul might have easily acquired from the culture and slight acquaintance with Stoic adherents.

The evaluation of the correctness of Metzger’s statement with regard both to the positive and negative elements of the relationship between Paul and Stoicism must proceed from a survey of those identifiable parallels between Paul and Stoic authors. This study will proceed by examining simple verbal parallels, more extended verbal parallels, conceptual parallels, shared use of topoi and images, shared use of formal elements sich as the diatribe, lists of virtues and vices, and Persistasenkataloge, and finally the

* David deSilva is assistant professor of New Testament and Greek at Ashland Theological Seminary, 910 Center Street, Ashland, OH 4480...

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