Paul and the Roman Empire
A running debate between scholars exists regarding the influence of the Roman Empire on Pauline thought and, specifically, regarding the influence of the emperor cult. Not surprisingly, N. T. Wright emphasizes the religious and historical context during the time of Paul and contends that it requires “a particular sort of deafness to suggest that Paul intends no allusion to Caesar.”[1] Wright cites Romans 13, Colossians 1, and 1 Timothy 2 as evidence that Paul communicated a critique of pagan power while highlighting the duty of Christians living under pagan politics.[2] Particularly noteworthy is Acts 17:7, where Paul is on trial for referencing another king, namely Jesus. Another reference is Philippians 3:20, where Paul states that a believer’s citizenship is in heaven rather than in Rome. Imperial language is also important to Wright. Specifically, Wright explains that Paul’s politically subversive initiative reveals itself in the “sovereignty expressed in the classic Caesar-titles, ‘savior’ and ‘lord’, backed up by Jesus’s status as Messiah.”[3] Without question, Wright sees more than just echoes reflecting imperial Rome in Paul’s letters; instead, he sees clear allusions. To be fair, Wright recognizes that the gospel encompasses much more than an opposition to an empire, but if Rome and the Roman religion were attempting to control the world, then the empire would be on Paul’s radar as a target.[4]
Pauline Churches and Diaspora Jews
Wright’s analysis is not unreasonable. The historical context of the empire and the emperor cult would prompt any scholar to integrate the societal context into their understanding of Scripture. However, the question is not whether the historical and religious context might inform Paul’s thought, but instead, whether Paul’s text promotes political subversion. It is the topic of Paul’s text that John Barclay uses to poignantly critique Wright, especially with regard to the emperor cult. For example, regarding the anti-imperial readings of Paul, Barclay states, “Despite the obvious importance of the imperial cult in practically every city he visited, there is no special mention made by Paul of the cult of emperors.”[5] Barclay basically accuses Wright of forcing Paul to place the same importance of ancient Roman religion and culture onto his letters as Wright does within his mind.[6]
Wright ought to be commended for considering how the cultural context of ancient Rome may impact the interpretation of Paul’s letters. However, it is possible that he overstates his case by over-contextualizing Paul’s thoughts. Alternatively, Barclay ought to be commended for focusing primarily on Paul’s text. However, it is also possible that Barclay understates his case by under-contextualizing Paul’s thought. Porter attempts to provide a corrective to both Wright and Barclay by utilizing Romans 13:1-7, 1 Corinthians 7, and 2 Corinthians 8 to assert that, rather than empirical subversion, Paul promoted empirical replacement.[7] Although the difference may appear to be no more than semantics, the point Porter appears to be making is that Paul was less concerned about overthrowing a pagan empire and more concerned about promoting a divine hierarchy. Accordingly, Porter’s assessment that Paul was “not necessarily a ‘counter-imperial’ theologian, nor did he completely deny the empire” appears to represent Paul’s text and the context of Paul’s ancient society most appropriately.[8]
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[1] N. T. Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness of God (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013), 1293.
[2] N. T. Wright, Paul: In Fresh Perspective (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 70.
[3] Ibid., 71.
[4] Wright, Paul and the Faithfulness, 1299.
[5] John M. G. Barclay, Pauline Churches and Diaspora Jews (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016), 356.
[6] Ibid., 374.
[7] Stanley E. Porter, The Apostle Paul: His Life, Thought, and Letters (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2016), 23.
[8] Ibid.
Bibliography
- Barclay, John M. G. Pauline Churches and Diaspora Jews. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016.
- Porter, Stanley E. The Apostle Paul: His Life, Thought, and Letters. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2016.
- Wright, N. T. Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2013.
- ________. Paul: In Fresh Perspective. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005.
