Preface to the First Edition
This work had its genesis in my doctoral dissertation, 'Philo and Paul among the Sophists: A Hellenist Jewish and A Christian Response' (1988), with the primary material drawn largely from the first and early second centuries a.d. It was undertaken in the very stimulating 'school' (σχολή) of Ε. A. Judge, Professor of Ancient History, Macquarie University, Sydney. It originally proposed an antithesis to the vibrant thesis of Gnosticism in New Testament studies, especially in relation to Corinthian studies. The publication of the work was not deemed a matter of urgency because W. Schmithals' own thorough outworking of a Gnostic thesis seemed to have been partly responsible for its gradual decline as a possible explanation for the Corinthian situation. Other interests in NT Graeco-Roman background studies also strongly beckoned after the thesis was completed. The recent upsurge of interest in rhetoric in the writings of Philo and Paul provided the major impetus for revising this work for publication, and I therefore deleted interactions with Gnosticism except for a general comment in the conclusion. I was also persuaded that the research was highly relevant for studies on an aspect of first-century ancient history, namely the sophistic movement.
Evidence for this movement in the East in the first sixty years of the first century a.d. comes from two major intellectual centres, namely Alexandria and Corinth, and especially from the works of Philo and Paul. These crucial witnesses have never been fully incorporated, if at all, in recent studies on the highly influential first-century sophistic movement. Their evidence and that from other literary and non-literary sources of the early empire change the perception of the sophistic movement at this time.
From the viewpoint of NT studies, no one could have anticipated the major interest in the late 1980s in rhetoric, in whose spread and esteem the
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sophists had played such a dominant role throughout the early empire. Yet little or no concern has been given by NT scholars to these leading figures who promoted its study and who played such an influential role in its use in education and politics in cities of the East. These sophists were the media megastars of their day and influenced generations of students of rhetoric and the public generally.
Studies in the application of rhetoric to the NT corpus have not always sufficiently appreciated the stance taken by Paul on the use of oratory for evangelism, or sought to reconcile that stance with rhetorical structures and devices seen to be used in his letters. Furthermore, insufficient note has been
taken of the high-profile role its proponents could play in the secular
ἐκκλησία of the δῆμος and the paradigm this could create for leadership and
teaching positions in associations in general, and the ἐκκλησία of the Christian community in particular.
By asking in what sense Philo and Paul were among these sophists, this book seeks to address the issues of the role and outlook of the latter group in the life of the first century and in particular their impact on Jews and Christians in Alexandria and Corinth respectively. I am extremely grateful for the interest, insights, and warm encouragement given by Dr. Margaret Thrall, the former series editor; to a long-standing friend, Professor David Runia for his incisive comments on aspects of Philo; to Dr. Philip Kern for his own distinctive contribution to the study of rhetoric and the NT and for improving the manuscript, and finally to Mrs. Elizabeth Saer, who with her husband, my son-in-law, laboured much in the metamorphosis of the dissertation into a book. This contribution to Philonic, Pauline and sophistic studies is dedicated to my dear wife, who has always willingly shared in the work we have undertaken over the years and has done so well beyond the call of duty. In her own unique way she provided an important perspective for the research that went into this volume.
June 1996
Bruce W. Winter
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