1 Cor 7:5b in the Light of a Hellenistic-Jewish Tradition on Abstinence to 'Devote Leisure'....

Paulus ndash Werk und Wirkung

Festschrift fuumlr Andreas Lindemannzum 70 Geburtstag

Herausgegeben von

Paul-Gerhard Klumbies und David S du Toit

unter Mitwirkung von

Torsten Jantsch und Nils Neumann

Mohr SiebeckMohr Siebeck 2013

Digitaler Sonderdruck des Autors mit Genehmigung des Verlages

ISBN 978-3-16-152580-3

Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbiblio-graphie detaillierte bibliographische Daten sind im Internet uumlber httpdnbdnbde abrufbar

copy 2013 Mohr Siebeck Tuumlbingen wwwmohrde

Das Werk einschlieszliglich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschuumltzt Jede Verwertung auszliger-halb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlags unzulaumlssig und strafbar Das gilt insbesondere fuumlr Vervielfaumlltigungen Uumlbersetzungen Mikro verfi lmungen und die Einspeicherung und Ver arbeitung in elektronischen Systemen

Das Buch wurde von Martin Fischer in Tuumlbingen aus der Stempel Garamond gesetzt von Gulde-Druck in Tuumlbingen auf alterungsbestaumlndiges Werkdruckpapier gedruckt und von der Buch-binderei Spinner in Ottersweier gebunden


VIII Geleitwort

Im Namen aller die an dieser Geburtstagsgabe mitgewirkt haben gratulieren wir Dir zur Vollendung Deines siebten Lebensjahrzehnts



Inhalt

Vorwort VGeleitwort VII

I Studien zu den Paulusbriefen

Samuel VollenweiderToren als Weise Beruumlhrungen zwischen dem Aumlsoproman und dem 1 Korintherbrief 3

Judith M Gundry1 Cor 75b in the Light of a Hellenistic-Jewish Tradition on Abstinence to ldquoDevote Leisurerdquo Suffi ciency in Paul and Philo 21

Henk Jan de JongeKoinonia Koinonoi and Metechein in Paulrsquos Prohibition of Christian Participation in Pagan Cult Meals (1 Cor 1014ndash22) 45

Reimund BieringerDivine-Human Reconciliation in 2 Cor 518ndash21 in its Interpersonal Context The Contextual Meaning of the καταλλ άσσωκαταλλ αγή Terminology in 2 Corinthians 61

Christof LandmesserDas Konzept des Heils im Ersten Thessalonicherbrief 81

Michael WolterDie unfruchtbare Frau und ihre KinderZur Rezeptionsgeschichte von Jes 541 103

Eve-Marie BeckerDie Person als Paradigma politisch-ethischen Handelns Kriton 50a und Phil 123 f im Vergleich 129

Angela StandhartingerEintracht in PhilippiZugleich ein Beitrag zur Funktion von Phil 26ndash11 im Kontext 149


X Inhalt

David HellholmStilkritische Bemerkungen zu Roumlmer 51minus11 177

Jens SchroumlterDer Mensch zwischen Wollen und TunErwaumlgungen zu Roumlmer 7 im Licht der bdquoNew Perspective on Paulldquo 195

Eduard LohsebdquoIn der Kraft von Zeichen und Wundernldquo (Roumlm 1519)Wunder im Urteil des Apostels Paulus 225

Petra von GemuumlndenDie Todesangst des Paulus ndash ein Schluumlssel zum Verstaumlndnis des Roumlmerbriefs 235

II Aspekte paulinischer Theologie

Martin KarrerbdquoSohn Gottesldquo bei Paulus 265

Udo SchnelleGibt es eine Entwicklung in der Rechtfertigungslehre vom Galater- zum Roumlmerbrief 289

Hans WederDie Normativitaumlt des Glaubens 311

David du ToitChristlicher Glaube als endzeitliche Variante des Glaubens Abrahams 325

Friedrich Wilhelm HornPaulus und die Kardinaltugenden 351

Franccedilois VougaOstern die Offenbarung des rechtfertigenden Gottes und der Leib der Auferstandenen 371


X Inhalt













Inhalt XI

III Wirkung und Rezeption im fruumlhen Christentum

Dietrich-Alex KochPaulus in Ephesos und der Provinz Asia ndash die Geschichte eines Misserfolgs 391

Knut BackhausΣΚΕΥΟΣ ΕΚΛΟΓΗΣPaulus als theologischer Topos in der Apostelgeschichte 413

Joseph VerheydenldquoDamn Paul hellip and Leave It Thererdquo A Note on a Puzzling Formula 435

Cilliers BreytenbachWhatrsquos in the name lsquoPaulrsquoOn early Christian inscriptions from Lycaonia 463

Martin WinterDie Pastoralbriefe und Paulus vor dem Hintergrund der popularphilosophischen Seelenleitung 479

Wilhelm PratscherMotive Paulinischer Theologie im 2 Clemensbrief 511

Christopher Tuckett2 Clement and Paul 529

Katharina BrachtbdquoWie der Apostel sagt hellipldquoZur Paulus-Rezeption in Hippolyts Danielkommentar 547

Joumlrg UlrichDer bdquoApostel der HaumlretikerldquoBeobachtungen zur Paulusrezeption Tertullians 565

Hanns Christof BrenneckeEine Predigt vor dem KaiserZur Paulusrezeption bei Meletius von Antiochien 583


XII Inhalt

IV Rezeption und Hermeneutik in Reformation und Neuzeit

Michael BeintkerDer Ansatz der Ethik im Heidelberger Katechismusals Beispiel einer reformatorischen Pauluslektuumlre 609

Ulrich H J KoumlrtnerDas Wort vom KreuzZur paulinischen Kreuzestheologie und ihrer Rezeption in der Systematischen Theologie der Gegenwart 625

Oda WischmeyerPaulusinterpretationen im 20 JahrhundertEine kritische relecture der ersten bis vierten Aufl age der bdquoReligion in Geschichte und Gegenwartldquo 649

Paul-Gerhard KlumbiesPaulinisch von Gott schreiben 687

Verzeichnis der Veroumlffentlichungen von Andreas Lindemann (1975ndash2013) 715

Thematisches Verzeichnis der Veroumlffentlichungen von Andreas Lindemann (1975ndash2013) 741

Stellenregister 771Autorenregister 803Sachregister 817


Samuel Vollenweider20

Poethke G Das Leben Aumlsops hg v W Muumlller Sammlung Dieterich 348 Leipzig 1974Reiser M Der Alexanderroman und das Markusevangelium in H Cancik (Hg) Mar-

kus-Philologie Historische literargeschichtliche und stilistische Untersuchungen zum zweiten Evangelium WUNT 33 Tuumlbingen 1984 131ndash163

ndash Syntax und Stil des Markusevangeliums im Licht der hellenistischen Volksliteratur WUNT II11 Tuumlbingen 1984

Schaumldlich H J Gib ihm Sprache Leben und Tod des Dichters Aumlsop Reinbek 2000Schauer MMerkle St Aumlsop und Sokrates in Holzberg (Hg) Aumlsop-Roman 85ndash96Touwaide A Art Physiognomik DNP 9 (2000) 997 fVollenweider S bdquoMitten auf dem Areopagldquo Uumlberlegungen zu den Schnittstellen zwi-

schen antiker Philosophie und Neuem Testament EC 3 (2012) 296ndash320ndash Weisheit am Kreuzweg Zum theologischen Programm von 1 Kor 1 und 2 in A Dett-

wilerJ Zumstein (Hgg) Kreuzestheologie im Neuen Testament WUNT 151 Tuumlbingen 2002 43ndash58

von Dobschuumltz E Kerygma Petri in Reste des Petrusevangeliums der Petrus-Apoka-lypse und des Kerygma Petri hg von H Lietzmann KlT 3 Berlin 21908

Watson D F The Life of Aesop and the Gospel of Mark Two Ancient Approaches to Elite Values JBL 129 (2010) 699ndash716

Wolter M Paulus Ein Grundriss seiner Theologie Neukirchen-Vluyn 2011Zeller D Der erste Brief an die Korinther KEK 5 Goumlttingen 2010


1 Cor 75b in the Light of a Hellenistic-Jewish Tradition on Abstinence to ldquoDevote Leisurerdquo

Sufficiency in Paul and Philo

Judith M Gundry

One of the most intriguing and difficult aspects of 1 Corinthians 7 is the oscillation between admonitions or opinions on the one hand and exceptions or contrastive statements on the other hand For example

(1) The opinion that ldquoit is better for them [the unmarried and widows] to remain [single] as I also [remain single]rdquo (78) is followed by an exception ldquoBut if (εἰ δέ) they are not practic-ing self-control let them marryrdquo (79a) (2) The prohibitions against divorce (710ndash13) are followed by two exceptions ldquoBut if (ἐὰν δέ) she separates let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husbandrdquo (711) ldquobut if (εἰ δέ) the unbeliever wants to separate let himher separaterdquo (715a) (3) The exhortation to the one called while a slave ldquodonrsquot let it bother yourdquo (721b) is followed by an exception ldquoBut if (ἀλλ᾿ εἰ) you are able to be free rather make use [of freedom1]rdquo (721b) (4) The exhortation to the man who is ldquoloosedrdquo ldquodo not seek a wiferdquo (727a) is followed by an exception ldquoBut if (ἐὰν δέ) you marry you do not sinrdquo (728) (5) The opinion that ldquoshe [the widow] is more blessed if she remains sordquo (740a) is paired with a statement permitting her to marry ldquoIf her husband dies she is free to be mar-ried to whom she wishes only in the Lordrdquo (739b) (6) The exhortations to the married that ldquobecause of cases of sexual immoralityrdquo they should have sex with their spouses (ldquolet each manwoman have [sexual relations with]2 his own wifeher own husbandrdquo) and should not ldquodefraudrdquo each other in this regard3 (72ndash5a) are followed by an exception ldquoexcept perhaps

1 The object of the verb χρῆσαι (ldquomake use [of]rdquo) must be supplied and it is preferable to sup-ply ldquofreedomrdquo rather than ldquoslaveryrdquo for the following reasons First the exhortation to ldquomake use of slaveryrdquo seems to presuppose that a first-century C E Christian slave had the legal right to resist manumission which was not the case Second Paulrsquos exhortation ldquodo not become slaves of human beingsrdquo (723b) speaks against the rendering ldquomake use of slaveryrdquo For further discus-sion see the commentaries

2 See G D Fee The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT Grand Rapids Mi 1987) 278 on the expression ἔχειν hellip γυναῖκαἄνδρα as ldquohave sexually a womanmanrdquo or ldquobe in continuing sexual relations with a womanmanrdquo not ldquotake a wifehusbandrdquo (cf BDAG sv ἔχω 2a ldquohave asrdquo [a wifehusband] implying sexual relations) for this usage cf LXX Deut 2830 Isa 1316 1 Cor 51 7121329 Gal 427 citing LXX Isa 541 Mark 618 John 417ndash18 This meaning is required in 1 Cor 72 by the stated ground for the exhortations here ldquobecause of cases of sexual immoralityrdquo See also G D Fee ldquo1 Corinthians 71 in the NIVrdquo JETS 23 (1980) 307ndash314 310ndash11 id ldquo1 Corinthians 71ndash7 Revisitedrdquo in T J Burke and J K Elliott eds Paul and the Corinthians Studies on a Community in Conflict Essays in Honour of Margaret Thrall (NTS 109 LeidenBoston 2003) 197ndash213 209ndash11

3 W Schrage Der erste Brief an die Korinther IndashIII (EKK 7 SolothurnDuumlsseldorfNeu-kirchen-Vluyn 1991ndash2001) here II 67 ldquodefraudrdquo (ἀποστερεῖτε) harks back to 72 and refers to sexual union


Judith M Gundry22

(εἰ μήτι ἄν)4 by agreement for a limited time5 in order that you might devote yourselves to [or have leisure for]6 prayer7 and be8 together9 again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-controlrdquo (75bndashd)

H Chadwick explains these oscillations in terms of Paulrsquos apologetic strategy ldquoThe apostle manages to combine an ability to retreat so far as to seem to sur-render almost everything in principle to the [strongly ascetic] opposition with an ability to make practical recommendations not easily reconciled with the theory he virtually acceptsrdquo10 M M Mitchell sees the oscillations to be driven ultimately by Paulrsquos rhetorical strategy and aim of overcoming the Corinthian divisions (in-cluding divisions over marriage) and bringing about concord through his letter11 P Tomson thinks Paul is teetering between different Jewish traditions on celibacy sex and marriage ldquoPaul appears to vacillate between the negative view [of mar-riagesex] of the Essenes and the more positive view of mainstream Jewryrdquo12

4 On the addition of ἄν (ldquoperhapsrdquo) to the ldquounitrdquo εἰ μή τι see BDR sect 376 An early textual variant omits ἄν (P46 B r) thus eliminating a hypothetical element in this exception A C This-elton The First Epistle to the Corinthians A Commentary on the Greek Text (NIGTC Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2000) 507 detects ldquohesitancyrdquo in the phrase εἰ μήτι ἄν but there is no reason to attribute more than a hypothetical connotation to ἄν

5 πρὸς καιρόν cf BDAG sv καιρός 1a ldquofor a limited timerdquo (citing 1 Cor 75 Lk 813) J A Fitzmyer First Corinthians A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (An-chor Yale Bible New HavenLondon 2008) 281 notes that the phrase does not mean ldquoon suitable occasionsrdquo (following B Prete ldquoIl significato della formula pros kairon (Vg ad tempus) in 1 Cor 75rdquo RivB 49 [2001] 417ndash437)

6 BDAG sv σχολάζω 7 ἵνα σχολάσητε τῇ προσευχῇ states the purpose of the exception εἰ μήτι ἂν κτλ not the prohibi-

tion 8 The variant reading συνέρχεσθε ldquocome togetherrdquo (favored by Schrage Der erste Brief

II 69 n 101) is supported mostly by late witnesses and is probably an explanatory gloss with B M Metzger A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (3rd ed Stuttgart 1971) 554

9 ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἦτε a euphemism for sexual union (BDAG sv ἐπί 1cβ)10 H Chadwick ldquolsquoAll Things to All Menrsquo (1 Cor IX22)rdquo NTS 1 (195455) 261ndash275 264

For a similar view see A C Wire The Corinthian Women Prophets A Reconstruction through Paulrsquos Rhetoric (Minneapolis 1990) 72ndash97 who argues that Paul states his agreement in principle with the ascetic stance of Corinthian women prophets but in fact requires them to adopt a pro-marriage stance in the interests of curbing male sexual immorality

11 M M Mitchell Paul and the Rhetoric of Reconciliation An Exegetical Investigation of the Language and Composition of 1 Corinthians (HUTh 28 Tuumlbingen 1991 repr Louisville KY 1993) 235ndash237

12 P J Tomson Paul and the Jewish Law Halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gentiles (crint III = Jewish Traditions in Early Christian Literature I AssenMaastrichtMinneapolis 1990) 105ndash108 For a wide-ranging discussion of various manifestations of ldquoasceticismrdquo with vari-ous motivations in ancient Judaism see S D Fraade ldquoAscetical Aspects of Ancient Judaismrdquo in A Green ed Jewish Spirituality From the Bible Through the Middle Ages World Spirituality An Encyclopedic History of the Religious Quest XIII (New York 1986) 253ndash89 P W van der Horst ldquoCelibacy in Early Judaismrdquo RB 109 (2002) 390ndash402 who notes that the conflict be-tween sexual asceticism and the biblical command concerning marriage and procreation in Old Testament-Jewish tradition is never resolved


Judith M Gundry22













231 Cor 75b in the Light of a Hellenistic-Jewish Tradition

By contrast I contend that in this chapter Paul presents the Corinthians with different legitimate options on marriage sexual relations in marriage and celibacy He does not ldquorankrdquo these options equally but he considers them all genuinely good alternatives He intends the Corinthians to choose between good and better options based on their individual circumstances13 In support even Paulrsquos excep-tions or alternatives are articulated in the imperative mood andor paired with supporting arguments For example

ldquoLet them marry For it is better to marry than to burnrdquo (79bndashc)ldquoFor God has called us to peacerdquo (715c)ldquoBut if you marry you do not sin and if the virgin marries hellip she does not sinrdquo (728andashb)ldquoBut if you are able to be free use rather (freedom)rdquo (721b)

The exception of temporary sexual abstinence in marriage in 75b however lacks clear support and is strongly qualified

ldquoDonrsquot defraud [or stop defrauding] one another except perhaps by agreement for a limited time in order that you might devote yourselves to prayer and be together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-controlrdquo (75)

W Schrage infers that Paulrsquos exception is a concession which he merely tolerates in deference to Corinthian sexual ascetics (cf 71b)14 in contrast to ldquohis own opinion which opposes this option of sexual abstinence and celibacyrdquo15 But this view can be challenged in the light of the purpose-clause in 75b ndash ldquoin order

13 Cf also D G Horell The Social Ethos of the Corinthian Correspondence Interests and Ideology from 1 Corinthians to 1 Clement (Edinburgh 1996) 164 ldquoThroughout chapter 7 Paul has explictly [sic] mentioned permissible exceptions to the general advice to lsquostay as you arersquo An ex-amination of [vv 591115283639] will reveal that in each of these cases Paul outlines acceptable exceptions to the general rule not to change onersquos sexual or marital statusrdquo Note that Paulrsquos excep-tions go both in the direction of marriage and in the direction of celibacy In 77ndash827ndash2839ndash40 he allows marriage despite his preference for celibacy By contrast in 712ndash1321 he allows divorce at the initiation of an unbelieving spouse and freedom from slavery as a result of manumission by a slave-owner despite his exhortations to ldquoremain in the calling [ie social state] in which you were calledrdquo (724)

14 Paul apparently cites a Corinthian slogan in 71b ldquoIt is good for a man not to lsquotouchrsquo (ἅπτε-σθαι) [ie have sexual intercourse with] a womanrdquo (or his wife so B W Winter After Paul Left Corinth The Influence of Secular Ethics and Social Change [Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2001] 226) For ἅπτεσθαι as a euphemism for sexual intercourse see Fee The First Epistle 275 n 31 (also id ldquo1 Corinthians 71ndash7 Revisitedrdquo 202ndash206 followed by Fitzmyer First Corinthi-ans 278 who cites for this usage also LXX Gen 206 Ruth 29 Prov 629 Plato Leg 8840a Aris-totle Pol 71412 (1335b) Jos Ant I 81 sect 163 I will not attempt here to enter into the complicated matter of reconstructing the Corinthians as sexual ascetics For a summary of scholarly proposals see W Deming Paul on Marriage and Celibacy The Hellenistic Background of 1 Corinthians 7 (2nd ed Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2004) 1ndash46 cf also J M Gundry-Volf ldquoControlling the Bodies A Theological Profile of the Corinthian Sexual Ascetics (1 Cor 7)rdquo in R Bieringer ed The Corinthian Correspondence (BETL 125 Leuven 1996) 519ndash541 (the present study departs from some of the claims made in that article)

15 W Schrage The Ethics of the New Testament (trans D E Green Philadelphia 1988) 226 referring to 72 ldquoBut because of cases of sexual immorality let each (man) continue in sexual rela-tions with his own wife (τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα ἐχέτω) and each (woman) continue in sexual relations with her own husband (τὸν ἴδιον ἄνδρα ἐχέτω)rdquo


Judith M Gundry24

that you might devote yourselves to [or have leisure for] prayerrdquo (ἵνα σχολάσητε τῇ16 προσευχῇ) ndash which as G D Fee notes suggests that ldquothe early church placed value on concerted times for prayer uninterrupted by other normal pursuitsrdquo17 H Conzelmann (following W G Kuumlmmel) proposes that a Jewish custom lies in the background of Paulrsquos exception18 It is not however sexual abstinence as pu-rification for prayer pace H Lietzmann19 which is not supported by anything in the context20 Rather as L W Countryman comments the purpose-clause in 75b indicates that Paul has in mind ldquoa deliberate simplification of life not a disguised purity observancerdquo21

16 On the textual variant adding the words νηστείᾳ καί τῇ see below n 7617 Fee The First Epistle 282 Fee nevertheless still sees 75b as a concession ldquoPaul is thus al-

lowing their point of view but only by concession and only under two conditionsrdquo (281) More neutrally Fitzmyer First Corinthians 281 takes the purpose clause to give ldquoa legitimate reason for such temporary abstinence from intercourse within marriagerdquo

18 H Conzelmann A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (trans J W Leitch Hermeneia Minneapolis 1976) 117 n 26 (citing Kuumlmmel)

19 Cf H Lietzmann An die Korinther IndashII (HNT 9 Tuumlbingen 1969) 29ndash30 similarly W Loader Philo Josephus and the Testaments on Sexuality Attitudes towards Sexuality in the Writings of Philo and Josephus and in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2011) 419 commenting on 1 Cor 75b in the light of TestNaph 88 ldquoWe are probably dealing with long established and widely held beliefs which saw holy space (and time) needing to be kept free from sexual activityrdquo (citing Ex 195 1 Sam 215) also R E Oster Jr ldquoUse Misuse and Neglect of Archaeological evidence in Some Modern Works on 1 Corin-thians (1 Cor 71ndash5 810 112ndash16 1214ndash26)rdquo ZNW 83 (1992) 52ndash73 60ndash64 J C Poirier and J Frankovic ldquoCelibacy and Charism in 1 Cor 75ndash7rdquo HTR 89 (1996) 1ndash18 1ndash9 C C Cara-gounis ldquolsquoFornicationrsquo and lsquoConcessionrsquo Interpreting 1 Cor 71ndash7rdquo in R Bieringer ed The Corinthian Correspondence (BETL 125 Leuven 1996) 543ndash559 553 n 36 D Zeller Der erste Brief an die Korinther (KEK 5 Goumlttingen 2010) 239 n 33 ldquonoch eine Spur der alten Tabusrdquo K Niederwimmer ldquoZur Analyse der asketischen Motivation in 1 Kor 7rdquo ThLZ 99 (1974) 241ndash48 id Askese und Mysterium Uumlber Ehe Ehescheidung und Eheverzicht in den Anfaumlngen des christlichen Glaubens (FRLANT 113 Goumlttingen 1975) 74ndash124 93 n 54 both ritual purifi-cation and conserving time through sexual abstinence similarly B S Rosner Paul Scripture and Ethics A Study of 1 Corinthians 5ndash7 (BSL Grand Rapids Mi 1994) 160ndash161 cites as paral-lels Old Testament texts attesting abstinence in preparation for cultic activities For the similar alternative that sexual abstinence enhanced the capacity for receiving revelations and visions cf D L Balch ldquoBackgrounds of 1 Cor VIII Sayings of the Lord in Q Moses as an Ascetic θεῖος ἀνήρ in II Cor IIIrdquo NTS 18 (1971ndash72) 351ndash364

20 Cf G Harder Paulus und das Gebet (Guumltersloh 1936) 20 ldquoBei der kultischen Keuschheit handelt es sich stets um einen bestimmten Kultakt der fuumlr die Teilnehmer vorhergehende Enthal-tung erfordert Hier [in 1 Cor 75b] dagegen wird allgemein vom Gebet gesprochenrdquo Moreover in 714 Paul seems to assume the opposite of purification through sexual abstinence the unbeliev-ing spouse ldquois made holyset apartrdquo (ἡγίασται) through the believing spouse their children are not ldquoimpurerdquo (ἀκάθαρτα) but ldquoholyrdquo (ἅγια)

21 L W Countryman Dirt Greed and Sex Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and their Implications for Today (Philadelphia 1988) 205 n 14 similarly A Lindemann Der erste Ko-rintherbrief (HNT 91 Tuumlbingen 2000) 160 Schrage Der erste Brief II 68 C K Barrett A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (HNTC London 1968) 156 cf J L Kovacs (trans ed) 1 Corinthians Interpreted by Early Christian Commentators (The Churchrsquos Bible Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2005) 110 citing John Chrysostom ldquobecause sexual rela-tions take time not because they make impurerdquo


Judith M Gundry24










The suggestion that 1 Cor 75b is illuminated by a Jewish custom of tempo-rary sexual abstinence as a deliberate simplification of life however has not been adequately developed in the secondary literature The parallel in TestNaph 8 8 ndash ldquothere is a season (for a man) to have sexual intercourse with his wife and a season to abstain therefrom for his prayerrdquo ndash is often cited But this text could itself reflect the influence of 1 Cor 75b (see below on the Testaments as a Christian writing) and not necessarily comprise independent evidence for the practice22 Other parallels often cited include rabbinic texts mentioning husbandsrsquo tempo-rarily withdrawing from sex in order to study Torah (eg mNed 56 tNed 56)23 and a handful of Old Testament references to temporary sexual abstinence ldquofor a spiritual purposerdquo (Eccles 35 Joel 216 Zech 1212ndash24)24

Much closer to Paul both chronologically and materially I suggest are several texts in Philo of Alexandria which can be taken to attest a Hellenistic-Jewish tra-dition of temporary abstinence in connection with ldquodevoting oneselfrdquo to prayer and to similar activities If Paul knew and echoed such a tradition in 1 Cor 75b we can conclude that he views temporary abstinence as a good alternative not a concession to be tolerated ndash assuming that his conditions are met In the texts which I will discuss below there is a striking terminological overlap between Paul and Philo in the use of the term σχολάζω found only here in Paul25 and in Philorsquos case the equivalent expression σχολὴν ἄγω26 The notion of ldquodevoting oneselfrdquo whether to prayer or a similar activity in the context of some kind of temporary abstinence renders these Philonic texts closer to 1 Cor 75b than other parallels which have been suggested The main difference is that Philo refers to ldquodevoting leisurerdquo through temporary abstinence from food and drink work for bodily ne-cessities and endurance of separation from those most familiar and beloved27 but

22 Fitzmyer First Corinthians 281 also compares Tob 84ndash8 but here Tobiah prays telling God that he takes his sister uprightly not in lust before going to bed with her so sexual abstinence in marriage is in view

23 Cited by Tomson Paul 107 n 69 Tomson notes ldquoTannaic halakha define the maximum period for which a married man was allowed to abstain in various specified circumstances and if he exceeded it his wife had the right to divorce Tora study for example allowed him a period of 30 days separation lsquowithout [her] consentrsquordquo See further Bill III 371ndash372 Cf K-H Ostmeyer ldquoDie Sexualethik des antiken Judentums im Licht des Babylonischen Talmudsrdquo BTZ 12 (1995) 167ndash185 Schrage The Ethics of the New Testament 189 who notes Paulrsquos lack of casuistry in not specifying any length of time for sexual abstinence differently from the rabbis ldquothe absence [in 1 Corinthians 7] of any elaborate system embodying every possible injunction and reducing them all to the lowest common denominator of trivialityrdquo Rosner Paul Scripture and Ethics 147ndash176 who identifies a wide variety of Jewish influences in 1 Corinthians 7 against the view that this chapter reflects Stoic influence

24 A Robertson and A Plummer A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the First Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians (2nd ed ICC Edinburgh 1961) 134

25 In the New Testament cf also Matt 1244 Lk 1125 vl The term is very infrequent in the LXX (cf LXX Ps 4510)

26 LSJ sv ἄγω 327 On Philorsquos asceticism cf H Strathmann Geschichte der fruumlhchristlichen Askese bis zur

Entstehung des Moumlnchtums vol 1 Die Askese in der Umgebung des werdenden Christentums (Leipzig 1914) 125ndash147 148ndash157 (on the Therapeutae)


Judith M Gundry26

not explicitly through sexual abstinence ndash though it may be included in the latter28 Thus I argue that Philo provides an analogy to Paulrsquos temporary sexual abstinence in order to ldquodevote oneselfrdquo (to prayer)29

The larger question which this investigation raises is whether voluntary tempo-rary abstinence (of any kind) for a purpose such as prayer plays a role in Paulrsquos eth-ics over against the neglect of this topic in current research Most interpreters as-sume that Paul promotes simply inner aloofness by those who pursue this-worldly activities to satisfy bodily needs but no diminution of these activities apart from avoiding sinful ldquoclingingrdquo or ldquoabusingrdquo (see especially the secondary literature on 1 Cor 729ndash31) This article suggests that Paul could have favored a degree of renunciation for particular purposes based on the principle of sufficiency

In the remainder of this article I will (1) discuss whether 1 Cor 76 should be interpreted as indicating that Paul merely tolerates temporary sexual abstinence as a concession in 75b (2) investigate several texts in Philo which in my view pro-vide an analogy to Paulrsquos notion of sexual abstinence to devote oneself to prayer (Spec Leg II 193ndash99 Spec Leg I 67ndash70 Opif 128 Mos II 211ndash212 Decal 97ndash98) (3) draw conclusions from this investigation and briefly suggest that 1 Cor 729ndash31 (esp 729b) may be interpreted similarly and (4) consider whether any of Paulrsquos early interpreters understood 1 Cor 75b as I have interpreted it here

1 ldquoThis I say κατὰ συγγνώμην οὐ κατ᾿ ἐπιταγήνrdquo (76) temporary sexual abstinence in marriage as a ldquoconcessionrdquo

R Collins takes 76 ldquoI say this to you by way of concession not by way of com-mandrdquo (τοῦτο δὲ λέγω κατὰ συγγνώμην οὐ κατ᾿ ἐπιταγήν) to indicate that ldquoat most [Paulrsquos] Jewish tradition allows him to tolerate (syggnomen lsquoconcessionrsquo hapax

28 For sexual asceticism in Philo cf Mos II 68ndash70 De Vita Contemplativa Specialized stud-ies related to this topic include R Horsley ldquoSpiritual Marriage with Sophiardquo VC 33 (1979) 30ndash54 T Engberg-Pedersen ldquoPhilorsquos De Vita Contemplativa as a Philosopherrsquos Dreamrdquo JSJ 3 (1999) 40ndash64

29 Here I offer an example of how in the words of G E Sterling ldquoPhilorsquos treatises permit us to reconstruct widely held Jewish perspectives that became critical in early Christian circlesrdquo (G E Sterling ldquoThe Place of Philo of Alexandria in the Study of Christian Originsrdquo in R Deines and K-W Niebuhr eds Philo und das Neue Testament Wechselseitige Wahrnehmun-gen I Internationales Symposium zum Corpus Judaeo-Hellenisticum 1ndash4 Mai 2003 [EisenachJenaTuumlbingen 2004] 21ndash52 41) For a similar view cf (in the same volume) G W Nickels-burg ldquoPhilo among Greeks Jews and Christiansrdquo 53ndash72 For a general discussion of the relation between Philo and Paul cf D T Runia Philo in Early Christian Literature A Survey (CRINT III AssenMinneapolis 1993) 66ndash74 J M G Barclay Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora From Alexander to Trajan (323 BCE ndash117 CE) (Edinburgh 1996) 381ndash395 In my article Gun-dry-Volf ldquoControlling the Bodiesrdquo 530 I referred to Philo Spec Leg 311 as a parallel to 1 Cor 75b without further discussion Deming Paul on Marriage and Celibacy 121 n 58 refers to Philo Decal 96ndash101 also as a parallel without further discussion


Judith M Gundry26










in the NT) marital sexual abstinence under the stated conditions [in 75b]rdquo (my emphasis)30 Two of Collinsrsquo assumptions however are debatable

First the meaning of συγγνώμη in 76 is contested31 Instead of ldquoconcessionrdquo A Lindemann citing Aristotlersquos definition of συγγνώμη (Nic Eth 6111143a) sug-gests the translation ldquocompassionate understandingrdquo (ldquomitfuumlhlendes Ver staumlnd-nisrdquo)32 In this case Paul does not qualify ldquothisrdquo (τοῦτο) as something he says ldquoby way of concessionrdquo which is thus merely tolerable but ldquoby way of compassionate understandingrdquo which is thus fitting and good

Second the referent of ldquothisrdquo (τοῦτο) in 76 is debated A weakness in the view of Collins and others that τοῦτο refers to the exception in 75b (εἰ μήτι ἄν)33 is that 76 seems a bit redundant it is hardly necessary for Paul to point out that what he has explicitly referred to as an exception (εἰ μήτι ἄν) and carefully qualified (ἐκ συμφώνου πρὸς καιρόν ἵνα σχολάσητε τῇ προσευχῇ καὶ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ ἦτε) is not a ldquocommandrdquo 76 can thus only emphasize what was already evident Avoiding this redundancy some take τοῦτο as referring to one or more of the preceding commands in 72ndash5 where Paul exhorts the married to have sexual relations with their spouses and not to defraud one another He refers to these in 76 as a concession and not com-mands in the light of his preference and wish that ldquoall be as I amrdquo ie celibate (cf 77ndash8)34 But the resulting tension between 72ndash5 and 76 poses a considerable obstacle for this view

The obstacle is removed however in D Zellerrsquos reading He suggests taking ἐπιταγή not as Paulrsquos command but as the biblical command (ldquoVorschriftrdquo) to marry and ldquobe fruitful and multiplyrdquo (Gen 128) V 6 ldquoI say this by way of com-passionate understanding not by way of commandrdquo is thus a denial that Paulrsquos injunctions in 72ndash5 (τοῦτο) reiterate the biblical command regarding marriage and procreation and an assertion that these injunctions are stated simply out of (Paulrsquos) ldquocompassionate understandingrdquo in the light of the conditio humana35 (and the obligation to avoid sexual immorality cf 7259)

30 R Collins First Corinthians (SPS 7 Collegeville MN 1999) 260 similarly Fee The First Epistle 283 id ldquo1 Corinthians 71ndash7 Revisitedrdquo 213 ldquo[barely] allowing a concession to their perspective ndash but only briefly by agreement and for the purpose of prayerrdquo ldquooffering them a sop ndash allowing their point of view only as a very circumscribed concessionrdquo Lietzmann An die Korinther 29ndash30

31 For a fuller discussion cf Caragounis ldquolsquoFornicationrsquo and lsquoConcessionrsquordquo 554ndash59 critique by Fee ldquo1 Corinthians 71ndash7 Revisitedrdquo 212ndash13

32 Lindemann Der erste Korintherbrief 160ndash16133 For this view see also Bruce 1 and 2 Corinthians 67 Fee The First Epistle 283 Fitzmyer

First Corinthians 281 Barrett A Commentary 157 Schrage Der erste Brief II 71 Linde-mann Der erste Korintherbrief 160

34 So Robertson and Plummer A Critical and Exegetical Commentary 135 Conzelmann A Commentary 118 Niederwimmer Askese 94 J Weiss Der erste Korintherbrief (KEK 5 Goumlttingen 1925) 175

35 Zeller Der erste Brief 240 ldquoPaulus hat wohl den Eindruck dass er mit seiner Empfehlung von Ehe und Ehevollzug ndash darauf bezieht sich das τοῦτο ndash des Guten schon zu viel getan hat hellip Heirat wird nicht zur Vorschrift gemacht auch nicht mit einem Wort des atl Gesetzes wie Gen 128 das als erstes biblisches Gebot bei den Rabbinen besondere Hochachtung genoss Die


Judith M Gundry28

This interpretation is supported by two other Pauline uses of ἐπιταγή in 1 Cor 725 for ldquocommand from the Lordrdquo (ἐπιταγὴν κυρίου) in distinction from Paulrsquos ldquoopinion as one who has had mercy shown [to him] by the Lord to be trustwor-thyrdquo (γνώμην hellip ὡς ἠλεημένος ὑπὸ κυρίου πιστὸς εἶναι)36 in Rom 162637 for ldquothe com-mand of the eternal Godrdquo (κατὰ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ αἰωνίου θεοῦ) Further this interpreta-tion is supported by Paulrsquos silence on procreation in this chapter Paul is clearly not interested in echoing the biblical command to marry and procreate38

In conclusion we ought to take 76 not as denying that Paul requires tempo-rary sexual abstinence by the married and as asserting that he simply tolerates it Rather in 76 Paul denies that he equates his injunctions supporting sex between spouses with the biblical obligation to marry and procreate based on creation and he asserts that he merely issues these injunctions out of ldquocompassionate under-standingrdquo for those who lack the gift for celibacy (Thus Paul cannot be cited in support of any agenda which links sex to procreation)

2 Σχολάζω and temporary abstinence in Philo39

Σχολάζω + dat means ldquohave leisure time or opportunity for a thing devote onersquos time to a thingrdquo40 ldquodevote oneself to be free forrdquo (a thing or person)41 The edi-tors of the volume on 1 Corinthians in the series ldquoPapyrologische Kommentare zum Neuen Testamentrdquo P Arzt-Grabner et al note in their comments on 1 Cor 75 a similar use of σχολάζω in P Brem 63 (116 C E) with the dative object θεῶιἴσθι δὲ | ὅτι οὐ μέλλω θεῶι σχολάζειν | εἰ μὴ πρότερον ἀπαρτίσω τὸν | υἱόν μου (ldquoWisse aber dass ich fuumlr Gott keine Zeit aufbringen will wenn ich nicht vorher meinen Sohn [ausruumlste]rdquo ndash

Schoumlpfungsordnung ist nicht allein maszliggebendrdquo Similarly Conzelmann A Commentary 118 n 31 draws a contrast with the emphasis in Judaism on ldquomarriagerdquo as ldquoa command of dutyrdquo cf also A Lindemann ldquoDie biblischen Toragebote und die paulinische Ethikrdquo in W Schrage ed Studien zum Text und der Ethik des Neuen Testaments Studien zum 80 Geburtstag von Heinrich Greeven (BZNW 47 Berlin 1986) 242ndash265 249

36 Cf also 1 Tim 11 κατ᾿ ἐπιταγὴν θεοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καὶ Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ Tit 13 κατ᾿ ἐπιταγὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ Zeller Der erste Brief 240 n 41 cites 2 Cor 88 ldquoI am not speaking [this] as a command (οὐ κατ᾿ ἐπιταγὴν λέγω) but as proving through the earnestness of others [the Mace-donians] the sincerity of your love alsordquo But this parallel is less helpful for here ἐπιταγή is not clearly a divine command

37 In P61 yacute B C D 81 1739 al a b vg syp co Clement38 A few interpreters take τοῦτο (76) to refer forward to 77ndash8 see eg W F Orr and

J A Walther 1 Corinthians A New Translation (AncB 32 Garden City NY 1976) 207 Winter After Paul Left Corinth 233ndash238 But this option is not preferable to Zellerrsquos solution noted above

39 All translations are from LCL or D T Runia Philo of Alexandria On the creation of the cosmos according to Moses Introduction (trans and comm D T Runia Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series 1 LeidenBostonKoumlln 2001)

40 LSJ sv σχολάζω III41 W Radl ldquoσχολάζωrdquo EWNT 3 (1983) 764ndash765


Judith M Gundry28













probably referring to supplying the son for war since the text goes on to deal with financial matters)42

The editors comment ldquodass σχολάζω (lsquo[fuumlr etwas] Zeit habenrsquo) eine Voraussetzung fuumlr Taumltigkeiten ist die Ernsthaftigkeit und Engagement vom Ausuumlbenden er-fordernrdquo We might add that some kind of abstinence is required for the activity of devoting oneself (here to a god) For the writer Eudaimonis essentially states that she is unwilling to abstain from supplying her son in time of war in order to devote herself to a god

Even closer to 1 Cor 75b are some of Philorsquos uses of σχολάζω + dat in the sense ldquodevote oneself to be free forrdquo and the equivalent expression σχολὴν ἄγω Philo uses this terminology several times for devoting oneself to prayer worship or a similar activity involving abstinence from another activity eating and drinking participating in social intercourse with those most familiar and beloved and work-ing for bodily necessities43

As noted above Philo never explicitly refers to sexual abstinence for such a purpose though he may imply it in some of the texts discussed below Rather Philo treats temporary sexual abstinence as a matter of avoiding the transgression of engaging in nonprocreative sex From his procreationist standpoint a husband should not have sex with his wife when doing so would amount to ldquosowingrdquo his ldquoseedrdquo in a ldquoflooded fieldrdquo (ie when his wife is menstruating) where no ldquocroprdquo is likely to grow (Spec Leg III 32ndash33)44 This may explain why Philo does not lump sexual abstinence together with things like fasting or abstaining from work to supply bodily necessities at particular times Since Paul however thinks of sex as a means of supplying bodily necessities (cf 78 ldquoit is better to marry than to burnrdquo [πυροῦσθαι])45 he can fit sexual abstinence within the tradition of temporary abstinence to ldquodevote oneselfrdquo to prayer

42 P Arzt-Grabner R E Kritzer A Papathomos and F Winter 1 Korinther (PKNT 2 Goumlttingen 2006) 258ndash259 On the possible translations of ἀπαρτίσω cf ibid footnote 58

43 It is beyond the bounds of this study to discuss texts in which Philo speaks of particular individuals who ldquodevote leisurerdquo to philosophy through long-term or permanent abstinence in-cluding sexual abstinence eg Spec Leg III 1ndash3 ldquoThere was a time when I had leisure (σχολάζων) for philosophy and for the contemplation of the universe and its contentsrdquo ldquoI had no base or abject thoughts nor grovelled in search of reputation or of wealth or bodily comfortsrdquo cf Prob 63ndash64 QG IV 47 Similarly in Contempl 1330ndash3134ndash3966687277 Philo depicts (either real or hypothetical) Therapeutae as contemplatives who are celibate and desist from or strictly limit private property moneymaking activity food clothing and housing see further the discussion in D M Hay ldquoPhilorsquos Anthropology and a Possible Connection with Corinthrdquo in R Deines and K-W Niebuhr eds Philo und das Neue Testament Wechselseitige Wahrnehmungen I Interna-tionales Symposium zum Corpus Judaeo-Hellenisticum 1ndash4 Mai 2003 (EisenachJenaTuumlbingen 2004) 127ndash142 135ndash140

44 As shown by K L Gaca ldquoPhilorsquos Principles of Sexual Conduct and Their Influence on Christian Platonist Sexual Principlesrdquo Studia Philonica Annual 8 = BJS 309 (1996) 21ndash39 Philorsquos procreationism is based on a synthesis of LXX regulations (cf esp Lev 181922) and Pythagorean and Platonic principles of sexual conduct

45 For the alternative view that Paul thinks sex is for extirpating desire cf D B Martin ldquoPaul


Judith M Gundry30

21 Philo on abstinence from food and drink and ldquodevoting leisurerdquo to prayers on the ldquoFastrdquo (Spec Leg II 193ndash99)

According to Philo the ninth festival (the ldquoFastrdquo [Day of Atonement]) is to be celebrated by abstaining from food and drink and by ldquodevoting oneselfrdquo to prayer46 On this festival celebrated (significantly) at harvest-time one is not to eat and drink of the fruits of the harvest ldquoimmediatelyrdquo but to ldquofast and refrain from taking them as foodrdquo

ldquo[Moses] called the fast (τὴν νηστείαν) a feast the greatest of the feasts in his native tongue a Sabbath of Sabbaths hellip He gave it this name for many reasons First because of the self-restraint (ἐγκράτεια) which it entails always and everywhere indeed he exhorted them to show this in all the affairs of life in controlling the tongue and the belly and the organs below the belly but on this occasion especially he bids them do honour to it by dedicating thereto a particular day hellip Secondly because the holy-day is entirely devoted to prayers and supplications (πᾶσα ἀνάκειται λιταῖς καὶ ἱκεσίαις) and from morn to eve (ἄχρις ἑσπέρας ἐξ ἑωθινοῦ) men employ their leisure (τῶν ἀνθρώπων σχολὴν ἀγόντων) in nothing else (περὶ μηδὲν ἕτερον) but offering petitions of humble entreaty (δεητικωτάτας εὐχάς) in which they seek earnestly to propitiate God and ask for remission of their sins voluntary and involuntary and entertain bright hopes looking not to their own merits but to the gracious nature of Him Who sets pardon before chastisement Thirdly because of the time at which the celebration of the fast occurs namely that when all the annual fruits of the earth have been gathered in To eat and drink of these without delay (εὐθύς) would he held show gluttony but to fast and refrain from taking them as food (νηστεῦσαι καὶ τροφῆς μὴ προσάψασθαι) shows the perfect piety (παντελοῦς εὐσεβείας) helliprdquo (Spec Leg II 194ndash97)

The entire ldquoFastrdquo is consumed with prayers according to Philo ldquoentirely devoted to prayers and supplicationsrdquo ldquofrom morn to everdquo ldquoPeople employ their leisurerdquo ldquoin nothing else but offering petitions of humble entreatyrdquo Clearly therefore abstinence from food and drink is directly connected to full occupation with prayers all day long

Philo stresses ldquothe perfect pietyrdquo exhibited in avoiding gluttony by fasting instead of partaking right away in the fruits of the harvest The ldquoFastrdquo is thus in honor of the virtue of ldquoself-restraintrdquo which for Philo is to be demonstrated every day and everywhere and in every respect not only with respect to the tongue and the belly but also ldquothe organs below the bellyrdquo (τῶν μετὰ γαστέρα) by which he presumably means the sexual organs Fasting is thus analogous to sexual abstinence for Philo

Without Passion On Paulrsquos Rejection of Desire in Sex and Marriagerdquo in id ed Sex and the Single Savior Gender and Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation (LousivilleLondon 2006) 65ndash76 66ndash68

46 J Leonhardt Jewish Worship in Philo of Alexandria (TSAJ 84 Tuumlbingen 2001) 45 com-ments ldquoPhilo may not represent any other known sources in his interpretation of the Fast but there can be no doubt that for him it is one of the important festivals of Judaismrdquo (for a fuller discussion see pp 41ndash45) For further discussion on prayer on specific occasions in Philo see Leonhardt Jewish Worship 133ndash134


Judith M Gundry30










Corresponding to this piety is the mental activity of the abstinent in response to teaching on the ldquoFastrdquo It

ldquoteaches the mind (ἀναδιδάσκει τὴν διάνοιαν) not to put trust in what stands ready prepared before us as though it were the source of health and life For often its presence proves injuri-ous and its absence beneficial (μὴ παρόντα ὤνησε) Those who abstain (ἀπεχόμενοι) from food and drink after the ingathering of the fruits cry aloud to us with their souls (ἐκβοῶσι ταῖς ψυχαῖς) and though their voices utter no sound their language could hardly be plainer They say lsquoWe have gladly received and are storing the boons of nature yet we do not ascribe our preservation to any corruptible thing but to God the Parent and Father and Saviour of the world and all that is therein Who has the power and the right to nourish and sustain us by means of these or without thesersquordquo (Spec Leg II 197ndash98)

Here Philo appears to give the content of the prayers uttered by the souls of those who are fasting It is the knowledge of God as the true ldquosource of health and liferdquo ldquothe Parent and Father and Saviour of the worldrdquo with power to nourish and sustain Without denying the necessity of eating and drinking Philo describes fasting and devoting oneself to prayer as bringing a benefit to the mind which may otherwise be deluded by the senses into falsely trusting in ldquowhat stands ready before usrdquo

Philo traces the ldquoFastrdquo to Israelrsquos experience of Godrsquos provision of sufficient but not excessive food and drink during the wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus This was a kind of ldquofastrdquo a limitation on food and drink and it produced benefits for the soul and led to worship of God In the wilderness God

ldquorained food from heaven neither more nor less than what sufficed for each day (μήτε πλείονα μήτrsquo ἐλάττονα τῆς διεξαρκούσης εἰς ἑκάστην ἡμέραν) that they might consume what they needed without hoarding (ἵνα ἀταμιεύτοις χρώμενοι τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις) nor barter for the prospect of soul-less stores (μὴ πωλῶσιν ἀψύχων ὧν ἂν ἐθεσαυρίσαντο) their hopes of His goodness but taking little thought of the bounties received rather reverence and worship the bountiful Giver and honour Him with the hymns and benefactions that are His due (τὸν χορηγὸν θαυμάζωσι καὶ προσκυνῶσι καὶ τοῖς ἁρμόττουσιν ὕμνοις καὶ εὐδαιμονισμοῖς γεραίρωσιν)rdquo (Spec Leg II 199)47

Thus for Philo fasting on the ldquoFastrdquo and ldquodevoting oneself to prayersrdquo is self-restraint or living according to the principle of sufficiency rather than excess so as to allow for the activities of the mind and the soul This temporary practice of abstinence wards off the delusion that literal food and drink are the source of life and fosters due worship of God expressed in prayer

47 Similarly in Mos II 23ndash24 Philo states that the people fast on the ldquoFastrdquo ldquoin order that with pure hearts untroubled and untrammeled by any bodily passion such as is the common outcome of repletion (ἐκ πλησμονῆς) they may keep the holy-day propitiating the Father of All with fit-ting prayers (αἰσίοις εὐχαῖς) in which they are wont to ask that their old sins may be forgiven and new blessings gained and enjoyedrdquo Leonhardt Jewish Worship 134 stresses the relationship between fasting and prayer ldquoThe practice of the Fast involves prayer without which the Fast is merely a bodily exercise to oppose desires The prayers call God into the process of improving the worshippers though acknowledging their sins and asking for forgiveness they open themselves to the virtues and future blessingsrdquo


Judith M Gundry32

22 Philo on abstinence from social intercourse and ldquodevoting leisurerdquo to holiness and worship of God during pilgrimages to the Temple (Spec Leg I 67ndash70)

The greatest deprivation for the sake of ldquodevoting oneselfrdquo is that of separation from those with whom one forms a single whole namely on the occasion of a pil-grimage to worship in the temple in Jerusalem Moses commanded all the people to

ldquorise up from the ends of the earth and come to this temple [in Jerusalem where] hellip filled with comfortable hopes they devote the leisure as is their bounden duty to holiness and the honouring of God (σχολάζουσι τὴν ἀναγκαιοτάτην σχολὴν ὁσιότητι καὶ τιμῇ θεοῦ)rdquo

This is ldquothe severest test to their dispositionsrdquo (τῶν τρόπων ἀναγκαιοτάτην λαμβάνων βάσανον) according to Philo and shows ldquopietyrdquo

ldquohellip For one who is not going to sacrifice in a religious spirit (εὐαγῶς) would never bring himself to leave his country and friends and kinsfolk and sojourn in a strange land (ὑπομείναι ποτὲ πατρίδα καὶ φίλους καὶ συγγενεῖς ἀπολιπὼν ξενιτεύειν) but clearly it must be the stronger at-traction of piety (εὐσέβειαν) which leads him to endure separation from his most familiar and dearest friends who form as it were a single whole with himself (ὑπομένειν τῶν συνηθεστάτων καὶ φιλτάτων ὥσπερ τινῶν ἡνωμένων μερῶν ἀπαρτᾶσθαι) And we have the surest proof of this in what actually happens Countless multitudes from countless cities come some over land others over sea from east and west and north and south at every feastrdquo (Spec Leg I 67ndash69)

Perhaps we can detect in the severity of the test an allusion to sexual abstinence which may be implied in enduring separation from ldquothe most familiar and be-lovedrdquo

Philo draws attention not only to ldquopietyrdquo but also to the ldquooneness of mindrdquo and ldquofriendshiprdquo experienced by those who endure separation to devote themselves to worship in the temple with those who were formerly strangers

ldquoFriendships (φιλίαν) are formed between those who hitherto knew not each other and the sacrifices and libations are the occasion of reciprocity of feeling and constitute the surest pledge that all are of one mind (κρᾶσιν ἠθῶν ἐπὶ θυσιῶν καὶ σπονδῶν εἰς βεβαιοτάτην πίστιν ὁμο-νοίας ποιούμενοι)rdquo (Spec Leg I 70)

These benefits are seemingly absent from their earthly life and relationships The pilgrims

ldquotake the temple for their port as a general haven and safe refuge from the bustle and great turmoil of life and there they seek to find calm weather and released from the cares (φρο-ντίδων ἀνεθέντες) whose yoke has been heavy upon them from their earliest years to enjoy a brief breathing-space in scenes of genial cheerfulness (βραχύν τινα διαπνεύσαντες χρόνον ἐν ἱλαραῖς διάγειν εὐθυμίαις)rdquo (Spec Leg I 69ndash70)

Without exactly disparaging routine bodily life Philo here lifts up the periods of endurance of separation and devoting oneself to worship in the Temple as times of great benefit especially through the creation of ldquoconcordrdquo and ldquofriendshiprdquo among those willing to endure separation from loved ones (see below on the parallel to 1 Cor 110)


Judith M Gundry32














23 Philo on abstinence from work and ldquodevoting leisurerdquo to wisdom contemplation and prayer on the Sabbath (Opif 128 Mos II 211ndash212 Decal 97ndash98)48

In three texts Philo refers to the Sabbath as a time for ldquoabstainingrdquo (ἀνέχω) from work to gain a livelihood and ldquodevoting oneselfrdquo (σχολάζω) to wisdom philosophy (ie the study of the Law49) and contemplation of the truths of nature

ldquo[Moses] hellip commanded them after every period of six days to keep the seventh day holy refraining (ἀνέχοντας) from all the work required for the pursuit and provision of a livelihood (ἔργων ὅσα κατὰ ζήτησιν βίου καὶ πορισμόν) and keeping themselves free to concentrate on one thing only practicising philosophy (ἑνὶ μόνῳ σχολάζοντας τῷ φιλοσοφεῖν) for the improve-ment of their character and the examination of their conscience (εἰς βελτίωσιν ἠθῶν καὶ τὸν τοῦ συνειδότος ἔλεγχον)rdquo (Opif 128)

ldquoMoses hellip determined that all whose names were written on his holy burgess-roll and who followed the laws of nature should hold high festival through hours of cheerful gaiety ab-staining from work and profit-making crafts and professions and business pursued to get a livelihood (ἀνέχοντας μὲν ἔργων καὶ τεχνῶν τῶν εἰς πορισμὸν καὶ πραγματειῶν ὅσαι κατὰ βίου ζήτη-σιν) and enjoy a respite from labour released from weary and painful care But this leisure should be occupied hellip by the pursuit of wisdom only (σχολάζοντας hellip μόνῳ τῷ φιλοσοφεῖν) hellip the true philosophy which is woven from three strands ndash thoughts words and deeds ndash united into a single piece for the attainment and enjoyment of happiness (εὐδαιμονίας)rdquo (Mos II 211ndash212)

ldquoWe are told that the world was made in six days and that on the seventh day God ceased from His works (παυσάμενον τῶν ἔργων) and began to contemplate what had been so well cre-ated and therefore He bade those who should live as citizens under this world-order follow God in this as in other matters So He commanded that they should apply themselves to work for six days but rest [lit abstaining ἀνέχοντας] on the seventh and turn to the study of wisdom and that while they thus had leisure for the contemplation of the truths of na-ture (θεωρίαις μὲν τῶν τῆς φύσεως σχολάζοντας) they should also consider whether any offence against purity had been committed in the preceding days and exact from themselves in the council-chamber of the soul hellip a strict account of what they had said or done in order to correct what had been neglected and to take precaution against repetition of any sinrdquo (De-cal 97ndash98)50

48 On Philo and the Sabbath see L Doering Schabbat Sabbathalacha und -praxis im antiken Judentum und Urchristentum (TSAJ 78 Tuumlbingen 1999) H Weiss ldquoPhilo on the Sabbathrdquo in D T Runia D M Hay and D Winston eds Heirs of the Septuagint Philo Hellenistic Judaism and Early Christianity Festschrift for Earle Hilgert (Studia Philonica Annual 3 = BJS 230 Atlanta 1991) 83ndash105 id A Day of Gladness The Sabbath among Jews and Christians in Antiquity (Columbia S C 2003) M Williams ldquoBeing a Jew in Rome Sabbath Fasting as an Expression of Romano-Jewish Identityrdquo in J M G Barclay ed Negotiating Diaspora Jewish Strategies in the Roman Empire (LondonNew York 2004) 8ndash18 Y D Gilat ldquoThe Sabbath and its Laws in the World of Philordquo in R Link-Salinger ed Torah and Wisdom Studies in Jewish Philosophy Kabbalah and Halacha (FS A Hyman New York 1992) 61ndash73

49 Runia Philo of Alexandria 297 (citing Nikiprowetzky) On the matter of who was obliged on the Sabbath to devote leisure to ldquophilosophyrdquo or the study of the law see L Doering Schab-bat 326

50 Cf also the following parallel passages Hyp 710ndash14 Spec Leg II 62ndash64


Judith M Gundry34

Philo also mentions the practice of praying on the Sabbath (Mos 2214)51

Philo makes it very clear that ldquothe improvement of hellip character and the exami-nation of hellip consciencerdquo is the intended result of Sabbath abstinence and devoting oneself (to philosophy) ldquoFor the law bids us take the time for studying philosophy (φιλοσοφεῖν) and thereby improve the soul and the dominant mindrdquo (βελτιοῦντας τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα νοῦν) (Spec Leg II 61)52 This takes place through teaching in the synagogues on the Sabbath

ldquoSo each seventh day there stand wide open in every city thousands of schools (διδασκαλεῖα) of good sense temperance courage justice and the other virtues in which the scholars sit in order quietly with ears alert and with full attention (μετὰ προσοχῆς πάσης) so much do they thirst for the draught which the teacherrsquos words supplyrdquo (Spec Leg II 62 cf Hyp VII 13)

Philo stresses the good result the teaching ldquois sure to be profitable and will make the whole of life grow to something betterrdquo (Spec Leg II 62) He envisions ldquothe attainment and enjoyment of happinessrdquo through this practice (cf also Decal 100)

These goals depend on the alternation of work for bodily necessities on six days53 and rest from that work on the seventh for the sake of other ldquoworkrdquo Al-though ldquoHe forbids bodily labour on the seventh day He permits the exercise of the higher activities (τὰς ἀμείνους πράξεις) namely those employed in the study of the principles of virtuersquos lorerdquo (Spec Leg II 61)54 As J Leonhardt notes ldquoPhilo emphasizes that physical rest on the Sabbath is needed to support the mental activi-ty hellip of the synagogal meetings and their teachingrdquo55 For such activity one needs

51 Mos II 214 ldquosome persons who had gone out of the gates into the wilderness to pray (εὔξων-ται) in the quiet open solituderdquo

52 Philo sharply criticizes the practice of ldquodevoting leisurerdquo on the Sabbath not to philosophy but ldquobursts of laughter or sports or shows of mimes and dancers on which stage-struck fools waste away their strength almost to the point of death and through the dominant senses of sight and hearing reduce to slavery their natural queen the soulrdquo (Mos II 211) see further Doering Schabbat 353 Philorsquos bodyndashsoul dualism is also on display in other discussions of the Sabbath eg ldquoWhen he forbids bodily labour on the seventh day He permits the exercise of the higher activities (τὰς ἀμείνους πράξεις) namely those employed in the study of the principles of virtuersquos lore (αἱ διὰ λόγων καὶ δογμάτων τῶν κατrsquo ἀρετήν)rdquo (Spec Leg II 61) See further D Winston ldquoPhilo and the Rabbis on Sex and the Bodyrdquo in G E Sterling ed The Ancestral Philosophy Hellenistic Philosophy in Second Temple Judaism Essays of David Winston (Studia Philonica Monographs 4 = BJS 331 Providence 2001) 199ndash219

53 Cf Decal 99 ldquoEvery man being a partaker of mortal nature and needing a vast multitude of things to supply the necessaries of life ought never to the end of his life to slacken in providing what he requires but should rest on the sacred seventh daysrdquo (cf Spec Leg II 65)

54 Similarly Mos II 216 ldquodedicating that time to the acquiring of knowledge and the study of the truths of naturerdquo Philo wards off pagan criticism that Jews are lazy or foolish for resting on the Sabbath ldquoMoses does not allow any of those who use his sacred instruction to remain inactive at any seasonrdquo (οὐδένα καιρόν Spec Leg II 64) The soul ldquoworksrdquo on the Sabbath while the body is resting (Spec Leg II 64) After a ldquobreathing-spacerdquo (οἱ γὰρ διαπνεύσαντες) for the body a person works even harder on the other six days ldquo[The Sabbathrsquos] object is rather to give men relaxation from continuous and unending toil and by refreshing their bodies with a regularly calculated system of remissions to send them out renewed to their old activitiesrdquo (Spec Leg II 60) On this apologetic note in Philorsquos discussions of the Sabbath see D Boesenberg ldquoPhilorsquos Descriptions of Jewish Sabbath Practicerdquo The Studia Philonica Annual 22 (2010) 143ndash63

55 Leonhardt Jewish Worship 67ndash68


Judith M Gundry34













to ldquoenjoy a respite from labour released from weary and painful carerdquo (ἄγοντας δrsquo ἐκεχει ρίαν καὶ διαφειμένους πάσης ἐπιπόνου καὶ καματηρᾶς φροντίδος Mos II 211) and ldquoabstain from workrdquo (ἀνέχειν ἔργων Spec Leg II 66) Only the pursuit of wisdom should occupy one on the Sabbath ldquodevoting leisure to the one sole object of phi-losophyrdquo (ἑνὶ μόνῳ σχολάζοντας τῷ φιλοσοφεῖν Opif 128) ldquoto the pursuit of wisdom onlyrdquo (σχολάζοντας hellip μόνῳ τῷ φιλοσοφεῖν Mos II 211 my emphasis)

Thus the man who gathers firewood on the Sabbath not only breaks the Sabbath but blocks the other more important ldquoworkrdquo to be done on it for which reason he is stoned to death (Mos II 213ndash20 Spec Leg II 250ndash51 cf Num 1532ndash36) To add insult to injury his action is essentially a full frontal assault on the Sabbath for fire ldquois the basis of the artsrdquo performed to gain a livelihood which is precisely the work prohibited on the Sabbath56

The division of time into six days of work for bodily necessities and the seventh for the ldquohigher activitiesrdquo of the mind corresponds to human beings themselves who consist of body and soul and to the pattern of God who made the world in six days and on the seventh rested and contemplated what had been made

ldquoBut since we consist of body and soul he assigned to the body its proper tasks and similarly to the soul what falls to its share (τῷ σώματι τὰ οἰκεῖα ἔργα καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ τὰ ἐπιβάλλοντα) hellip Thus while the body is working the soul enjoys a respite (πονοῦντος μὲν τοῦ σώματος ἡ ψυχὴ διανα-παύηται) but when the body takes its rest the soul resumes its work (ἀναπαύλῃ δὲ χρωμένου διαπονῇ) and thus the best forms of life the theoretical and the practical take their turn in replacing each otherrdquo (Spec Leg II 64)

ldquoOn the seventh God ceased from His works (παυσάμενον τῶν ἔργων) and began to contem-plate (θεωρεῖν) what had been so well created and therefore He bade those who should live as citizens under this world-order follow God (ἕπεσθαι θεῷ) in this as in other matters So He commanded that they should apply themselves to work (πρὸς μὲν ἔργα) for six days but rest (ἀνέχοντας) on the seventh and turn to the study of wisdom (φιλοσοφοῦντας) hellip lsquoFind too in the seventh day the pattern of thy duty to study wisdom (φιλοσοφεῖν) that day in which we are told that He surveyed what He had wrought and so learn to meditate thyself on the lessons of nature and all that in thy own life makes for happinessrsquo Let us not then neglect this great archetype of the two best lives the practical and the contemplative (πρακτικοῦ τε καὶ θεωρητικοῦ)rdquo (Decal 97ndash101)57

Philo defends the restriction of work for bodily necessities to six days on the principle of sufficiency

56 The manrsquos transgression ldquolay first in the mere act of collecting in defiance of the command-ment to rest from work secondly in the nature of what he collected being materials for fire which is the basis of the artsrdquo (Mos II 220 cf Spec Leg II 65) In Praem 154 Philo similarly condemns the greed of those who neglect the Sabbath (both the seventh day and the seventh year of Jubilee) see further Leonhardt Jewish Worship 69

57 For a fuller discussion see Leonhardt Jewish Worship 61ndash63 On the tension in Philo between texts such as this which place the contemplative and practical lives on a par (cf also Leg I 57ndash58) and other texts where he gives priority to the contemplative life see D Winston ldquoPhilo and the Contemplative Liferdquo in A Green ed Jewish Spirituality From the Bible Through the Middle Ages World Spirituality (An Encyclopedic History of the Religious Quest XIII New York 1986) 198ndash231 220ndash222


Judith M Gundry36

ldquolsquoAlways follow Godrsquo it says lsquofind in that single six-day period in which all-sufficient (αὐταρκέστατον) for His purpose He created the world a pattern of the time set apart to thee for activityrsquordquo (Decal 100)

In summary Philo advocates temporary (Sabbath-day) abstinence (from work to supply bodily necessities) in order to ldquodevote oneselfrdquo to pursuing wisdom contemplation and prayer in order to benefit the mind and character He supports this practice by appealing to the human beingrsquos division into body and soul the division of the seven days of creation into divine work and divine contemplation and the sufficiency of six days for humandivine work in the physical realm

24 Summary Philo on temporary abstinence and ldquodevoting oneselfrdquo

According to Philo(1) Israel is to practice periodic abstinence from (a) eating and drinking (b) so-

cial intercourse with those who are most familiar and beloved (possibly including sex with a spouse) and (c) work to supply bodily necessities (2) Such abstinence should occur on designated occasions (a) the ninth festival (b) festivals at the Tem-ple involving a sojourn away from home and (c) the Sabbath (3) On these occa-sions one is to ldquodevote oneselfrdquo or ldquodevote leisurerdquo (σχολάζω σχολή) exclusively to (a) prayer (b) wisdom philosophy contemplation or (c) holiness and worship of God for the sake of greater benefits to the mind and soul (4) Various rationales are given including the sufficiency of the time allotted for supplying bodily necessities

3 Paulrsquos good alternative of temporary abstinence to devote oneself to prayer An echo of a Hellenistic-Jewish tradition

on abstinence to ldquodevote leisurerdquo

In this light Paulrsquos exception of temporary sexual abstinence in 1 Cor 75b is best interpreted not as vacillation between Jewish options on marriage and sex or part of an apologetic or rhetorical strategy producing hard-to-reconcile opinions but as depicting a good alternative in the light of the Hellenistic-Jewish tradition on temporary abstinence in order to ldquodevote leisurerdquo to prayer or a similar activity as seen in Philo Like Philo Paul understands this-worldly life to be consumed with satisfying bodily necessities a husband or wife ldquodevotes care to the things of the world how to accommodate his wifeher husbandrdquo and is ldquodividedrdquo (ie between such obligations and ldquothe things of the Lordrdquo 732ndash34) While affirming such obligations and rights (cf 72ndash5) Paul also presents an alternative of voluntary mutually agreed sexual abstinence for a limited time for the purpose of devoting oneself to prayer In so doing Paul adopts the principle of sufficiency which we have seen Philo to use as a rationale for limiting work for bodily necessities to six days Paulrsquos exception of temporary abstinence is thus not rooted in any rejection


Judith M Gundry36











of the body and sex but in the notion of an appropriate division of time ndash sufficient time for supplying bodily necessities as well as time for devoting leisure to other activities ndash as the analogous passages from Philo suggest58 Paul may have also thought that devoting time to prayer may promote concord (cf 1 Cor 110)59 just as Philo sees ldquoconcordrdquo and ldquofriendshiprdquo to be experienced by pilgrims congregat-ing in the Temple and devoting themselves to worship while enduring separation from their loved ones (see above on Philo Spec Leg I 70)

Paul differs significantly from Philo however on particular details of the prac-tice of temporary abstinence to ldquodevote oneselfrdquo to something Paul does not require temporary abstinence He leaves it up to husbands and wives to practice it ldquoby agreementrdquo60 Paul does not designate particular times for the practice61 He merely states that it should be ldquofor a limited timerdquo62 Paul does not spell out particular benefits of the practice (contrast especially Philorsquos emphasis on the activ-ity of the mind and soul cf 735 on the benefit of celibacy)63 Unlike Philo Paul adopts an eschatological framework ndash cf 729a ldquothe appointed time [before the end] is shortenedrdquo (ὁ καιρὸς συνεσταλμένος ἐστίν) ndash perhaps accounting for his con-cern about Satanrsquos temptation and the injunction to ldquobe together againrdquo ndash which danger Philo does not voice in connection with ldquodevoting leisurerdquo

If my argument is persuasive we may also consider whether 1 Cor 729ndash31 can be read in the light of the Hellenistic-Jewish tradition on temporary abstinence for devoting leisure to something

ldquoThis I say brothersisters the appointed time is shortened From now on64 let those who have [sexual relations with] wives be as not (ὡς μή) [always] having [sexual relations with wives]and those who mourn as not (ὡς μή) [always] mourningand those who rejoice as not (ὡς μή) [always] rejoicingand those who buy as not (ὡς μή) fully havingand those who use the world as not (ὡς μή) making full use [of it]For the outward form of this world is passing awayrdquo

58 For the view that Philorsquos asceticism is milder than expected given his dualistic cosmology and anthropology cf Strathmann Geschichte 144ndash146

59 1 Cor 110 ldquothat you all agree and there be no divisions among you but you be made com-plete in the same mind and in the same judgmentrdquo

60 1 Thess 44ndash5 may be relevant though its interpretation is highly debated ldquothat each of you know how to possess his own vessel (σκεῦος) [genitalia or spouse] in sanctification and honor not in lustful passion like the Gentiles who do not know Godrdquo See further O L Yarbrough Not Like the Gentiles Marriage Rules in the Letters of Paul (SBLDS 80 Atlanta 1985)

61 Elsewhere Paul is opposed to Gentilesrsquo observing a calendar (cf Gal 410) but in a mixed community as in Romans he requires mutual respect by those who observe days and those who donrsquot (cf Rom 145)

62 Paulrsquos concern about the danger of sexual immorality (75b) lies behind his insistence that sexual abstinence be ldquofor a limited timerdquo

63 735 ldquoAnd this I say for your own benefit not to put a lsquonoosersquo upon you but to promote seemliness and constant devotion to the Lord without distractionrdquo (πρὸς τὸ εὔσχημον καὶ εὐπάρεδρον τῷ κυρίῳ ἀπερισπάστως)

64 τὸ λοιπόν is here taken temporally rather than logically


Judith M Gundry38

As my translation of these verses indicates pace most interpreters I take them to refer to interrupting routine activities such as ldquohaving sexual relations with wivesrdquo mourning or rejoicing rather than simply to distancing oneself in attitude from these things I take the last two admonitions in particular to point to less consumption not just an inner aloofness toward ldquoconsumerrdquo behavior against the consensus view of this passage I suggest that these verses reflect Paulrsquos adoption of the principle of sufficiency with respect to supplying bodily necessities ndash as opposed to satiety ndash for the purpose of ldquodevoting oneselfrdquo to other activities It is impossible here however to develop this line of argument65

4 Early Christian Interpretations of 1 Corinthians 75

Colossians and 1 Timothy ndash usually taken to be written by a follower of Paul ndash both repudiate teachings on abstinence from sex and marriage without noting the Pauline option of temporary sexual abstinence

ldquoWhy if you died with Christ from the elementary principles of the world do you as living in the world submit yourself to decrees such as lsquoDo not handle do not taste do not touchrsquo (μὴ ἅψῃ μηδὲ γεύσῃ μηδὲ θίγῃς) (which all refer to things destined to perish with the using) ndash in accordance with the commandments and teachings of humans These are matters which have to be sure the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body but are of no value against fleshly indulgencerdquo (Col 220ndash23)

ldquoBut the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons hellip [people] who forbid marriage [and advocate] abstaining from foods (κωλυόντων γαμεῖν ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων) which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth For everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayerrdquo (1 Tim 41ndash5)

ldquoDo not handlerdquo (μὴ ἅψῃ Col 221) presumably refers to sexual abstinence (cf 1 Cor 71b ldquoIt is better for a man not to touch [ἅπτεσθαι] a womanrdquo66 It may have been linked to the observance of the Sabbath since the Colossian ldquophilosophyrdquo (Col 28) incorporated judging ldquoin regard to food and drink or in regard to a festi-val or new moon or Sabbathsrdquo (Col 216)67 In any case sexual abstinence even ldquofor

65 For a detailed discussion see my treatment in ldquoAloof in Mind or Body Paulrsquos ὡς μή formula-tions in 1 Cor 729ndash31 and Christian Social Life in a World that is Passing Awayrdquo (seminar paper SNTS annual meeting Leuven 2012)

66 As noted by M Y MacDonald ldquoCitizens of Heaven and Earth Asceticism and Social Integration in Colossians and Ephesiansrdquo in L E Vaage and V L Wimbush eds Asceticism and the New Testament (New YorkLondon 1999) 269ndash298 276

67 Cf Jub 507ndash13 for a prohibition of sex on the Sabbath ldquoThe man who does any work on it is to die Anyone who desecrates this day who lies with a woman who says anything about work on it hellip so that you may eat drink rest keep Sabbath on this day from all work and bless the Lord your God who has given you a festal day and a holy dayrdquo See further Doering Schabbat 79ndash83 for a discussion of Jewish views on sexual intercourse on the Sabbath No parallel with 1 Cor 75b emerges


Judith M Gundry38












a limited timerdquo is not mentioned as an alternative68 1 Timothy brands preachers who forbid marriage and abstinence from food as backsliders (41ndash5) and instructs younger widows to marry and have children and keep house (while allowing older widows to remain unmarried cf 1 Tim 53ndash16 cf 215 515) No other alterna-tives are mentioned and abstinence from food is ruled contrary to the goodness of creation69 Thus Paulrsquos immediate successors as far as we know did not approve his exception of voluntary temporary mutually agreed sexual abstinence as a good alternative to the norm of sexual relations in marriage

Ignatius of Antioch refers to devoting oneself to prayer but does not mention abstinence in order to do so ldquoDevote yourself to unceasing prayersrdquo (προσευχαῖς σχολάζε ἀδιαλείπτοὶς Ign Pol 13)70

The Acts of Paul and Thecla 5ndash10 depict Paul as a teacher of chastity including a macarism recalling 1 Cor 729b ldquoBlessed are they who have wives as if they had them not for they shall be heirs to Godrdquo Paulrsquos teaching leads Thecla who is be-trothed to Thamyris to reject marriage Temporary sexual abstinence in marriage for the purpose of devoting oneself (to a thing) is not mentioned as an alternative

Clement of Alexandria attacks Gnostic disparagements of marriage based on 1 Cor 75 ie Clement himself uses 1 Cor 75 along with 1 Cor 7227 (and 1 Tim 413 Col 218 23 Rom 1417) to defend marriage71 For Clement true continence means ldquohaving no desire at allrdquo while one partakes in marriage and sex etc One should simply ldquohav[e] contempt for money luxury and property disdaining pleas-ant sights controlling the tongue and mastering evil thoughtsrdquo For ldquoabstaining from sex is not a virtue unless it is done out of love for Godrdquo Clement thus stresses aloofness in attitude not in practice Clement nevertheless interprets 1 Cor 95 in the light of 1 Cor 735 (ldquoundivided attention to the Lordrdquo) to mean that mar-ried apostles ldquotook their wives along not as spouses but as sisters who could assist with the ministry to women hellip without causing any scandalrdquo72 (for this view see also Didasc 16) It is not clear whether this sexual abstinence by married apostles is seen to be temporary for the duration of their itinerant ministry or permanent

TestNaph 88 ldquofor there is a season [for a man] to have sexual intercourse with his wife and a season to abstain therefrom for his prayerrdquo may reflect Paulrsquos excep-tion in 1 Cor 75b in the light of evidence that ldquothe Testaments reflect Christian

68 Cf H W Attridge ldquoOn Becoming an Angel Rival Baptismal Theologies at Colossaerdquo in L Bormann K del Tradici and A Standhartinger eds Religious Propaganda and Missionary Competition in the New Testament World Essays Honoring D Georgi (LeidenNewYorkKoumlln 1994) 481ndash498 for a discussion of the religio-historical problem of Colossians and the relevance of Hellenistic Jewish ascetical practice in connection with revelation as well as other traditions

69 Cf the injunction to marry in Didasc 24 (612)70 Cf Ign Pol 73 ldquoa Christian devotes himherself to Godrdquo (σχολάζει θεῷ)71 Clement Stromata 36 cf also 31272 Kovacs 1 Corinthians 106ndash107 cf the discussion of Clementrsquos hard-to-reconcile views in

Chadwick ldquoAll Thingsrdquo 269ndash70


Judith M Gundry40

ideas and terminologyrdquo as M de Jonge has argued73 But if so the wider context of TestNaph 88 indicates a significant departure from Paul in several ways

ldquoThe commandments of the law are twofold and they must be fulfilled through prudence For there is a season [for a man] to have sexual intercourse with his wife and a season to abstain therefrom for his prayer (καιρὸς γὰρ συνουσίας γυναικὸς καιρὸς ἐγκρατείας εἰς προσευχὴν αὐτοῦ) so there are two commandments and if they are not done in their order (ἐν τάξει αὐτῶν) they bring sin So also is it with the other commandments Be therefore wise in God and prudent understanding the order (τάξιν) of his commandments and the laws of every activity that the Lord will love yourdquo (TestNaph 87ndash10)

Here a ldquotimerdquo of sexual abstinence in marriage is necessary in order for a man to avoid sinning by failing to observe the ldquoorder of his commandmentsrdquo namely to love God and neighbor74 By contrast Paulrsquos notion of sexual abstinence in marriage is ldquoby agreementrdquo between husbands and wives75 ldquofor a limited time so that you might devote yourselves to prayer and then be together again lest Satan tempt you on account of your lack of self-controlrdquo (1 Cor 75b) Paul does not refer to any ldquoorderrdquo for abstaining and not abstaining nor does he speak of a ldquocommandmentrdquo regarding abstaining What he requires is resumption of sexual relations for the sake of avoiding temptation ndash which TestNaph 87ndash10 does not mention

The tide turns toward ascetic interpretations of 1 Corinthians 7 beginning with Tertullian at the start of the third century C E Now Paulrsquos exception of temporary sexual abstinence in marriage to devote oneself to prayer comes to be seen as supporting perpetual continence in marriage and implying celibacy for the priesthood76 Nevertheless Augustine appears to reflect 1 Cor 75b as interpreted here when he comments ldquoit is not arduous and difficult for faithful married people to do for a few days what holy widows have undertaken and which holy virgins

73 M de Jonge Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament as Part of Christian Literature The Case of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and the Greek Life of Adam and Eve (SVTP 18 LeidenBoston 2003) 177 ldquoIf we take seriously that the present Testaments are a Christian writing we can no longer use them to illustrate the background of Paul or indeed other writers of books preserved in the New Testament in those cases where the Testaments reflect Christian ideas and terminologyrdquo De Jonge compares several parallel exhortations in the Testaments and the Pauline paraenesis (not including 1 Cor 75b and TestNaph 88) and concludes that in some cases we can ldquopoint to influence of Pauline terminology on the Testaments in their present formrdquo (68) F F Bruce 1 and 2 Corinthians (NCB London 1971) 67 suggests that TestNaph 88 may be a midrash on Eccles 35b ldquoA time to embrace and a time to shun embracingrdquo

74 Cf Lindemann Der erste Korintherbrief 160 on sexual abstinence in TestNaph 88 ldquodort freilich ausdruumlcklich als ἐντολαὶ τοῦ νόμου bezeichnetrdquo

75 Cf 72ndash4 where Paul explicitly addresses both wives and husbands76 See the discussion in Schrage Der erste Brief 78ndash81 Thiselton The First Epistle 495ndash97

The words νηστείᾳ καὶ τῇ are prefixed to προσευχῇ in thorn2 Ucirc sy yielding the well-known expression ldquofasting and prayerrdquo The variant is presumably an interpolation in an ascetic vein The shorter text has the support of all the early and best witnesses (P 11vid46 thorn A B C D G P Ψ 33 81 104 1739 al latt co) Cf W Schrage ldquoEthische Tendenzen in der Textuumlberlieferung des Neuen Testamentsrdquo in id ed Studien zum Text und der Ethik des Neuen Testaments Studien zum 80 Geburtstag von Heinrich Greeven (BZNW 47 Berlin 1986) 374ndash396 384ndash386


Judith M Gundry40











do throughout their lives So let devotion be kindled and self-gratification be checkedrdquo (Lent 2093)77

The distinguished recipient of this Festschrift has himself ldquodevoted leisurerdquo to contemplation the pursuit of wisdom and no doubt also to prayer in the tradi-tion of the ancients It is my great pleasure to dedicate to him this brief study on the topic in Paul

Bibliography

Arzt-Grabner P Kritzer RE Papathomos A and Winter F 1 Korinther (PKNT 2 Goumlttingen 2006)

Attridge H W ldquoOn Becoming an Angel Rival Baptismal Theologies at Colossaerdquo in L Bormann K del Tradici and A Standhartinger eds Religious Propaganda and Mis-sionary Competition in the New Testament World Essays Honoring D Georgi (LeidenNewYorkKoumlln 1994) 481ndash498

Balch D L ldquoBackgrounds of 1 Cor VIII Sayings of the Lord in Q Moses as an Ascetic θεῖος ἀνήρ in II Cor IIIrdquo NTS 18 (1971ndash72) 351ndash364

Barclay J M G Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora From Alexander to Trajan (323 BCE ndash117 CE) (Edinburgh 1996)

Barrett C K A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (HNTC London 1968)

Boesenberg D ldquoPhilorsquos Descriptions of Jewish Sabbath Practicerdquo The Studia Philonica Annual 22 (2010) 143ndash63

Bray G ed 1ndash2 Corinthians (ACCS 7 Downers Grove Ill 1999)Bruce F F 1 and 2 Corinthians (NCB London 1971)Caragounis C C ldquolsquoFornicationrsquo and lsquoConcessionrsquo Interpreting 1 Cor 71ndash7rdquo in

R Bierin ger ed The Corinthian Correspondence (BETL 125 Leuven 1996) 543ndash559Chadwick H ldquolsquoAll Things to All Menrsquo (1 Cor IX22)rdquo NTS 1 (195455) 261ndash275Collins R First Corinthians (SPS 7 Collegeville MN 1999)Conzelmann H A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (trans J W Leitch

Hermeneia Minneapolis 1976)Countryman L W Dirt Greed and Sex Sexual Ethics in the New Testament and their

Implications for Today (Philadelphia 1988)de Jonge M Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament as Part of Christian Literature The

Case of the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs and the Greek Life of Adam and Eve (SVTP 18 LeidenBoston 2003)

Deming W Paul on Marriage and Celibacy The Hellenistic Background of 1 Corinthians 7 (2nd ed Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2004)

Doering L Schabbat Sabbathalacha und -praxis im antiken Judentum und Urchristen-tum (TSAJ 78 Tuumlbingen 1999)

Engberg-Pedersen T ldquoPhilorsquos De Vita Contemplativa as a Philosopherrsquos Dreamrdquo JSJ 3 (1999) 40ndash64

Fee G D The First Epistle to the Corinthians (NICNT Grand Rapids Mi 1987)ndash ldquo1 Corinthians 71 in the NIVrdquo JETS 23 (1980) 307ndash314

77 Fathers of the Church A New Translation (Washington D C 1947) cited in G Bray ed 1ndash2 Corinthians (ACCS 7 Downers Grove Ill 1999) 61


Judith M Gundry42

ndash ldquo1 Corinthians 71ndash7 Revisitedrdquo in T J Burke and J K Elliott eds Paul and the Corin-thians Studies on a Community in Conflict Essays in Honour of Margaret Thrall (NTS 109 LeidenBoston 2003) 197ndash213

Fitzmyer J A First Corinthians A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (Anchor Yale Bible New HavenLondon 2008)

Fraade S D ldquoAscetical Aspects of Ancient Judaismrdquo in A Green ed Jewish Spirituality From the Bible Through the Middle Ages World Spirituality An Encyclopedic History of the Religious Quest XIII (New York 1986) 253ndash289

Gaca K L ldquoPhilorsquos Principles of Sexual Conduct and Their Influence on Christian Platon-ist Sexual Principlesrdquo Studia Philonica Annual 8 = BJS 309 (1996) 21ndash39

Gilat Y D ldquoThe Sabbath and its Laws in the World of Philordquo in R Link-Salinger ed Torah and Wisdom Studies in Jewish Philosophy Kabbalah and Halacha (FS A Hyman New York 1992) 61ndash73

Gundry-Volf J M ldquoControlling the Bodies A Theological Profile of the Corinthian Sexual Ascetics (1 Cor 7)rdquo in R Bieringer ed The Corinthian Correspondence (BETL 125 Leuven 1996) 519ndash541

Gundy J ldquoAloof in Mind or Body Paulrsquos ὡς μή formulations in 1 Cor 729ndash31 and Chris-tian Social Life in a World that is Passing Awayrdquo (seminar paper SNTS annual meeting Leuven 2012)

Harder G Paulus und das Gebet (Guumltersloh 1936)Hay D M ldquoPhilorsquos Anthropology and a Possible Connection with Corinthrdquo in R Deines

and K-W Niebuhr eds Philo und das Neue Testament Wechselseitige Wahrnehmun-gen I Internationales Symposium zum Corpus Judaeo-Hellenisticum 1ndash4 Mai 2003 (EisenachJenaTuumlbingen 2004) 127ndash142

Horell D G The Social Ethos of the Corinthian Correspondence Interests and Ideology from 1 Corinthians to 1 Clement (Edinburgh 1996)

Horsley R ldquoSpiritual Marriage with Sophiardquo VC 33 (1979) 30ndash54Kovacs J L (trans ed) 1 Corinthians Interpreted by Early Christian Commentators (The

Churchrsquos Bible Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2005)Leonhardt J Jewish Worship in Philo of Alexandria (TSAJ 84 Tuumlbingen 2001)Lietzmann H An die Korinther IndashII (HNT 9 Tuumlbingen 1969)Lindemann A ldquoDie biblischen Toragebote und die paulinische Ethikrdquo in W Schrage ed

Studien zum Text und der Ethik des Neuen Testaments Studien zum 80 Geburtstag von Heinrich Greeven (BZNW 47 Berlin 1986) 242ndash265

ndash Der erste Korintherbrief (HNT 91 Tuumlbingen 2000)Loader W Philo Josephus and the Testaments on Sexuality Attitudes towards Sex uality

in the Writings of Philo and Josephus and in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs (Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2011)

MacDonald M Y ldquoCitizens of Heaven and Earth Asceticism and Social Integration in Colossians and Ephesiansrdquo in L E Vaage and V L Wimbush eds Asceticism and the New Testament (New YorkLondon 1999) 269ndash298

Martin D B ldquoPaul Without Passion On Paulrsquos Rejection of Desire in Sex and Marriagerdquo in id ed Sex and the Single Savior Gender and Sexuality in Biblical Interpretation (LousivilleLondon 2006) 65ndash76

Metzger B M A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament (3rd ed Stuttgart 1971)

Mitchell M M Paul and the Rhetoric of Reconciliation An Exegetical Investigation of the Language and Composition of 1 Corinthians (HUTh 28 Tuumlbingen 1991 repr Louisville KY 1993)

Niederwimmer K ldquoZur Analyse der asketischen Motivation in 1 Kor 7rdquo ThLZ 99 (1974) 241ndash248


Judith M Gundry42























ndash Askese und Mysterium Uumlber Ehe Ehescheidung und Eheverzicht in den Anfaumlngen des christlichen Glaubens (FRLANT 113 Goumlttingen 1975)

Nickelsburg G W ldquoPhilo among Greeks Jews and Christiansrdquo in R Deines and K-W Niebuhr eds Philo und das Neue Testament Wechselseitige Wahrnehmungen I In-ternationales Symposium zum Corpus Judaeo-Hellenisticum 1ndash4 Mai 2003 (EisenachJenaTuumlbingen 2004) 53ndash72

Orr W F and Walther J A 1 Corinthians A New Translation (AncB 32 Garden City NY 1976)

Oster Jr R E ldquoUse Misuse and Neglect of Archaeological evidence in Some Modern Works on 1 Corinthians (1 Cor 71ndash5 810 112ndash16 1214ndash26)rdquo ZNW 83 (1992) 52ndash73

Ostmeyer K-H ldquoDie Sexualethik des antiken Judentums im Licht des Babylonischen Talmudsrdquo BTZ 12 (1995) 167ndash185

Poirier J C and Frankovic J ldquoCelibacy and Charism in 1 Cor 75ndash7rdquo HTR 89 (1996) 1ndash18

Prete B ldquoIl significato della formula pros kairon (Vg ad tempus) in 1 Cor 75rdquo RivB 49 (2001) 417ndash437

Radl W ldquoσχολάζωrdquo EWNT 3 (1983) 764ndash765Robertson A and Plummer A A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the First

Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians (2nd ed ICC Edinburgh 1961)Rosner B S Paul Scripture and Ethics A Study of 1 Corinthians 5ndash7 (BSL Grand Rapids

Mi 1994)Runia D T Philo in Early Christian Literature A Survey (CRINT III AssenMinne-

apolis 1993)ndash Philo of Alexandria On the creation of the cosmos according to Moses Introduction

(trans and comm D T Runia Philo of Alexandria Commentary Series 1 LeidenBostonKoumlln 2001)

Schrage W ldquoEthische Tendenzen in der Textuumlberlieferung des Neuen Testamentsrdquo in id ed Studien zum Text und der Ethik des Neuen Testaments Studien zum 80 Geburtstag von Heinrich Greeven (BZNW 47 Berlin 1986) 374ndash396

ndash Der erste Brief an die Korinther IndashIII (EKK 7 SolothurnDuumlsseldorfNeukirchen-Vluyn 1991ndash2001)

ndash The Ethics of the New Testament (trans D E Green Philadelphia 1988)Sterling G E ldquoThe Place of Philo of Alexandria in the Study of Christian Originsrdquo in

R Deines and K-W Niebuhr eds Philo und das Neue Testament Wechselseitige Wahr-nehmungen I Internationales Symposium zum Corpus Judaeo-Hellenisticum 1ndash4 Mai 2003 (EisenachJenaTuumlbingen 2004) 21ndash52

Strathmann H Geschichte der fruumlhchristlichen Askese bis zur Entstehung des Moumlnch-tums vol 1 Die Askese in der Umgebung des werdenden Christentums (Leipzig 1914)

Thiselton A C The First Epistle to the Corinthians A Commentary on the Greek Text (NIGTC Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2000)

Tomson P J Paul and the Jewish Law Halakha in the Letters of the Apostle to the Gen-tiles (crint III = Jewish Traditions in Early Christian Literature I AssenMaastrichtMinneapolis 1990)

van der Horst P W ldquoCelibacy in Early Judaismrdquo RB 109 (2002) 390ndash402Weiss H ldquoPhilo on the Sabbathrdquo in D T Runia D M Hay and D Winston eds Heirs

of the Septuagint Philo Hellenistic Judaism and Early Christianity Festschrift for Earle Hilgert (Studia Philonica Annual 3 = BJS 230 Atlanta 1991) 83ndash105

ndash A Day of Gladness The Sabbath among Jews and Christians in Antiquity (Columbia S C 2003)

Weiss J Der erste Korintherbrief (KEK 5 Goumlttingen 1925)


Judith M Gundry44

Williams M ldquoBeing a Jew in Rome Sabbath Fasting as an Expression of Romano-Jewish Identityrdquo in J M G Barclay ed Negotiating Diaspora Jewish Strategies in the Roman Empire (LondonNew York 2004) 8ndash18

Winston D ldquoPhilo and the Contemplative Liferdquo in A Green ed Jewish Spirituality From the Bible Through the Middle Ages World Spirituality (An Encyclopedic History of the Religious Quest XIII New York 1986) 198ndash231

ndash ldquoPhilo and the Rabbis on Sex and the Bodyrdquo in G E Sterling ed The Ancestral Philoso-phy Hellenistic Philosophy in Second Temple Judaism Essays of David Winston (Studia Philonica Monographs 4 = BJS 331 Providence 2001) 199ndash219

Winter B W After Paul Left Corinth The Influence of Secular Ethics and Social Change (Grand Rapids MiCambridge U K 2001)

Wire A C The Corinthian Women Prophets A Reconstruction through Paulrsquos Rhetoric (Minneapolis 1990)

Yarbrough O L Not Like the Gentiles Marriage Rules in the Letters of Paul (SBLDS 80 Atlanta 1985)

Zeller D Der erste Brief an die Korinther (KEK 5 Goumlttingen 2010)


ISBN 978-3-16-152580-3

Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbiblio-graphie detaillierte bibliographische Daten sind im Internet uumlber httpdnbdnbde abrufbar

copy 2013 Mohr Siebeck Tuumlbingen wwwmohrde

Das Werk einschlieszliglich aller seiner Teile ist urheberrechtlich geschuumltzt Jede Verwertung auszliger-halb der engen Grenzen des Urheberrechtsgesetzes ist ohne Zustimmung des Verlags unzulaumlssig und strafbar Das gilt insbesondere fuumlr Vervielfaumlltigungen Uumlbersetzungen Mikro verfi lmungen und die Einspeicherung und Ver arbeitung in elektronischen Systemen

Das Buch wurde von Martin Fischer in Tuumlbingen aus der Stempel Garamond gesetzt von Gulde-Druck in Tuumlbingen auf alterungsbestaumlndiges Werkdruckpapier gedruckt und von der Buch-binderei Spinner in Ottersweier gebunden


VIII Geleitwort




Inhalt












X Inhalt













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VIII Geleitwort




Inhalt












X Inhalt













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Inhalt XI













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Judith M Gundry26









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Judith M Gundry28












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Judith M Gundry40










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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















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Judith M Gundry44









X Inhalt













X Inhalt













Inhalt XI













XII Inhalt























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Judith M Gundry22























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Judith M Gundry24



















Judith M Gundry26









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Judith M Gundry28












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Judith M Gundry40










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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44









X Inhalt













Inhalt XI













XII Inhalt























Judith M Gundry







Judith M Gundry22













Judith M Gundry22























Judith M Gundry24









Judith M Gundry24



















Judith M Gundry26









Judith M Gundry26





















Judith M Gundry28












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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































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XII Inhalt























Judith M Gundry







Judith M Gundry22













Judith M Gundry22























Judith M Gundry24









Judith M Gundry24



















Judith M Gundry26









Judith M Gundry26





















Judith M Gundry28












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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44






















Judith M Gundry







Judith M Gundry22













Judith M Gundry22























Judith M Gundry24









Judith M Gundry24



















Judith M Gundry26









Judith M Gundry26





















Judith M Gundry28












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Judith M Gundry30









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Judith M Gundry32













Judith M Gundry32























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Judith M Gundry40










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Bibliography


















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Judith M Gundry22













Judith M Gundry22























Judith M Gundry24









Judith M Gundry24



















Judith M Gundry26









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Judith M Gundry28












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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















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Judith M Gundry42






















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Judith M Gundry40










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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















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Judith M Gundry24



















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Judith M Gundry28












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Judith M Gundry40










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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















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Judith M Gundry26









Judith M Gundry26





















Judith M Gundry28












Judith M Gundry28






















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Judith M Gundry40










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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















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Judith M Gundry26





















Judith M Gundry28












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Judith M Gundry30


















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Judith M Gundry32























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Judith M Gundry34






















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Judith M Gundry36























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Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44









Judith M Gundry28












Judith M Gundry28






















Judith M Gundry30









Judith M Gundry30


















Judith M Gundry32













Judith M Gundry32























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Judith M Gundry34






















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Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































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Judith M Gundry28






















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Judith M Gundry30


















Judith M Gundry32













Judith M Gundry32























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Judith M Gundry34






















Judith M Gundry36










Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































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Judith M Gundry30









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Judith M Gundry32













Judith M Gundry32























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Judith M Gundry34






















Judith M Gundry36










Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44









Judith M Gundry30


















Judith M Gundry32













Judith M Gundry32























Judith M Gundry34












Judith M Gundry34






















Judith M Gundry36










Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44









Judith M Gundry32













Judith M Gundry32























Judith M Gundry34












Judith M Gundry34






















Judith M Gundry36










Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44









Judith M Gundry32























Judith M Gundry34












Judith M Gundry34






















Judith M Gundry36










Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44









Judith M Gundry34












Judith M Gundry34






















Judith M Gundry36










Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44









Judith M Gundry34






















Judith M Gundry36










Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































Judith M Gundry44









Judith M Gundry36










Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































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Judith M Gundry36























Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










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Bibliography


















Judith M Gundry42






















Judith M Gundry42















































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Judith M Gundry38











Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










Judith M Gundry40













Bibliography


















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Judith M Gundry38





















Judith M Gundry40










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Bibliography


















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1 Cor 7:5b in the Light of a Hellenistic-Jewish Tradition on Abstinence to 'Devote Leisure'....

Documents

Transcript of 1 Cor 7:5b in the Light of a Hellenistic-Jewish Tradition on Abstinence to 'Devote Leisure'....