: Re: Semitic Patterns of Speech in the Writings of Paul?
J. Garnier
nomre2me at home.com
Thu Sep 21 17:10:10 EDT 2000
I think the topic of Hebraisms in Paul is a speculative area beyond the scope of b-greek. Paul wrote as he spoke, and spoke in accordance with where he lived. He was from Tarsus, where the six universities of the ancient Mediterranean were located, undoubtably giving him a cross-cultural education as a youth, then was sent to Jerusalem for formal education by Gamaliel. He speech is undoubtably full of Hebraisms, but also of Gracienisms and Latinisms. It seems folly to think that some greater meaning can be attached to his words by speculating about colloquial content, because difficulty enough can be ascribed to the denotative understanding of his speech without additionally sidelining his message as we play Clouseau about details that are unkowable with certainty. I think that Paul used Hebraisms when the truth was obvious in them, and knowing their origin will do nothing to amplify the truth. Truth is, after all, absolute.
Joseph Garnier
Seattle WA
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