Godly Fear : The Epistle to the Hebrews and Greco-Roman Critiques of Superstition

by Gray, Patrick

• ISBN13: 9789004130753
• ISBN10: 9004130756
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Brill Academic Pub

Summary

To what extent was early Christianity viewed as superstition by its contemporaries? Superstition was the standard category in Greco-Roman antiquity for defaming debased religion, and to situate early Christianity in its Mediterranean milieu it is necessary to understand what this label meant to those who used it. Fear is the defining element of superstition according to writers like Plutarch, who regard the emotion as a fundamental human problem. Fear is likewise a recurring motif in the Epistle to the Hebrews, whose author holds up confidence as a Christian ideal yet also employs language which evokes fear in the starkest of terms. This work examines the articulation of Christian faith in Hebrews in the context of ancient debates about the propriety of fear.Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org)

Author Biography

Patrick Gray is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Rhodes College in Memphis, Tennessee

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Note on Texts and Translations	x
Chapter One Introduction	1	(32)
The Question: "Superstition" or "Godly Fear"?	1	(5)
Self-Definition in the Early Church: Christianity as Superstition	6	(6)
Plutarch and the Epistle to the Hebrews: A Common Milieu	12	(4)
New Testament Studies and the History-of-Religions School	16	(14)
Contextualization, Comparison, and "Parallelomania"	16	(5)
Plutarch and the New Testament	21	(3)
The Greco-Roman Background of Hebrews: The State of the Question	24	(6)
Approach	30	(3)
Chapter Two Plutarch and Superstition	33	(76)
Introduction	33	(3)
Terminology	36	(16)
Latin	36	(6)
Greek	42	(10)
Plutarch on Superstition in the Moralia and the Lives: Typical or Atypical?	52	(2)
The Role of Fear in Plutarch's Religious Thought	54	(1)
Hellenistic Analyses of the Emotions	55	(29)
Platonic Antecedents	57	(3)
Aristotle	60	(5)
Stoicism	65	(10)
Epicureanism	75	(7)
Summary	82	(2)
Plutarch on Superstition as Inappropriate Fear	84	(22)
The Question of Authenticity	84	(4)
Plutarch's Argument: Summary and Analysis	88	(5)
Superstition and the Emotions	89	(4)
Positive and Negative Fear	93	(2)
Fear of Death	95	(3)
Atheism and Superstition Compared: Theological and Practical Aspects	98	(6)
Piety as a Mean	104	(2)
Conclusion	106	(3)
Chapter Three Freedom from Fear as a Christian Ideal in Hebrews	109	(78)
Introduction	109	(2)
Fear of Death (Heb 2:15)	111	(27)
Sources of Fear of Death	112	(2)
Subjective Quality of Fear of Death	114	(1)
Scope: Whom Does Fear of Death Affect?	115	(3)
Assessment: Is Fear of Death Morally Culpable?	118	(5)
Prescription: How to Be Free From Fear of Death	123	(15)
"Help in Time of Need": Jesus the Great High Priest	123	(2)
Priesthood as Fraternity: Brotherly Love and "The Order of Melchizedek"	125	(13)
"Confidence" before God: HAPPHEIA in Hebrews	138	(17)
Confidence as Members of God's Household (Heb 3:6)	139	(4)
Confidence Before the Throne of Grace (Heb 4:16)	143	(2)
Confidence in the Heavenly Sanctuary (Heb 10:19-31)	145	(9)
The Clean Conscience (Heb 10:19-25)	145	(3)
Apostasy and the Forfeiture of Confidence (Heb 10:26-31)	148	(6)
The Reward of Confidence (Heb 10:35)	154	(1)
Fearlessness in the Face of Earthly Dangers	155	(30)
Withstanding Persecution	156	(10)
Heb 10:32-39	156	(5)
Heb 11:32-38	161	(2)
Heb 13:6	163	(3)
Defiance of Human Authorities: Moses' Fearlessness (Heb 11:23-28)	166	(1)
Reinterpreting Adversity as God's Education (Heb 12:5-11)	167	(18)
Conclusion	185	(2)
Chapter Four Reverence and Awe: Fear as an Appropriate Response to God in Hebrews	187	(28)
Introduction	187	(1)
Jesus' "Godly Fear" (Heb 5:7)	188	(18)
What Does Jesus Pray For and How Is He "Heard"?	189	(9)
The Exemplary Function of Jesus' Submission	198	(8)
Fear as a Concomitant of Revelation and Worship (Heb 12:18-29)	206	(8)
Moses' "Fear and Trembling" at Sinai (Heb 12:21)	206	(3)
Worship in the Last Days: "Reverence and Awe" (Heb 12:28-29)	209	(5)
Conclusion	214	(1)
Chapter Five Conclusions	215	(14)
Bibliography	229	(24)
Index of Modern Authors	253	(5)
Index of Ancient Authors	258	(3)
Index of Biblical Texts	261