Paul and Pseudepigraphy (Pauline Studies, Book 8)

on pauline pseudepigraphy 5

in this volume and the essays found within treat a variety of issues that

involve Paul and the phenomenon of pseudepigraphy.

the volume begins with a series of essays devoted to critical and method-

ological questions relating to Paul and pseudepigraphy. armin Baum pro-

vides his audience with a reader of primary sources and select annotated

bibliography of ancient and modern attitudes towards pseudepigraphy.

several key excerpts from ancient christian and non-christian authors are

included (with comments) that open a window into how pseudepigraphy

was conducted and received in the social world of early christianity. Baum

also assesses some important contemporary treatments (largely german-

language titles) that interpret the practice of pseudepigraphy in a variety

of ancient contexts (thus making these resources available to a primarily

english-speaking audience). this is a valuable contribution to orient read-

ers to key critical issues relating to Paul and pseudepigraphy.

attempts to fit the Pastoral letters into a reconstructed Pauline chro-

nology have resulted in a variety of proposals. stanley Porter gives this

issue another look, outlining the chronological markers found in the let-

ters themselves and then comparing these with three established argu-

ments: the Pastorals cannot be harmonized with an acts chronology, so

they are post-Pauline; they reflect a period of writing that occurred after

the acts 28 imprisonment; or they can be creatively inserted within the

basic chronology depicted in acts and the other Pauline letters. each

of these proposals has its respective problems, including the veracity of

the acts account, evidence for a second roman imprisonment, and the

opportunity for Paul to write personal letters in light of his active corre-

spondence with other churches.

gregory Fewster questions the effectiveness of historical and canonical

approaches in the interpretation of supposed canonical pseudepigrapha.

the way in which these strategies relate to the figure of the author is

problematic, usually reducing the disputed Pauline letters to second-class

texts, and canonical approaches maintain this practice in spite of their

reaction to historical criticism. such interpretive stagnation is exemplified

in readings of the head/body motif in colossians and ephesians. Fewster

proposes an alternative hermeneutic that reappropriates the author as a

functional category, thus sidestepping some of the issues caused by these

other strategies. the effectiveness of this proposal is tested against the

head/body motif with some promising results.

engaging the relationship of Pauline style and epistolary authenticity,

andrew Pitts attempts to provide a more robust account of how authorial

style can vary according to a range of situational factors. Previous studies