Finding a Basis for Interpreting New Testament Ethos from a Greco-Roman Philosophical Perspective

Abstract

Given the fact that the examination of early Christian ethics and the Greco-Roman tradition is embedded in the discussion of the relationship between Hellenism and Christianity, this chapter discusses the overall question of how to think about culture. It proceeds by raising the question of how we should conceive of ethics in the New Testament writings in comparison with traditions found in the context of ancient Greco-Roman culture. The chapter concentrates on the Stoic and Platonic traditions as illuminating frames of reference for the interpretation of ethics endorsed by a number of New Testament writings. It focuses on Pauline examples to document how the use of a Greco-Roman philosophical frame of reference may shed light on the topic of ethos in the Pauline writings. There is a good point in comparing the ethics endorsed by the various Hellenistic philosophical schools with parallel traditions in the different New Testament writings. Keywords:early Christianity; Greco-Roman philosophical tradition; Hellenistic philosophical schools; New Testament ethos