Paul and the Jerusalem Church: Light from the Scrolls on Graeco- Semitic Language Contacts and Ethics of Gospel Mission

Abstract

This chapter analyses the traces of Graeco-Semitic language contacts in Paul's linguistic repertoire, and evaluates how this influences our understanding of the discussion concerning Gospel mission standards. It focuses on language usage that arguably reflects a Semitic background. The chapter briefly surveys factors of importance in the Dead Sea Scrolls as evidence for the study of Graeco-Semitic bilingualism. It makes a comparative study of Pauline passages, mainly from the Letter to the Galatians and, to a lesser extent, from Paul's Letter to the Romans. The Dead Sea Scrolls constitute important Semitic evidence for a Jewish world of thought in early Roman period Israel. Our understanding of the Jewish orientation of the Jerusalem church may be contextualized by this evidence. The injunction to remember the poor is an example of conceptual harmony in a context of Graeco-Semitic language contact between Paul and the Jerusalem church. Keywords: Dead Sea Scrolls; Gospel mission; Graeco-Semitic language; Jerusalem church; Paul