Abstract
Recent scholars focus mainly on Paul’s use of ‘brothers (and sisters)’ or ‘brother (and sister)’ in Greco-Roman epistolary conventions and cultural backdrops. However, Jewish dimensions (particularly ethnic dimensions) of Paul’s sibling language still remain unexplored in current scholarship. Furthermore, scholars have not drawn much attention to how Jewish letter writers use sibling terms in their letters. This article offers a new interpretation on Paul’s sibling language in light of its Jewish usage. We should note that Jewish letter writers did not address their Gentile letter recipients as ‘brother(s)’. However, Paul did call his recipients ‘brothers’. It is unlikely that Paul employed sibling language without being aware of its common Jewish usage. The author proposes that Paul’s sibling language is used in the context of an ethnic insider designation (shared ethnicity), and that ascribing the title of brother to believers including Gentiles signals the re-definition of the family of Abraham.
Highlights
Can we understand Paul’s intention in using sibling language in the context of its Jewish usage? What were the social functions of sibling language in Jewish society? Doering (2012:396–397) observes ethnic dimensions of sibling language in ancient Jewish letters and concludes that sibling language was applied to ‘people belonging to the same ethnic group.’
It should be recognised that Paul’s sibling language is related to its Jewish usage which is concerned with shared ethnicity
Jewish letter writers rarely addressed their non-Jewish recipients as brothers
Summary
Scholars have predominantly focused on the usage of ‘brothers’ or ‘brother’ in light of the GrecoRoman epistolary conventions and cultural milieus.1 They conclude that, through sibling language, Paul intends to enrich group solidarity, to emphasise the emotional attachment between fellow believers and to exhort fellow believers to respect one another in a mutually supportive way (e.g. Horrell 2001:309; Schäfer 1989:321).2 In this context, sibling language in Paul’s letters implicitly expresses an in-group identity of the believers in Christian groups distinguishing them from outsiders (Trebilco 2012:67; cf. Meeks 1983:85; Harland 2005:491).Yet, whereas sociological explorations of Paul’s sibling language in the context of the Greco-Roman background are beneficial, detailed research on sibling language has yet to be made in the context of its Jewish usage and, Jewish epistolary forms of address, except for Taatz and Doering.3 Aasgaard writes, ‘this [Jewish] background probably does not tell us much about ... the semantic contents of the metaphor’ (2004:115), and maintains that the evidence supporting a Jewish origin is limited (2004:116). Did Jews address their Gentile letter recipients as brothers in ancient Jewish letters? Many letters indicated the family names of the recipients in the forms of ‘son (or daughter) of the proper name (PN).’ For example, the Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt (TAD) A3.6 Cowley 40 (Sachau Plate 13) line 5 writes: ‘To my brother Pilti, son of Jaush, your brother Hoshaiah, son of Nathan.’15
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