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Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
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| Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
Philippi: An Alternative Citizenship From Troas Paul heads to Neapolis, the port city that served the Roman colony of Philippi. In 44 B.C., Augustus won his triumphant battle against Julius’ p 280 assassins in Philippi and settled many of his soldiers there. The Philippians were proud of their Roman roots and enjoyed the status of a Roman colony, which gave them tax benefits and made Philippi a thriving location for trade and business. One woman, Lydia, likely moved there for the advantages to her purple-dye business. Here Lydia encounters Paul and becomes the first European convert to Christianity. She and her whole household are baptized, and she becomes a friend and supporter of Paul. When Paul later writes to the church in Philippi, he commends them for their “partnership” ( koinonia in Greek) in the Gospel, thanking them for their financial assistance for his mission work. Paul’s letter to the Philippians contains the profound and moving hymn to Christ (Phil 2:5–11), in which Paul states that though Jesus was in the form of God, he did not count equality with God something to be exploited. The phrase used for “equality with God” (in Greek, isa theo) can also be translated as “like god” and was often used by cities in the phrase “to honor like a god.” Caesar Augustus outlawed the Greek custom of cities granting such a level of honor to anyone other than Caesar and his immediate family; thus, Paul’s use of this phrase for Jesus was a bold move indeed. Additionally, the phrase “something to be exploited” (the RSV reads “grasped”) comes from the Greek word harpagmos, which can have the technical sense of an official (or politician) exploiting his office and authority for personal gain. Jesus, Paul was saying, is the opposite of the typical Roman official who seeks power for personal benefit; Jesus seeks to serve. The countercultural picture of Jesus in this hymn continues as Paul describes Jesus’ self-emptying as taking the dishonorable status of a slave who dies on a cross, a form of punishment the Romans reserved only for slaves and insurrectionists. Paul goes on to show how God vindicated Jesus by raising him up, so that every knee on earth—and in all realms above and below—bows at his name and every tongue confesses his lordship (Phil 2:10–11). Speaking of Jesus this way claimed for Jesus something that Rome claimed was the privilege of Caesar alone—universal homage. Paul also tells the Christians of Philippi, whose citizens prided themselves on their Roman heritage and citizenship, that their loyalty truly belongs to p 281 another city: “But our commonwealth [citizenship] is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself” (Phil 3:20–21). A different citizenship, a different Lord, and a different Savior than Caesar: clearly Paul’s gospel provided a far different plot than the “gospel” of the emperor. Thessalonica: Turning the World Upside Down After enduring significant persecution, Paul moves on from Philippi to Thessalonica (Acts 17). Here, the charge is made against Paul that “these men who have turned the world upside down have come here also … and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:6–7). It is difficult for us to appreciate the threat Paul’s message posed. By proclaiming Jesus as the “Christ,” Paul claimed that there was another king besides Caesar, which ran against the Roman grain as much as any claim could. In the post-Enlightenment world, in which religion and politics are carefully separated, Paul is often viewed simply as a preacher who proclaimed a religious message about salvation. But Paul was more herald than preacher, proclaiming the message of his king and thereby summoning his hearers to choose their loyalties and Lord. Paul, in other words, announced the kingship of Jesus and claimed that his kingship must take precedence and priority. How could this not be viewed with suspicion, if not as outright treason, by Rome? Paul later writes to the often-persecuted Thessalonians that Timothy’s report of their faith and love comforts him (1 Thess 3:6–10), but he hopes to visit them to “supply what is lacking in your faith” (1 Thess 3:10). What is lacking? Hope, since they have faith and love already. Indeed, just a couple of chapters later, Paul strengthens their hope when he addresses what will happen to “those who have fallen asleep” at the coming of the Lord Jesus. Here, Paul uses the Greek term tải về 6.33 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
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