Grace in the New Testament

[angellous_evangellous]

In the first century, Plutarch wrote How to Tell a Flatterer from a Friend because in the Roman period (the time of the New Testament), the economy was based on a patronage system. That is, a wealthy patron was expected to support a group of common people, clients, who honored and served the patron in various ways to receive money, offices, and various other means of sustinance.

The Romans, however, from top to bottom, did not like the language of patronage (eg., patron and client) because the patrons wanted to seem generous and the clients did not want to seem dependent - although most patrons were greedy and most clients pathetic.

Therefore, the Romans adopted friendship and family language to cover up this relationship with gloss. Patrons are called father, lord, god (in the case of the emperors), and clients are called friends. Clients also called their patrons friends rather than patrons. The exchange of benefits are called gifts or grace. This is where the language of grace and family comes from in the New Testament.

Friends are people who come together for fellowship. Flatterers are people who praise patrons only for sustinance. Because the urban economy depended on friends praising eachother for sustinance, flatterers often praised people falsely just for sustinance, but the Romans wanted it from the heart. Paul often utilizes this scheme, as does Jesus.



For a more detailed review see:

Harrison, James R., 1952- Paul’s language of grace in its Graeco-Roman context / James R. Harrison. Tübingen : Mohr Siebeck, c2003.

 

[may]

GRACE .............undeserved kindness

 

[angellous_evangellous]

*sigh*

 

[michel]

Very interesting Nathan, it makes sense.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Very interesting Nathan, it makes sense.

Thanks, Michel.

I've been thinking on it a while... I wrote a paper on patronage last semester, and I'm reflecting hard on it continually. It's a popular topic now in NT studies.

The book I referenced above is a review of the honorary inscriptions in Corinth with particular attention to "grace" (charis) and patronage. It's not perfect, but it's quite good.

 

[michel]

The Romans, however, from top to bottom, did not like the language of patronage (eg., patron and client) because the patrons wanted to seem generous and the clients did not want to seem dependent - although most patrons were greedy and most clients pathetic.

Therefore, the Romans adopted friendship and family language to cover up this relationship with gloss. Patrons are called father, lord, god (in the case of the emperors), and clients are called friends. Clients also called their patrons friends rather than patrons. The exchange of benefits are called gifts or grace. This is where the language of grace and family comes from in the New Testament.

The thing is that that sort of behaviour is so "Human".....if this was a modern day event, I think it would have been dealt with in exactly the same way.

There is a very good French expression for this :- Tout change mais rien ne change

(which literally translates as everything changes but nothing changes); I remember having the same thought when I went to Pompeii; there wwere houses with Grafitti on them, with the Roman equivalent of "Kilroy was here".

 

[michel]

The Romans, however, from top to bottom, did not like the language of patronage (eg., patron and client) because the patrons wanted to seem generous and the clients did not want to seem dependent - although most patrons were greedy and most clients pathetic.

Therefore, the Romans adopted friendship and family language to cover up this relationship with gloss. Patrons are called father, lord, god (in the case of the emperors), and clients are called friends. Clients also called their patrons friends rather than patrons. The exchange of benefits are called gifts or grace. This is where the language of grace and family comes from in the New Testament.

The thing is that that sort of behaviour is so "Human".....if this was a modern day event, I think it would have been dealt with in exactly the same way.

There is a very good French expression for this :- Tout change mais rien ne change

(which literally translates as everything changes but nothing changes); I remember having the same thought when I went to Pompeii; there wwere houses with Grafitti on them, with the Roman equivalent of "Kilroy was here".

 

[uumckk16]

In the first century, Plutarch wrote How to Tell a Flatterer from a Friend because in the Roman period (the time of the New Testament), the economy was based on a patronage system. That is, a wealthy patron was expected to support a group of common people, clients, who honored and served the patron in various ways to receive money, offices, and various other means of sustinance.

The Romans, however, from top to bottom, did not like the language of patronage (eg., patron and client) because the patrons wanted to seem generous and the clients did not want to seem dependent - although most patrons were greedy and most clients pathetic.

Therefore, the Romans adopted friendship and family language to cover up this relationship with gloss. Patrons are called father, lord, god (in the case of the emperors), and clients are called friends. Clients also called their patrons friends rather than patrons. The exchange of benefits are called gifts or grace. This is where the language of grace and family comes from in the New Testament.

Friends are people who come together for fellowship. Flatterers are people who praise patrons only for sustinance. Because the urban economy depended on friends praising eachother for sustinance, flatterers often praised people falsely just for sustinance, but the Romans wanted it from the heart. Paul often utilizes this scheme, as does Jesus.



For a more detailed review see:

Harrison, James R., 1952- Paul’s language of grace in its Graeco-Roman context / James R. Harrison. Tübingen : Mohr Siebeck, c2003.

That's why the emperors were called gods? Fascinating. Did it also have some sort of power aspect to it? For example, Octavius was named the son of god, right? Was it just to show how powerful he was, or was the patronage system a part of it?

 

[Mr Spinkles]

Great thread AE. Very interesting!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

 

[Sunstone]

That's why the emperors were called gods? Fascinating. Did it also have some sort of power aspect to it? For example, Octavius was named the son of god, right? Was it just to show how powerful he was, or was the patronage system a part of it?

The deification of the emperors was in part due to the Romans adopting the custom of people in parts of the Eastern Empire, who traditionally had viewed their rulers as gods.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Yes, I agree, the deification of the emperors was due to a large number of factors, I think the most important factor was patronage. It was not created by Rome, but by the provinces that were furthest away from the center of power, designed to show that they were still loyal and deserving of attention (e.g., asking the Emperors to build forts, aqueducts, and markets) farther away from Rome itself.