Tag: protect the social order
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Household: Household Code in Review
A month and a half ago, I introduced this series on household codes. I noted five themes related to using the fictive family metaphor in the New Testament by Jesus, Paul, and others: identity, unity, mission, inheritance, and affection. Yet scattered throughout the New Testament, we see instruction about how to live in actual households…
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Household: Household Code in Colossians
As we saw earlier, Colossians was written to correct false teaching that Christ was insufficient for the Colossians' needs, that supplemental help was needed from the "elemental spirits" of the universe. There is clear evidence that some were practicing Gnostic asceticism in pursuit of mystical knowledge. Paul opens his letter with his wonderful hymn about…
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Household: Household Code in Titus
Another household code passage is Titus Chapter 2. Titus 1:1-4 says Paul writes the letter to Titus, who is working in Crete. (I am aware that many scholars believe this letter was from the late first century and pseudographical, but for simplicity, I will simply refer to the author as Paul.) The people of Crete…