Sara Ruden’s Paul Among the People offers an interpretation of Paul’s writings within a cultural context. She states, “this is a new kind of book.” I agree. It is the first book I’ve found that uses a linguistic viewpoint to interpret Paul’s writings within the 1st Century Roman culture.
The back cover states, “A remarkable work of scholarship, synthesis and understanding. Paul Among the People recaptures the moral urgency and revolutionary spirit that made Chirstianity such a shock in the ancient world and laid the foundation of the culture in which we live.”
Why I Picked this Book
Some of Paul’s writings have always been at the top of my list for knee jerk reactions, specifically his comments about women, homosexuality, slaves, and politics. Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, the civil rights movement, women’s liberation, and gay rights resonated with me. I could not fathom a God who would reject someone based on gender, sexuality, or race. If we are all one in God, why would any of that matter?
A friend at Church, knowing that I had reservations about Paul, recommended this book to me and I’m glad he did. I was hooked on reading Paul Among the People when I read the introduction on Amazon. “I am a Christian but like many I kept Paul in a pen out back with the louder and more sexist Old Testament prophets. Jesus was my teacher; Paul was an embarrassment.”
Topics Covered
Sarah thoughtfully organized her book to address some of the most controversial aspects of Paul’s writing:
Preface: Who was Paul? The preface sets the stage by placing Paul in context of the early Church.
Ch 1: Paul and the Aristophanes – No. Really. This chapter describes why she began the research for this book.
Ch 2: The end of Fun? Paul and Pleasure. The first topic is social life. Paul can be a bit of a downer. In this chapter we begin to see some of the Roman culture that Paul was addressing. For example, the Greek word komos in Galatians is translated to “revellings.” A komos was “a group of men marching down the street at night, drunk, wearing garlands, carrying torches, and making loud music.”
Ch 3: No Closet. No Monsters? Paul and Homosexuality. In discussing homosexuality, Sarah provides cultural context describing the coercive, exploitative, and transactional nature of same-sex encounters in Roman culture.
Ch 4: An Apostolic Oinker: Paul and Women. When it comes to gender roles, Sarah outlines the legal and ideological subordination of women in Roman culture emphasizing that Roman gender ideology was not egalitarian by modern standards.
Ch 5: Just Following Orders? Paul and the State. Paul’s view of the ruling authorities contrast with ours, as Sarah points out. For Paul, the Roman civil wars were in the past, crime was low, and Roman officials protected him from fanatical mobs. Therefore, from Paul’s point of view, there is nothing to protest.
Ch 6: Nobody Here But Us Bondsmen: Paul and Slavery. There is no getting away from the fact that throughout the Bible slavery is a cultural constant. As such, Sarah discusses how Paul accepts slavery as a fact of life and weaves it into his theology.
Ch 7: Love Just Is: Paul on the Foundations of the New Community. Sarah’s writing in this chapter seems to fit her strengths. She breaks down the meanings of the different Greek words for Love and outlines how the Greek language was written in the original scripts.
Notes on My Use of Sources. Sara finishes with her research methodology.
The outline gives me the impression that she is going to tackle head on some of the biggest controversies and debates among Christians. I will give you a heads up – this is an R rated book. The 1st Century Greek and Roman cultures were vastly different from 21st Century America (Or any other 21st Century country). She does not shy away from erotic poetry, sexual behaviors, and actions we would consider abusive today.
I agree with her. To understand Paul’s letters, we need to understand why Paul wrote some of his letters and the context in which he was writing. Therefore, we need to understand the culture. In the first chapter, she lays out her thesis:
“And as I went on, I found that – almost creepily – the passages to which the modern world has the most resistance were all telling me the same thing: contemporary readers [1st Century] would likely not have seen Paul’s ‘authoritarian’ policies as anything but ways to connect with one another in conscientious tenderness.”
Overall impression
Typically, I read up on the author’s credentials before diving into their work. Halfway through I sensed that something was missing in Sarah’s analysis. Not that she was wrong, but rather that her examination of topics fell short, as if her analysis missed key elements.
Sarah’s analysis comes from a linguistic viewpoint. She is a classics scholar and translator. As such, she is interpreting the culture in which Paul lived and wrote through the lens of Greek and Roman literature. A good analogy would be to extrapolate American culture from watching popular TV shows. The missing piece is understanding Greco-Roman culture, law, and the influence of Jewish Tradition on Paul.
I am not trying to dissuade you from reading the book. Sarah’s conclusions are thought provoking. However, some of her conclusions are based on texts from the 5th century BC. She defends using these texts by stating that culture changed slowly in the ancient world. However, significant shifts, such as marriage laws, did occur over those five centuries.
In 5th Century BC, the bride had no legal agency to refuse a marriage arranged by her male guardian and her “betrothed”. The groom’s family paid a bride price and the legal authority over her passed from her male guardian to her husband. In the 1st Century AD, the male guardian had legal authority over the household including arranging or dissolving marriages. However, the woman stayed legally under her original male guardian’s authority. Her legal status did not shift to her husband’s authority. Plus, some elite women even had influence in the marriage decision.
The change in marriage laws was a huge shift for women giving them more control over property. Widows and freedwomen could be economically independent. This cultural shift fueled male anxiety about female autonomy when they spoke publicly or controlled their sexuality. Laws favored the husband in regards to adultery in an order to control paternity as well as guardianship of children.
When Sarah discusses Paul’s comments on women’s role in the Church, she side steps the tough topics of wives being submissive to their husbands or the conflict of women prophesying while also requiring they remain silent. Yet we do get an interesting analysis on the concept of veils and how they were used. Thus, her insights are interesting, while cherry picking aspects to fit the narrative.
This is one example where I felt Sarah would benefit from collaboration with other disciplines, such as history of Greco-Roman cultures, Anthropological cross-cultural studies, and ancient Laws, specifically in the Middle East region. I also felt she downplayed Paul’s Jewish heritage. What effect of his earlier life was influencing his theology?
Other Reviewer Opinions
Usually, I read reviews before starting a book, but I did not do so with Paul Among the People. I discovered I was not alone in my opinion; except I was not as harsh as some of the reviewers. John Martin, Jesuit Priest and writer, mentions several publications that he thought would have benefited Sarah’s analysis. (https://www.americamagazine.org/good-word/2011/08/11/book-review-sarah-rudens-paul-among-people/).
The LibraryThing users gave the book and average rating of four stars, most finding the book enlightening and enjoyable (https://www.librarything.com/work/9577478/reviews/).
Mike D’Virgilio, who holds an MA in systematic Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary Philadelphia states, “Ruden tackles these [women, homosexuality, slavery] and a few other issues, and shows how those who know nothing or little of the ancient world will never understand Paul. His teaching was radically novel at the time, and it was largely Paul’s teaching based upon the implications of the gospel that created the modern world.” (https://mikedvirgilio.com/uninvented-book-review-paul-among-the-people/)
Conclusion
If you are interested in understanding Paul’s Letters in the New Testament, I would add Paul among the People to your reading list. Her portrayal of Greco-Roman culture from a literary viewpoint brings a classical perspective to Paul’s world. However, be aware that it is not fully comprehensive or a universally accepted cultural account. For a balanced perspective, I recommend supplementing this book with academic works on ancient Mediterranean history. I have already added some of the references recommended by John Martin to my reading list!
Great review, Joni. Paul is a difficult character in the Bible. I tend to focus more on Jesus’ teachings and what Peter had to say than on Paul. I was planning to read Paul by N. T. Wright, but I think I’ll start with this one and then read the one from Wright. Thank you for the recommendation.