‘Spiritual’ Gifts in the Pauline Community

Abstract

The role of St Paul's co-workers may be inferred in some measure from the designations or ‘titles’ given to them. When used of colleagues in the Christian mission, the term ‘brothers’ often means preachers although it may include travelling companions (συνεκδήμοι) and others who are not necessarily engaged in ‘religious’ functions. ‘Co-worker’ (συνεργός) also appears to have a rather broad connotation. But it refers most frequently to teachers and preachers, those who are deserving of esteem and of financial support. The designation διάκονος (‘minister’) emphasizes these functions even more. Some of the terms or their cognates – άπόστολος, διακονία – are specifically mentioned by Paul as charisms, gifts from the risen Christ.. In brief, Paul's co-workers were charismatically endowed persons. This kind of authorization was, of course, the presupposition of leadership in the early church quite apart from the meaning of the ‘titles’. However, with reference to the co-workers engaged in preaching and teaching, one may be more specific. They appear to belong to a category that the Apostle calls πνευματικοί, spiritual ones.

Tongues, a Sign for Unbelievers?: A Structural and Exegetical Study of I Corinthians XIV. 20–25

“…Sweet would like to get rid of the offending phrase ou TOTS drrioTois in the second assertion by writing it off as put in merely for rhetorical effect. 1 While we will refute this later, we must refer here to the viable alternative he offers to Robertson and Plummer's solution. Questioning whether Paul could have expected his hearers to be acquainted with the OT context of the quotation, he puts forward the view that they may have known and used this particular text as an anti-Jewish testimonium.…”

“…l 8 l W.Barclay completely omits the assertion concerning prophecy (v. 22b) without so much as a remark in his comments or footnote to signal that he has done so I 1 On the other hand, J. B. Phillips is so pressed by the contradiction as to make his sole alteration of the text without any support whatsoever of a textual variant.…”

“…That Paul uses scriptural quotations out of context is clear enough elsewhere. 1 We should point out that when the OT context is taken seriously certain other problems crop up. Of those who take the OT context seriously the exegesis of A. Robertson and A. Plummer is probably the most representative and detailed.…”

“…4 He goes on to question taking OTIUEIOV in the negative sense of'sign of judgement' only because the hearer did not understand what the speaker meant. Instead, conjecturing that tongues as a gift of the Spirit may have figured prominently in providing the gentile Christian with his entry into Jewish Christianity, Paul is taken as giving the quotation from Isaiah and the illustration of the negative effect of 1 tongues on non-Christians in order to show that tongues no longer have this function now that they (the Corinthians) have become believers. On this view an unnatural strain is again put on the term cfrncrros.…”

“…Also, no mention is made of the contradiction between this second illustration and the second assertion. 1 xxviii. 16 he (Paul) understood the tongues of Pentecost to signify the taking away of the kingdom from Israel and the giving of it to men of all nations.…”