Interpolation in Romans 8:13

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Giuseppe
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Location: Italy

Interpolation in Romans 8:13

Post by Giuseppe »

Romans 8:13
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

How can the ''deeds'' be ''put to death''?

this would make decisively more sense:

For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the body, you will live.

Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Stuart
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Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2014 12:24 am
Location: Sunnyvale, CA

Re: Interpolation in Romans 8:13

Post by Stuart »

Guiseppe,

I thought you might be on to something, that τὰς πράξεις might have been added by the Lukan editor to the earlier Marcionite version of the texts. And there is some support for the notion, as τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦτε seems to be attempting to obscure a more direct τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦτε.

Further, the theme of deeds of the body is supported by Catholic texts of the NT:

Acts 19:18 refers to magical practices of pagans who confess these deeds (ἐξομολογούμενοι καὶ ἀναγγέλλοντες τὰς πράξεις αὐτῶν)
Matthew 16:27 has Jesus say "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds." κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ -- (we will come back to this in reference to 2 Corinthians 5:10)
Luke 23:51, which is not in Marcion, refers to Joseph of Arimathea not consenting to the actions of the Sanhedrin, οὗτος οὐκ ἦν συγκατατεθειμένος τῇ βουλῇ καὶ τῇ πράξει αὐτῶ
Luke 23:41, which is not in Marcion, the criminals admit the deeds done by them are deserving of punishment, καὶ ἡμεῖς μὲν δικαίως, αχια γὰρ ὧν ἐπράξαμενι ἀπολαμβάνομεν, but that Jesus did nothing wrong, οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ἔπραξεν
John 3:20 says "everyone who does evil (deeds) hates the Light" πᾶς γὰρ ὁ φαῦλα πράσσων μισεῖ τὸ φῶς
John 5:29, actually 5:26-29, is even closer to Matthew 16:27 (and 2 Corinthians 5:10 and Romans 8:13), on judging the dead
and will come forth those who did the good things to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
καὶ ἐκπορεύσονται, οἱ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς, οἱ δὲ τὰ φαῦλα πράξαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν κρίσεως.

Then there are a full set of pastoral like commands strewn throughout the new testament, which are post Marcionite speak of such deeds (πράσσω) in terms of evil actions of the body:

Acts 15:29 mentions fornication with deeds of idol sacrifice; Acts 19:19 continues verse 19:18 associating deeds with magical arts, while in Acts 25:11 Paul says he has committed no deeds (πέπραχά) worthy of death, confirmed by the Felix in Acts 25:25 (see also Acts 26:31). The pastoral commands in Romans 1:32, 2:1, 2:2, 2:3 give a litany of sinful practices in the body that are liable to judgement, as does Galatians 5:21 (not in Marcion) and perhaps 2 Corinthians 12:21. Romans 13:4 gives the power to punish those who do evil things to Caesar and his representatives as God's minister (θεοῦ γὰρ διάκονός ἐστιν, ἔκδικος εἰς ὀργὴν τῷ τὸ κακὸν πράσσοντι).

At this point it looks like a strong case for a post-Marcionite addition. But then it collapses.

2 Corinthians 5:10 is attested verbatim in Marcion (AM 5.12.4):
nos oportere manifestari ante tribunal Christi, ut recipiat unusquisque quae per corpus admisit sive bonum sive malum.
We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each receives (for) things done through the body, whether good or bad.

Greek:
τοὺς γὰρ πάντας ἡμᾶς φανερωθῆναι δεῖ ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ βήματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα κομίσηται ἕκαστος τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος πρὸς ἃ ἔπραξεν, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε φαῦλον.

So it is the deeds (passions) of the body and not the body which is judged. In fact Romans chapter 7 (it seems likely verses 7:1-23 were in Marcion almost exactly as the received text) goes into great detail bout the war of the flesh in the body against the will. Verse 7:15 Paul speaks of doing things (πράσσω) he hates due to his passions, and 7:19 that he does evil deeds he doesn't want (ὃ οὐ θέλω κακὸν τοῦτο πράσσω). It becomes clear in the section preceding verse 8:13 that the practice sin the body are at issue.

The only body spoken of being put to death is that of Christ in verse 7:4 (ὑμεῖς ἐθανατώθητε τῷ νόμῳ διὰ τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ) so that the brothers could be raised and joined together as one body (in Christ). This is the Eucharist reference in a sense of putting to death the passions (deeds) of the body to become living spiritually.

But what is more Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:1-2, in Marcionite form is disgusted that one took his father's wife [1] and is upset that he has not been removed from their midst having done this deed, ἵνα ἀρθῇ ἐκ μέσου ὑμῶν ὁ τὸ ἔργον τοῦτο πράξας. But Paul delivers him to Satan (here in Marcionite form, see 1 Timothy 1:20, a pastiche which no doubt derived from the Marcionite form of 1 Corinthians 5:5)
παρέδωκα τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ Σατανᾷ εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκός, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ κυρίου.
I delivered up this person to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the (his) spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.

Finally, there is not a single witness I am aware of for deleting τὰς πράξεις. So I must conclude that Herman Detering's reconstruction of Marcionite Romans is correct fro verse 8:13, it stood as written, "put to death the (evil) deeds of the body" τὰς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦτε. This is fitting Marcionite theology and the presentation in Romans 7.


footnote:
[1] This is not an uncommon or strange event as it sounds to our modern ears. Consider the practical situation where an older powerful man, say 55 years old, already with grown children, say a son who is 25, marries a young woman, perhaps only 20, who is from a prominent family or one which is important alliance for his kin. He dies. His son, who is full grown, and likely much closer in age to the woman (he might even be older) than his father was, marries her, to keep the family alliance intact. Ancient history is full of such instances. Paul is introducing a morality which is "new" and alien to the culture at this time, with restrictions none of these pagan born were brought up on.
“’That was excellently observed’, say I, when I read a passage in an author, where his opinion agrees with mine. When we differ, there I pronounce him to be mistaken.” - Jonathan Swift
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