Paul and Epictetus on Law: A Comparison »

Niko Huttunen presents a challenging new path to complement the general scholarly picture of Paul's teaching on law. Acknowledging that Stoicism permeated Paul's intellectual milieu, Huttunen compares Paul's sayings of law with those of Epictetus drawing comparisons as a result of careful methodological considerations.

Huttunen presents the view that Paul's ideas on law have affinities with Stoic ideas as well as with the Torah, demonstrating that the famous 'I' passage (Rom. 7.7-25) owes much to Stoic anthropology and psychology. Huttunen suggests that Epictetus' use of the first person presents a good analogy for Paul's employment of 'I' as a rhetorical device. As the book progresses Epictetus' ideas of moral progress are depicted as an analogy both to the works of law and to Paul's moral exhortation.

Amongst the other aspects compared are the illuminating similarities between Paul's figure of Christ and Epictetus' figure of Heracles. Huttunen's bold work sheds light on Paul's perplexing relationship with the Law and opens a new window into ancient intellectual thought.

Ch. 1 On Applying the Stoic Perspective to Paul and the Law 1

Ch. 2 Law and the Core of Epictetus' Philosophy 20

Ch. 3 The Fundamentals of Law 37

Ch. 4 The Strong and the Weak 63

Ch. 5 Difficulties With Law 75

Ch. 6 The Anthropology and Psychology of Transgression 101

Ch. 7 Fulfilling The Law 127

Conclusion 154

Bibliography 158

Index of References 174

Index of Authors 183