Paul and the Popular Philosophers

"Professor Abraham J. Malherbe has already given us fresh insights to the understanding of Paul's letters, ones which have been widely accepted. This volume presents the most important of them; Malherbe shows Paul interacting with the philosophical questions and solutions of his day. Indebted to international scholarship stretching back to the beginning of this century, Malherbe here presents his own coherent view of Paul."

These studies continue a tradition of scholarship that flourished around the turn of the century when new editions of ancient philosophical sources were published. Professor Malherbe, however, widens the scope to include other philosophical traditions. He recognizes and identifies the influences of Platonists, Peripatetics, Cynics, Stoics, Epicureans, and Pythagoreans. These popular philosophers aimed at moral reform; they shared both in their substance and in the techniques employed. Yet, they need to be distinguished in order to discern their influence, if any, on Paul.