'Neither Jew Nor Greek': Ethnic Conflict in Graeco-Roman Society

Abstract

New Testament scholars have typically assumed that the term 'Greeks', when used in expressions like 'neither Jew nor Greek' (Gal. 3.28), is a synonym for 'Gentiles', the Jewish label for non-Jews as a class. This assumption has led interpreters to miss the ethnic significance of labels like 'Jew' and 'Greek' in the Graeco-Roman world. Recent studies in the field of race and ethnic relations can sensitize us to the ethnic implications of Paul's language. Paul's references to 'Jews' and 'Greeks' muat be viewed against the backdrop of a history of interethnic ( not interreligious) conflict between people who defined themselves as 'Jews' and 'Greeks' in the cities of the eastern Mediterranean basin. Paul's familiarity with these tensions shaped the way he addressed his ethnically mixed congregations, including his passing references to 'Jews' and 'Greeks'.

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