Ephesians 5:18 contrasts drunkenness with fullness with the Spirit. This essay explores behavioural patterns followed at various Greco-Roman convivial gatherings. Accordingly, the present study suggests that the statements of Ephesians 5:18-20, and ultimately others made throughout the moral teaching in Ephesians, simply reflect the writer's assumption that his readers regularly gathered in a mealtime context.
What were the Jewish and Greco-Roman views of fatherhood that informed two aspects of Paul’s relationship as "father"—hierarchy/authority and affection—towards his "children" in 1 Thessalonians? Paul had a relationship of hierarchy similar to that of the paterfamilias (head of the household) in society who assumed the responsibility for socializing his children into the community.
The apostle Paul's missionary travels brought him in contact with cults of women. This essay wants to give a broad overview of this aspect of Paul's confrontation with Greco-Roman culture.
Knowledge of the ancient and classical Greco-Roman world is important for a good reading of the Bible. This article reviews the Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Classical World published in 1975. A bibliography is also supplied for further studies and research in this area.
