I finished Martin Hengel's "Crucifixion" last week which is an historic account of crucifixion from about the 3rd century B.C. to about the second century A.D. He is an unparalleled scholar in backgrounds and I am amazed by the clarity and distinctiveness by which he writes. He is a scholar, no doubt, but first he seems to be a teacher because the aim of his works are for people, all people, to get what he is saying and he goes to great lengths to accomplish just that. While the book hangs on a few Latin and Greek phrases, I think someone could understand it if they don't know the languages.
While he says the book is just a survey of crucifixion, the aim is to clarify the meaning of Paul's use of "moria" to describe "ho logos tou starou." (Transliteration, no greek font on blogger) Several accounts of crucifixion are preserved from the ancient world, so it is something we have a knowledge of beyond biblical accounts. Some very graphic, while others brief, possibly because of the controversy surrounding the act, and even the mention of it. This cruel punishment was reserved for the lowest drags of society, it was coined as the "slave's punishment," or the "criminal's wood." The writings in Greek about it are scant because it was so offensive to Roman citizens. It was believed that only high treason could possibly cause the crucifixion of a Roman citizen, contrary to belief that Romans were never crucified. Of all the Roman forms of capital punishment, this one was supreme and let me assure you there were some bad ones. Such methods include covering people with the hides of animals so other wild animals would eat them alive, burning, and decapitation. All of which, including crucifixion, were popular forms of entertainment. Of course crucifixion amongst Jews might have the longest history, dating even back to the time of Moses as recorded in Deuteronomy 21:23.
All this goes to show that when Paul says that the word of the cross is foolishness, it means a lot more than we've been accustomed to. If crucifixion was such an atrocious act, even an offense to mention, it must have had ramifications far greater than we would expect. "Moria" is usually translated as foolishness in 1 Corinthians or something similar. Only five (maybe less) english versions use something different and that is folly. Liddell-Scott says that the word meant silly and BDAG says that the word was used to describe a wisdom derived from the world. That is, it wasn't birthed from the devine. While the meaning is clear, the intention isn't. When we think foolish, we think of a bad idea. For example, it's a bad idea to talk back to your supervisor, termination may result. Another example would be arguing with a drunk person, it's a foolish thing to do. Here, foolishness means so much more, it means the height of foolishness, it means that people saw Paul's message of a crucifed son of God as the epitome of stupidity. Not only was it absurd to think of a God giving birth to a son, but the foolishness is heightened as the logos includes crucifixion of that son. People didn't want to talk about crucifixion of man, let alone consider the idea of a God undergoing this horrible act. It wasn't that it was foolish because people thought it was just a dumb idea, it was foolish because people were offended, offended so much that they wanted to kill the messenger. This messenger was telling them that the only way to have a full, God pleasing life was to bow their knee to a man who was crucified. No one, not even a slave, would have bowed their knee to someone who had died on the criminal's wood, the slave's punishment. It went against everything they knew and everything that their society taught - everything.
Paul's foolish, stupid message cost him something everywhere he went. People hated him. Gentiles thought he was an idiot of the worst kind, his countrymen wanted him dead as much as they did Jesus because he spoke this in the name of Judaism, making them look as fools. This message wasn't a subject of his preaching it was the subject. His preaching cost him his life, and so the prophecy that he would have to suffer many things came to fulfillment. This "ho logos tou starou" cost him his life as it did all the apostles and many of the apostle's followers.
1 Corinthians 1:23 says, "we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block/offense and to everyone else, sillyness/foolishness." This passage haunts the leaders of God's holy church with two questions - what are you preaching and what does your message cost you?
Instead of naming the many titles amongst popular christian literature of our day that betray this cost, instead of naming names of the 1000's of ministers who have betrayed this apostle and more importantly the Lord Jesus Christ, consider instead what preaching/writing has produced in this country during this day. In the first century it produced martyrs and birthed a church that wouldn't die. Today preaching is producing christians who aren't christians at all and killing a church that once held a significant and influential status in this country and abroad.
Many leaders feel they need to feed their flock with a diet of topics. Money management, better living, being more positive, healthy lifestyles, and the like. Paul preached this message of the cross as the sum of all his ministry. THE sum, not a sidenote, not a choice among choices, but what he came back to, what he started at, what he preached because then and only then did it have nothing to do with him. (Romans 9:16) This is the message he was compelled to preach (Romans 9:16) and voluntarily preached it where it had not been previously (Romans 15:20). Galatians 5:11 proves the fact that Paul preached this and preached it uncompromisingly even under persecution.
What is really significant in all this is Paul's audience. A people who thought he was mad/insane and probably covered their ears when they heard him. It reminds me of Ezekiel's commision in Chapter 2. Ezekiel is charged to preach to a stubborn, obstinate, and "deaf" people. His call is not to worry about the response, but only to preach what he had been told to. Is it any different than what Paul was charged to do? Is it any different than what we are charged to do in the good ole' US of A? No it's not. This is our charge as well. To preach this violent, offensive, silly, foolish, message of a crucified Lord that will cost us all we have even, yes even our life. More to come...
