Divine Visitations and Hospitality to Strangers in Luke-Acts Supplements to Novum Testamentum Executive Editors M.M. Mitchell Chicago D.P. Moessner Fort Worth Editorial Board L. Alexander, Sheffield – H.W. Attridge, New Haven F. Bovon, Cambridge MA – C. Breytenbach, Berlin J.K. Elliott, Leeds – C.R. Holladay, Atlanta D. Marguerat, Lausanne – M.J.J. Menken, Tilburg J.C. Thom, Stellenbosch – P. Trebilco, Dunedin VOLUME 153 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/nts Divine Visitations and Hospitality to Strangers in Luke-Acts An interpretation of the Malta Episode in Acts 28:1–10 By Joshua W. Jipp LEiDEN • BOSTON 2013 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Jipp, Joshua W.  Divine visitations and hospitality to strangers in Luke-Acts : an interpretation of the Malta episode in Acts 28:1–10 / by Joshua W. Jipp.   pages cm. — (Supplements to novum testamentum)  includes bibliographical references and index.  iSBN 978-90-04-25582-1 (hardback : alk. paper) — iSBN 978-90-04-25800-6 (e-book) 1. Bible. Acts XXViii, 1–10—Criticism, interpretation, etc. 2. Hospitality—Biblical teaching.  i. Title.  BS2625.6.H6J57 2013  226.6’06—dc23 2013027835 This publication has been typeset in the multilingual “Brill” typeface. With over 5,100 characters covering Latin, iPA, Greek, and Cyrillic, this typeface is especially suitable for use in the humanities. For more information, please see www.brill.com/brill-typeface. iSSN 0167-9732 iSBN 978-90-04-25582-1 (hardback) iSBN 978-90-04-25800-6 (e-book) Copyright 2013 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Global Oriental, Hotei Publishing, iDC Publishers and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. This book is printed on acid-free paper. For Amber CONTENTS Acknowledgements  ........................................................................................ xiii 1 The Episode at Malta (Acts 28:1–10): A Lukan Text ‘Full of the Viewpoint of Antiquity’  ................................................... 1 i. illustrative Examples from the History of interpretation of Acts 28:1–10  .............................................................................. 3 A. Concerns with Historicity  .................................................. 3 B. The Viper Episode  ................................................................ 4 C. Paul’s Character as a Jesus-like-healer  ........................... 12 D. The Literary Relationship between the Malta Episode and the Conclusion of Acts ............................... 14 E. The Significance of the Barbarians  ................................. 17 F. Hospitality to Strangers  ...................................................... 19 ii. Summary of Remaining Questions about the Malta Episode  ...................................................................... 22 iii. The Argument and Plan of the Study  .................................. 24 A. The Argument  ........................................................................ 24 B. The Plan of the Study  .......................................................... 25 2 Placing the Episode at Malta: A Preliminary Examination of Acts 28:1–10 within its Literary Context  ........................................... 27 i. The Significance of the Sea-Voyage: (Acts 27:1–44)  ......... 27 A. The Hellenistic Narrative Setting  .................................... 28 B. The Roman Centurion’s Kindness to Paul  .................... 31 C. Paul as Prophet like Jesus  .................................................. 31 D. The Salvation of the Gentiles ............................................ 33 ii. The Questions Raised by the Episode at Malta  ................ 37 A. The Literary Structure of the Malta Episode  ............... 37 B. The Barbarians  ...................................................................... 39 C. The Barbarians think Paul is a God  ................................ 44 D. The Absence of Christological Proclamation// The Presence of Healing  ..................................................... 49 E. Hospitality to Strangers  ...................................................... 53 iii. Need for Further Examination  ............................................... 57 viii contents 3 Establishing the Cultural Script of Hospitality to Strangers in the Graeco-Roman World  ................................................................ 59 i. Constructing the Cultural Script ............................................ 60 A. Homer’s Odyssey as Foundational  ................................... 60 B. The Elements of ideal Hospitality in the Odyssey  ...... 62 C. Some Summative Comments on the Semantics of and Sanctions for Hospitality  ........................................... 72 D. Corrupting the Cultural Script: Odysseus and Polyphemus the Cyclops (bk. 9)  ...................................... 74 E. Excelling the Cultural Script: Telemachus gives hospitality to Athena (bk. 1)  .............................................. 77 F. An Epilogue on Homeric Hospitality: Odysseus’ Return to ithaca (bks. 13–24)  ............................................ 81 ii. Extending the Cultural Script i: Hospitality in Post-Homeric Greek Writings  ................................................. 88 A. Theoxenies and Euripides’ Bacchae  ................................ 88 B. Aeschylus’ Oresteia and the Corruption of Hospitality ............................................................................... 95 C. The Equation between inhospitality and Barbarians in the Greek Tragedians  ..................................................... 103 D. The Greek Historians and Guest-Friendship// Ritualized Friendship  .......................................................... 105 iii. Extending the Cultural Script ii: Hospitality in Roman Writings  ......................................................................................... 112 A. Continuity between Greek and Roman Hospitality  .. 112 B. Vergil’s Aeneid ........................................................................ 115 C. Theoxenies in the Writings of Ovid  ................................ 122 D. Dio Chrysostom’s the Hunter: a Critique of Upper-Class Hospitality  ...................................................... 127 4 The Cultural Script of Hospitality to Strangers in the Hebrew Bible and Post-biblical Jewish Literature  ......................................... 131 i. Constructing the Cultural Script of Hospitality to Strangers  .................................................................................. 131 A. The Hospitality of Abraham and the Divine Visit in Genesis 18:1–16  ....................................................................... 131 B. The Hospitality of Lot and the inhospitality of the Sodomites in Genesis 19:1–11  ............................................. 136 C. Post-biblical readings of Genesis 18–19  .......................... 142 contents ix D. Other Jewish Heroes as Paragons of Hospitality in Post-biblical Literature  .................................................. 149 E. Legislated Hospitality to Aliens and Wanderers in the Pentateuch  ...................................................................... 151 ii. Corrupting the Cultural Script of Hospitality to Strangers  ........................................................................................ 156 A. Violated Hospitality in the Book of Judges  .................. 157 B. The inhospitable Egyptians in Philo  .............................. 166 iii. Conclusion  .................................................................................... 169 5 The Grammar, Symbols, and Practices of Hospitality to Strangers in the Lukan Writings  ......................................................... 171 i. Hospitality Corrupted and Excelled in Simon and the Sinful Woman: Luke 7:36–50  ........................................... 171 A. The Divine Visitation and the Peoples’ Response: Luke 7:1–35  .............................................................................. 171 B. The Pharisee and the Sinful Woman: Luke 7:36–39  .... 175 C. Hospitality as a Sign of Acceptance of Jesus: Luke 7:40–47  .......................................................................... 178 D. The One Able to Forgive Sins: Luke 7:48–50  ............... 180 ii. Hospitality and the Kingdom of God, inhospitality and Judgment: Luke 9:51–10:24  ....................................................... 182 A. The Journey to Jerusalem Begins: Luke 9:51–62  .......... 182 B. Hospitality and inhospitality to the Lord’s Emissaries: Luke 10:1–16  ...................................................... 186 C. The Success of the Lord’s Visitation: Luke 10:17–24  ... 191 iii. Hospitality and the Recognition of the Lord: Luke 24:13–35  ............................................................................... 194 A. To See the Crucified: Luke 23:1–24:12  ............................. 195 B. Journeying with the Concealed and Disguised Lord: Luke 24:13–27  ......................................................................... 196 C. The Stranger is transformed into the Host: Luke 24:28–35  ........................................................................ 200 iV. Ritualized Hospitality and the inclusion of the Gentiles: Acts 10:1–11:18 ................................................................................ 204 A. Scene One: Cornelius’ divine vision (Acts 10:1–8)  ...... 205 B. Scene Two: Peter’s divine vision (Acts 10:9–16)  .......... 207 C. Scene Three: Peter’s hospitality to Cornelius’ embassy (Acts 10:17–23a)  .................................................... 209