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In 1 Tim 5, the author turns to the church’s financial support of some of its members, and in chap. 6 discusses individual attitudes toward money and its use. The article concentrates on chap. 6, especially vv. 17-19, and argues that, while philosophical sources are of prime importance in describing the moral teaching inculcated, popular morality, represented by clichés, proverbs, gnomai, drama, satire and inscriptions, makes possible a thicker description of the moral ecology of the Pastoral Epistles. What emerges is a variety of sometimes similar teaching relating to wealth. The diversity of viewpoint on the same topics relating to wealth suggests that it is more realistic to see 1 Tim 6:17-19 as one among other viewpoints rather than as derived from one or another of them. What is striking is the prominence given to enjoyment in the proper use of wealth.

Q 10 shows some features that equate Jesus' missionaries to Greco-Roman medical practitioners. Moreover, some early Christian texts developed the same imagery, accompanying it with some hints of social critique. Conversely, under the early empire, the prestige and the privileges of doctors, who had good patronage connections, were significantly increased through imperial legislation. The Christian choice of representing missionaries as physicians may be understood by employing the anthropological category of “mimesis”. This entailed a critique of the patronage system and, hence, it arguably won the Christian mission a part of its success in some sectors of the ancient society.

The anonymity of the NT historical books should not be regarded as peculiar to early Christian literature nor should it be interpreted in the context of Greco-Roman historiography. The striking fact that the NT Gospels and Acts do not mention their authors' names has its literary counterpart in the anonymity of the OT history books, whereas OT anonymity itself is rooted in the literary conventions of the Ancient Near East. Just as in the OT, where the authors of books that belonged to the genre of wisdom and prophetic literature were usually named while historical works were written anonymously, only the NT letters and the Apocalypse were published under their authors' names while the narrative literature of the NT remained anonymous. The authorial intent of the Gospels' anonymity can also be deduced from its ancient Near Eastern and OT background. Unlike the Greek or Roman historian who, among other things, wanted to earn praise and glory for his literary achievements from both his contemporaries and posterity, the history writer in the Ancient Near East sought to disappear as much as possible behind the material he presented and to become its invisible mouthpiece. By adopting the stylistic device of anonymity from OT historiography the Evangelists of the NT implied that they regarded themselves as comparatively insignificant mediators of a subject matter that deserved the full attention of the readers. The anonymity of the Gospels is thus rooted in a deep conviction concerning the ultimate priority of their subject matter.

We propose that the author of Hebrews employs threats of eternal condemnation using words and imagery familiar from apocalyptic literature, particularly 4 Ezra, to evoke a specific kind of fear in his audience. The audience members should, rather than fearing the reproach of society, have angst for falling away from the community, which in our author's eyes, is an offense for which no repentance is available. To effectively bring about such fear, these threats, contrary to the assertions of many recent commentators, must be real and must concern genuine believers. The author of Hebrews uses this severe language, however, in good rhetorical fashion, following his threats with words of consolation to encourage his audience members to stand fast in their marginalized community.