‘Good Wordes and Faire Speeches’ (Rom 16.18 AV): More Materials and a Pauline Pun

Abstract

In Rom 16.18 we have a unique word, alongside another word which is used by Paul in a unique way. That is challenge enough to any student of the language of the Greek NT. ‘Faire speeches’ is the AV's rendering of εὐλογία. Elsewhere in the NT, where it occurs 16 times, εὐλογία is always used in an approving sense, of the human praise of God or of the divine bounty for which praise is due. The word is found nine times in the Pauline corpus; a little earlier in this same letter, Paul had spoken about his certainty that he will visit Rome ‘in the fullness of the blessing (εὐλογία) of Christ’ (15.29 RSV). After that and the other Pauline and the non-Pauline usage, the use at 16.18 grates on the ear.1Its context shows that here εὐλογία is being used disparagingly, of men who flatter to deceive (ἐξαπατῶσιν) and work to mislead and divide the community. Today, we might call such men ‘smoothies’ who ‘turn on the charm’, ‘chat up’ the gullible, ‘talk up’ their policies and ‘sweet talk’ their way to success for their own selfish purposes.