Expositors of the two Pauline belly-dicta in Phil. 3:19 and Rom. 16:18 quite often refer to how these texts were interpreted in the Patristic literature. The article of Johannes Behm in Kittel's Theological Dictionary has been very influential. He concludes his presentation on Paul's use of κοιλία by claiming that he is probably alluding to the observance of food laws: he presents this as ‘the older view’, with reference to Theodore of Mopsuestia, Ambrosiaster and Pelagius. The references given are, however, often general, imprecise or with little awareness of the literary context. Since Patristic texts are often mentioned as decisive evidence favouring reference to Jewish dietary laws, it is necessary to give a survey of this material. Owing to the brevity of Paul's dicta on belly-worship, we have insisted that a culturally adequate reading was urgent. This led us to present the ancient background quite extensively. This chapter is written from the conviction that Paul's first interpreters may provide an approach to his texts, that from a historical and cultural point of view is highly relevant.

The aim of the coming chapter is to bring our investigation towards an end by providing an overview of various readings of the Pauline passages in question. It will become evident that the Church Fathers should not be referred to in general in this question; their ways of reading the relevant passages are simply too different for that. We will draw upon texts up to the sixth century AD.