To present-day readers, the stomach is a matter of much concern. It serves as a source of shame as well as pride; it is a part of the human body that is often made fun of. Modern cultures, particularly in the West, have developed means to cultivate this part of the body: corsets, exercises to develop a washboard stomach, fashions in which the navel is carefully, but deliberately revealed etc. It is hardly surprising that in a culture in which the body is given such an important role, the stomach receives attention as well. Does Paul in any way address a culture in which the stomach is similarly high on the agenda? To answer this question is the aim of this investigation.

The Pauline tradition quotes an old saying about Cretans which is worth mentioning here: ‘ … they are γαστέρɛς’ (Tit. 1:12). This plural of γαστήρ claims that the entire personality of Cretans is their stomachs. The Cretans are not considered to have bellies; they are bellies. The term has obviously picked up figurative elements. Hence most Bible translations render the text ‘gluttons’, which means that the stomach sets the agenda for the life of the Cretans. In this text, then, the belly has become a codeword that might have both physical and figurative implications. The undisputed Pauline letters mention twice in expressis verbis people ‘whose god is their belly’ (Phil. 3:19), and who ‘serve their stomach’ (Rom. 16:18); in short they address the question of belly-worship.