Christian individualism

When you study the apostle Paul, you have to keep in mind that the typical ancient Mediterranean person was far-less individualistic than the average American. Whereas "our" actions are self-focused and identity is constructed in terms of vocation and personal interests, the ancient person was a collectivist, dyadic, and group oriented. Just think about your average dinner party, or what happens when you meet a stranger. The first question, "What is your name?" The second question, "What do you do?"

It's interesting to think about how this instructs & informs our prayer lives. Far too often my prayer instinctively drifts to self-concerns. Help me do this. Help me see this. As a corrective we should look more to the prayers of the NT. I ran across this quote from Josephus, and I think it serves purpose in illustrating bits of Paul's background. Keep in mind that Josephus is trying to extol the Jewish people & their way of life:

"Our prayers are not occasions for drunken self-indulgence - such prayers are abhorrent to God-but for sobriety. At these sacrifices prayers for the welfare of the community must take precedence of those for ourselves; for we are born for fellowship, and he who sets its claims above his private interests is specially acceptable to God" (Against Apion, 2.195-96; Loeb).