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Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians
by Kenneth E. BaileyChristianity TodayPaul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, steeped in the learning of his people.But he was also a Roman citizen who widely traveled the Mediterranean basin, and was very knowledgeable of the dominant Greek and Roman culture of his day. These two mighty rivers of influence converge in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.With razor-sharp attention to the text, Kenneth Bailey examines the cultural milieu and rhetorical strategies that shaped this pivotal epistle. He discovers the deep layers of the Hebraic prophetic tradition informing Paul's writing, linking the Apostle with the great prophets of the Old Testament.Throughout, Bailey employs his expert knowledge of Near Eastern and Mediterranean culture to deliver to readers a new understanding of Paul and his world. Familiar passages take on a new hue as they are stripped of standard Western interpretations and rendered back into their ancient setting.
Paul through the Eyes of the Reformers: Living under Grace
by Stephen J. ChesterA brilliant reappraisal of Protestant Reformers&’ views on Paul In this incisive book, Stephen Chester challenges misconceptions and provides new insights into how sixteenth-century Protestant Reformers interpreted the writings of Paul. Writing for those who are interpreting Pauline letters in and for today&’s world, Chester demonstrates the value of a nuanced and accurate understanding of the Reformers&’ views on Paul. Throughout the book, Chester draws on key ideas from his monumental work Reading Paul with the Reformers, which won Christianity Today&’s book of the year award in biblical studies. In Paul through the Eyes of the Reformers, Chester updates the argument and presents the ideas in a shorter and more accessible form designed for a broad readership. To help readers better understand the Reformers&’ historical and theological context, Chester surveys perspectives on Paul prior to the sixteenth century. Against this background, Chester illuminates the paradigm shifts in Pauline interpretation that unfolded during the Reformation, paying special attention to the work of Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and John Calvin. He also discusses the promise and challenge of reading Paul with the Reformers today, highlighting the importance of engaging with the Reformers&’ work critically, reaching different conclusions from them where necessary, and taking inspiration from them when appropriate. Paul through the Eyes of the Reformers is a remarkable resource for biblical scholars who care about Paul and his theology.
Paul Tillich and Pentecostal Theology
by Nimi Wariboko Amos YongPaul Tillich (1886-1965) is widely regarded as one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. By bringing his thought together with the theology and practices of an important contemporary Christian movement, Pentecostalism, this volume provokes active, productive, critical, and creative dialogue with a broad range of theological topics. These essays stimulate robust conversation, engage on common ground regarding the work of the Holy Spirit, and offer significant insights into the universal concerns of Christian theology and Paul Tillich and his legacy.
Paul Tillich and Sino-Christian Theology
by Keith Ka-fu ChanWith contributors from different generations of the Chinese-speaking world, the book addresses the relevance of Paul Tillich’s thought in the Chinese cultural-political contexts. Appropriating and transforming different themes of Tillich’s thought in the Chinese context, the contributors reframe the dialogue with Buddhism and Confucianism, religion and science, and religion and politics under the interpretation of Tillich’s ideas. The thought-provoking essays examine the intellectual potentiality or further contribution of Paul Tillich’s ideas in Sino-Christian Theology. The book will be of interest to scholars and postgraduate students studying Paul Tillich’s thought, Chinese theology, and East-West religious dialogues.
Paul Tillich’s Philosophical Theology: A Fifty-Year Reappraisal
by George PattisonPaul Tillich's Philosophical Theology takes up the challenge as to whether his thought remains relevant fifty years after his death. In opposition to those who believe that his writings have little to say to us today, this book argues that his thought is largely exemplary of open theological engagement with the contemporary intellectual situation.
Paul Transformed: Reception of the Person and Letters of Paul in Antiquity (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)
by Adela Yarbro CollinsA fascinating reception history of the theological, ethical, and social themes in the letters of Paul In the first decades after the death of Jesus, the letters of the apostle Paul were the chief written resource for Christian believers, as well as for those seeking to formulate Christian thought and practice. But in the years following Paul's death, the early church witnessed a proliferation of contested—and often opposing—interpretations of his writings, as teaching was passed down, debated, and codified. In this engaging study, Adela Yarbro Collins traces the reception history of major theological, ethical, and social topics in the letters of Paul from the days of his apostleship through the first centuries of Christianity. She explores the evolution of Paul&’s cosmic eschatology, his understanding of the resurrected body, marriage and family ethics, the role of women in the early church, and his theology of suffering. Paying special attention to the ways these evolving interpretations provided frameworks for church governance, practice, and tradition, Collins illuminates the ways that Paul&’s ideas were understood, challenged, and ultimately transformed by their earliest audiences.
Paul vs. James: What We've Been Missing in the Faith and Works Debate
by Chris Bruno"I welcome Chris Bruno&’s readable and thoroughly biblical exploration of faith and works. He sets the matter in both its wider biblical context at the same time as he makes clear its relevance and importance to faithful Christian living today." –Douglas J. Moo from the ForewordEverything you never knew about the men behind the controversy.Put James and Paul next to each other and some tough-to-answer questions come up. Paul says we&’re saved by faith alone, not works—and James seems to say the opposite. If you&’ve been around the church for a while, you probably know enough to say "the right thing" if someone asked about these verses. But would your answers hold up to scrutiny? If pressed, would you know what to say? Dive into the life stories of both apostles, learn more about the context of their letters, and discover the truth about the shared message they both proclaimed. No more canned answers or lingering questions, gain confidence and go deeper in Paul vs. James.
Paul vs. James: What We've Been Missing in the Faith and Works Debate
by Chris Bruno"I welcome Chris Bruno&’s readable and thoroughly biblical exploration of faith and works. He sets the matter in both its wider biblical context at the same time as he makes clear its relevance and importance to faithful Christian living today." –Douglas J. Moo from the ForewordEverything you never knew about the men behind the controversy.Put James and Paul next to each other and some tough-to-answer questions come up. Paul says we&’re saved by faith alone, not works—and James seems to say the opposite. If you&’ve been around the church for a while, you probably know enough to say "the right thing" if someone asked about these verses. But would your answers hold up to scrutiny? If pressed, would you know what to say? Dive into the life stories of both apostles, learn more about the context of their letters, and discover the truth about the shared message they both proclaimed. No more canned answers or lingering questions, gain confidence and go deeper in Paul vs. James.
Paul Was Not a Christian: The Original Message of a Misunderstood Apostle
by Pamela EisenbaumPamela Eisenbaum, an expert on early Christianity, reveals the true nature of the historical Paul in Paul Was Not a Christian. She explores the idea of Paul not as the founder of a new Christian religion, but as a devout Jew who believed Jesus was the Christ who would unite Jews and Gentiles and fulfill God’s universal plan for humanity. Eisenbaum’s work in Paul Was Not a Christian will have a profound impact on the way many Christians approach evangelism and how to better follow Jesus’s—and Paul’s—teachings on how to live faithfully today.
The Pauline Church and the Corinthian Ekklēsia: Greco-Roman Associations in Comparative Context (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series)
by Richard LastMoving past earlier descriptions of first-century Christ groups that were based on examining the New Testament in isolation from extant sources produced by analogous cult groups throughout Mediterranean antiquity, this book engages with underexplored epigraphic and papyrological records and situates the behaviour of Paul's Corinthian ekklēsia within broader patterns of behaviour practiced by Greco-Roman associations. Richard Last's comparative analysis generates highly original contributions to our understanding of the social history of the Jesus movement: he shows that the Corinthians were a small group who had no fixed meeting place, who depended on financial contributions from all ten members in order to survive, and who attracted recruits by offering social benefits such as crowns and office-holding that made other ancient cult groups successful. This volume provides a much-needed robust alternative to the traditional portrayal of Pauline Christ groups as ecclesiastically egalitarian, devoid of normative honorific practices, and free for the poor. Features new readings of problematic passages in the Corinthian correspondence. Provides fresh insight into recruitment to early Christianity. Presents a new taxonomical model for associations, churches, and synagogues.
Pauline Dogmatics: The Triumph of God's Love
by Douglas A. CampbellThe eschatological heart of Paul&’s gospel in his world and its implications for todayDrawing upon thirty years of intense study and reflection on Paul, Douglas Campbell offers a distinctive overview of the apostle&’s thinking that builds on Albert Schweitzer&’s classic emphasis on the importance for Paul of the resurrection. But Campbell—learning here from Karl Barth—traces through the implications of Christ for Paul&’s thinking about every other theological topic, from revelation and the resurrection through the nature of the church and mission. As he does so, the conversation broadens to include Stanley Hauerwas in relation to Christian formation, and thinkers like Willie Jennings to engage post-colonial concerns. But the result of this extensive conversation is a work that, in addition to providing a description of Paul&’s theology, also equips readers with what amounts to a Pauline manual for church planting. Good Pauline theology is good practical theology, ecclesiology, and missiology, which is to say, Paul&’s theology belongs to the church and, properly understood, causes the church to flourish. In these conversations Campbell pushes through interdisciplinary boundaries to explicate different aspects of Pauline community with notions like network theory and restorative justice.The book concludes by moving to applications of Paul in the modern period to painful questions concerning gender, sexual activity, and Jewish inclusion, offering Pauline navigations that are orthodox, inclusive, and highly constructive. Beginning with the God revealed in Jesus, and in a sense with ourselves, Campbell progresses through Pauline ethics and eschatology, concluding that the challenge for the church is not only to learn about Paul but to follow Jesus as he did.
The Pauline Eschatology
by Geerhardus VosTo unfold Paul's eshatology, argues Vos, one must set forth his theology as a whole, not just his teaching on Christ's return. Offers great insight into the structure of Pauline theology.
Pauline Theology As a Way of Life: A Vision of Human Flourishing in Christ
by Joshua W. JippPaul is known as a theologian, and indeed his writings yield rich theological insights. But Paul was foremost a missionary and a pastor who wrote to real people and churches. <p><p> In this fresh approach to Pauline theology, respected scholar Joshua Jipp brings Paul's pastoral concerns to the fore, specifically his concern for human flourishing in his congregations. Jipp argues that Paul's writings are best understood as invitations to a particular way of life, one that is oriented toward the supreme good of experiencing life in God through participation in Christ. For Paul, Christ epitomizes the good life and enables others to live it. While analyzing Paul's thought through this lens of well-being and flourishing, Jipp introduces conversation partners as points of comparison and contrast. He interacts with ancient philosophy and modern positive psychology, both of which also address "the good life." <p><p> This important and substantial contribution to Pauline studies covers issues such as transcendence, suffering and death, relationships, pursuit of Christian virtue, and moral agency. It will be a valuable resource for all students of Paul.
A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership
by Andrew D. ClarkeThis work focuses on leadership style rather than church order. It seeks to recover from Paul's critical responses, his generic ethos of church leadership, including the ideal qualities, characteristics and task of leaders and the nature of appropriate interaction and engagement with church members.
Pauline Ugliness: Jacob Taubes and the Turn to Paul (Perspectives in Continental Philosophy)
by Ole Jakob LølandIn recent decades Giorgio Agamben, Alain Badiou, and Slavoj Žižek have shown the centrality of Paul to western political and philosophical thought and made the Apostle a central figure in left-wing discourses far removed from traditional theological circles. Yet the recovery of Paul beyond Christian theology owes a great deal to the writings of the Jewish rabbi and philosopher Jacob Taubes (1923–1987). Pauline Ugliness shows how Paul became an effective tool for Taubes to position himself within European philosophical debates of the twentieth century. Drawing on Nietzsche’s polemical readings of the ancient apostle as well as Freud’s psychoanalysis, Taubes developed an imaginative and distinct account of political theology in confrontations with Carl Schmitt, Theodor Adorno, Hans Blumenberg, and others. In a powerful reconsideration of the apostle, Taubes contested the conventional understanding of Paul as the first Christian who broke definitively with Judaism and drained Christianity of its political potential. As a Jewish rabbi steeped in a philosophical tradition marked by European Christianity, Taubes was, on the contrary, able to emphasize Paul’s Jewishness as well as the political explosiveness of his revolutionary doctrine of the cross.This book establishes Taubes’s account of Paul as a turning point in the development of political theology. Løland shows how Taubes identified the Pauline movement as the birth of a politics of ugliness, the invention of a revolutionary criticism of the ‘beautiful’ culture of the powerful that sides instead with the oppressed.
Paulinus of Nola: Life, Letters, and Poems (Transformation of the Classical Heritage #27)
by Dennis E. TroutThis study offers a comprehensive reconsideration of the life and literary works of Paulinus of Nola (ca. 352-431), a Roman senator who renounced his political career and secular lifestyle to become a monk, bishop, impresario of a saint's cult, and prominent Christian poet. Dennis Trout considers all the ancient materials and modern commentary on Paulinus, and also delves into archaeological and historical sources to illuminate the various settings in which we see this late ancient man at work. This vivid historical biography traces Paulinus's intellectual and spiritual journey and at the same time explores many facets of the late ancient Roman world.In addition to filling out the details of Paulinus's life at Nola, Trout looks in depth at Paulinus before his ascetic conversion, providing a new assessment of this formative period to better understand Paulinus's subsequent importance within the influential ascetic and ecclesiastical circles of his age. Trout also highlights Paulinus's place in the swirl of rebellions and heresies of the time, in the pagan revival of the 390s, and especially in the development of a new genre of Christian poetry. And, he examines anew Paulinus's relationships with such figures as Jerome, Rufinus, and Augustine. Trout fully explores the complexity of a figure who has too often been simplified and provides new insights into the kaleidoscopic character of the age in which he lived.
Paul’s Gentile-Jews: Neither Jew nor Gentile, but Both
by Joshua D. GarrowayDrawing upon the concepts of cultural and linguistic hybridity developed by Homi Bhabha, Salman Rushdie, Mikhail Bakhtin, and others, Garroway suggests that the first generation of Gentile converts were uncertain whether they had become Jews or remained Gentiles in the wake of their baptism into Christ.
Paul's Gospel of Divine Self-Sacrifice: Righteous Reconciliation in Reciprocity
by Paul MoserIn this book, Paul Moser explains how self-sacrificial righteousness of a reparative kind is at the heart of Paul's gospel of God. He also shows how divine self-sacrifice authenticates that gospel via human reciprocity toward God in reconciliation. A basis for this reciprocity lies in a teaching of ancient Judaism that humans are to reciprocate toward God for the sake of an interpersonal relationship that is righteous and reconciled through voluntary self-sacrifice to God. Moser demonstrates that Paul's gospel calls for faith, including trust, in God as reciprocity in human self-sacrifice toward God. Although widely neglected by interpreters, this theme brings moral and evidential depth to Paul's good news of reparative redemption from God. Moser's study thus enables a new understanding of some of the controversial matters regarding Paul's message in a way that highlights the coherence and profundity of his message.
Paul's Idea Of Community: The Early House Churches In Their Cultural Setting
by Robert BanksRobert Bank's widely read "Paul's Idea of Community: The Early House Churches in their Cultural Setting" is once again available to laypeole, pastors and scholars alike. In this extensively revised edition Banks has rewritten chapters for clarity, taken into account recent scholarship on Paul's writings, updated and expanded the bibliography, and added an index. This new edition retains, however, all the freshness and vitality of the original.
Paul's Letter to the Philippians (New International Commentary on the New Testament (NICNT))
by Gordon D. Fee"“. . . undertaken to provide earnest students of the New Testament with an exposition that is thorough and abreast of modern scholarship and at the same time loyal to the Scriptures as the infallible Word of God.”"This statement reflects the underlying purpose of The New International Commentary on the New Testament. Begun in the late 1940s by an international team of New Testament scholars, the NICNT series has become recognized by pastors, students, and scholars alike as a critical yet orthodox commentary marked by solid biblical scholarship within the evangelical Protestant tradition.While based on a thorough study of the Greek text, the commentary introductions and expositions contain a minimum of Greek references. The NICNT authors evaluate significant textual problems and take into account the most important exegetical literature. More technical aspects — such as grammatical, textual, and historical problems — are dealt with in footnotes, special notes, and appendixes.Under the general editorship of three outstanding New Testament scholars — first Ned Stonehouse (Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia), then F. F. Bruce (University of Manchester, England), and now Gordon D. Fee (Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia) — the NICNT series has continued to develop over the years. In order to keep the commentary “new” and conversant with contemporary scholarship, the NICNT volumes have been — and will be — revised or replaced as necessary.The newer NICNT volumes in particular take into account the role of recent rhetorical and sociological inquiry in elucidating the meaning of the text, and they also exhibit concern for the theology and application of the text. As the NICNT series is ever brought up to date, it will continue to find ongoing usefulness as an established guide to the New Testament text.
Paul's Letter to the Philippians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
by Ben Witherington IIIInterprets Paul’s letter in light of its rhetorical content and cultural contextSkeptical of the trend among many biblical scholars to analyze Paul’s short, affectionate letter to the Philippians in light of Greco-Roman letter-writing conventions, Ben Witherington instead looks at Philippians as a masterful piece of long-distance oratory — an extension of Paul’s oral speech, dictated to a scribe and meant to be read aloud to its recipients. Witherington examines Philippians in light of Greco-Roman rhetorical conventions, identifying Paul’s purpose, highlighting his main points and his persuasive strategies, and considering how his original audience would have heard and received Paul’s message.
Paul's Letter to the Romans (The Pillar New Testament Commentary (PNTC))
by Colin G. KrusePaul's Letter to the Romans may well be the most influential book in Christian history. In this Romans commentary Colin Kruse shows how Paul expounds the gospel against the background of God's sovereign action as creator, judge, and redeemer of the world. Valuable "additional notes" on important theological themes and difficult texts -- such as Paul's discussion of same-sex relationships, the salvation of "all Israel," and the woman Junia, who was "well known among the apostles" -- further connect Romans to contemporary issues. Throughout his commentary Kruse expertly guides readers through the plethora of interpretations of Romans, providing a reliable exposition of this foundational epistle.
Paul's Letter to the Romans: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary
by Ben Witherington IIIWhile Paul’s letter to the Romans is the most studied and commented-on document from the biblical period, the major exegetical books on Romans from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have been overwhelmingly shaped by the Reformed tradition. Through a careful survey of work on Romans by both ancient Church Fathers and modern exegetical scholars, Ben Witherington III here argues that the interpretation of Romans since the Reformation has been far too indebted to — and at key points led astray by — Augustinian readings of the text as filtered through Luther, Calvin, and others. In this first full-scale socio-rhetorical commentary on Romans, Witherington gleans fresh insights from reading the text of Paul’s epistle in light of early Jewish theology, the historical situation of Rome in the middle of the first century A.D., and Paul’s own rhetorical concerns. Giving serious consideration to the social and rhetorical background of Romans allows readers to hear Paul on his own terms, not just through the various voices of his later interpreters. Witherington’s groundbreaking work also features a new, clear translation of the Greek text, and each section of the commentary ends with a brief discussion titled “Bridging the Horizons,” which suggests how the ancient text of Romans may speak to us today.
Paul's Missionary Methods: In His Time and Ours
by Robert L. PlummerMissionary Methods: Saint Paul's or Ours?Paul's Missionary MethodsMichael F. BirdEckhard J. SchnabelBenjamin L. MerkleChristoph W. StenschkeDon N. Howell Jr.Craig KeenerDavid J. HesselgraveMichael PocockEd StetzerM. David SillsChuck LawlessJ. D. Payne
Paul's Necessary Sin: The Experience of Liberation
by Timothy AshworthHow can we know today what was happening in the minds and hearts of Paul and the first Christians so long ago? By getting below the surface of Paul's theology, the consistent key elements of early Christian experience are revealed in a way that throws light on the meaning of powerful religious experiences and movements both in the past and today. Illuminating for those who have never read a word on Paul yet disturbing and provocative for biblical scholars, this book tackles the topic of the religious experience of Paul and the first Christians. Lacking authentic knowledge of Paul's liberating experience, generations of translators and interpreters have inevitably and sometimes clumsily obscured Paul's meaning. In this book the scholarly accusation that Paul is incoherent is turned upside down to show how uncritically accepted ways of translating Paul mislead today's reader and introduce a mystifying complexity into scholarship on Paul. Taking the reader step-by-step through a painstaking restoration of the meaning of Paul's text, the colour and form of Paul's original vision are revealed.