Paul and the Imperial Authorities at Thessalonica and Rome

Paul and the Imperial Authorities at Thessalonica and Rome PDF

Author: James R. Harrison

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 460

ISBN-13: 9783161498800

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James R. Harrison investigates the collision between Paul's eschatological gospel and the Julio-Claudian conception of rule. The ruler's propaganda, with its claim about the 'eternal rule' of the imperial house over its subjects, embodied in idolatry of power that conflicted with Paul's proclamation of the reign of the risen Son of God over his world. This ideological conflict is examined in 1 and 2 Thessalonians and in Romans, exploring how Paul's eschatology intersected with the imperial cult in the Greek East and in the Latin West. A wide selection of evidence - literary, documentary, numismatic, iconographic, archeological - unveils the 'symbolic universe' of the Julio-Claudian rulers. This construction of social and cosmic reality stood at odds with the eschatological denouement of world history, which, in Paul's view, culminated in the arrival of God's new creation upon Christ's return as Lord of all. Paul exalted the Body of Christ over Nero's 'body of state', transferring to the risen and ascended Jesus many of the ruler's titles and to the Body of Christ many of the ruler's functions. Thus, for Paul, Christ's reign challenged the values of Roman society and transformed its hierarchical social relations through the Spirit.

The Roman Imperial Authorities As Servants of God

The Roman Imperial Authorities As Servants of God PDF

Author: Brad D. Corder

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2017-08-03

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13: 9781548578404

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According to the New Testament, every governing authority is a servant of God. This groundbreaking work explores what the Apostle Paul meant by this assertion, which forms his argument in Romans 13:1-6. After establishing the meaning of "servant of God," Brad Corder examines the accounts of Paul's journeys to determine how it applied directly to the Roman imperial authorities of Paul's day and continues to apply to governing authorities today. This work contains a concise overview of the Roman imperial government and its military forces, an in-depth analysis of Romans 13:1-6, and a systematic investigation of Paul's encounters with the Roman imperial authorities recorded in Acts. This book is a must-read for those seeking to better understand the biblical basis for government, the military, and law enforcement.

Paul and Empire

Paul and Empire PDF

Author: Richard A. Horsley

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 1997-11-01

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 9781563382178

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Over the centuries, Paul has been understood as the prototypical convert from Judaism to Christianity. At the time of Pauls conversion, however, Christianity did not yet exist. Moreover, Paul says nothing to indicate that he was abandoning Judaism or Israel. He, in fact, understood his mission as the fulfillment of the promises to Israel and of Israels own destiny. In brief, Pauls gospel and mission were set over against the Roman Empire, not Judaism.

Paul's 'Spirit of Adoption' in its Roman Imperial Context

Paul's 'Spirit of Adoption' in its Roman Imperial Context PDF

Author: Robert Brian Lewis

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-01-28

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 0567663892

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Robert Lewis examines Paul's use of the phrase “Spirit of Adoption” in Romans 8:12-17 against the background of its Roman Imperial context in order to shed light on interpretation of Paul's Letter to the Romans. Whereas other scholars have explored what Paul may have meant when he uses the term “adoption” Lewis instead explores the reasons behind Paul's coupling of it with the term “spirit”. Having examined theories for a possible Jewish antecedent for Paul's use of this phrase, and found them less than persuasive, Lewis unlocks the data within the term's Roman Imperial context that significantly clarifies what Paul means when he uses the phrase “Spirit of adoption". Lewis shows that when Paul wrote his letter to the Romans, adoption had become a feature of Imperial succession. Roman religion gave a great deal of prominence to the Roman family spirit - the genius. The Emperor's genius became identified as a deity in Roman religion and its veneration was widespread in Rome as well as the provinces. When Romans 8.12-17 is read against this background, a very different kind of exegetical picture emerges.

Paul, Politics, and New Creation

Paul, Politics, and New Creation PDF

Author: Najeeb T. Haddad

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2020-12-10

Total Pages: 247

ISBN-13: 1978708955

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Paul, Politics, and New Creation: Reconsidering Paul and Empire nuances Paul’s relationship with the Roman Empire. Using rhetorical, sociohistorical, and theological methods, Najeeb T. Haddad reevaluates claims of Paul’s anti-imperialism by situating him in his proper Hellenistic Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts.

Paul Unbound

Paul Unbound PDF

Author: Mark D. Given

Publisher: SBL Press

Published: 2022-06-24

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0884145573

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"As long as there are readers of Paul, there will be always be other perspectives." The essays in this second edition of Paul Unbound: Other Perspectives on the Apostle provide introductions to Paul's relationship to and views on the Roman Empire, first-century economic stratification, his opponents, ethnicity, the law, Judaism, women, and Greco-Roman rhetoric. Contributors Warren Carter, Charles H. Cosgrove, A. Andrew Das, Steven J. Friesen, Mark D. Given, Deborah Krause, Mark D. Nanos, and Jerry L. Sumney have added addendums to their original essays and updated the bibliography to take into account scholarship produced in the decade since the publication of the first edition. The collection provides essential background and sets out new directions for study useful to students of the New Testament and Paul's letters.

Ephesians and Empire

Ephesians and Empire PDF

Author: Justin Winzenburg

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Published: 2022-07-19

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 3161611837

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While recent publications have explored the relationship between New Testament texts and early Roman imperial ideology, Ephesians has been underanalyzed in these conversations. In this study, Justin Winzenburg provides an original contribution to the field by assessing how matters of the disputed authorship, audience, and date of Ephesians have varied consequences for the imperial-critical status of the epistle. Previously underexplored elements of the Roman context of Ephesians, with a focus on maiestas [treason] charges, imperial cults, and Roman imperial eschatology are examined in light of the two major theories of the date of the epistle. The author concludes that, while there are limitations to an imperial-critical reading of the epistle, some of the epistle's speech acts can be understood as subversive of Roman imperial ideology.

Themelios, Volume 37, Issue 2

Themelios, Volume 37, Issue 2 PDF

Author: D. A. Carson

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2015-01-27

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 1625649576

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Themelios is an international, evangelical, peer-reviewed theological journal that expounds and defends the historic Christian faith. Themelios is published three times a year online at The Gospel Coalition (http://thegospelcoalition.org/themelios/) and in print by Wipf and Stock. Its primary audience is theological students and pastors, though scholars read it as well. Themelios began in 1975 and was operated by RTSF/UCCF in the UK, and it became a digital journal operated by The Gospel Coalition in 2008. The editorial team draws participants from across the globe as editors, essayists, and reviewers. General Editor: D. A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Managing Editor: Brian Tabb, Bethlehem College and Seminary Consulting Editor: Michael J. Ovey, Oak Hill Theological College Administrator: Andrew David Naselli, Bethlehem College and Seminary Book Review Editors: Jerry Hwang, Singapore Bible College; Alan Thompson, Sydney Missionary & Bible College; Nathan A. Finn, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary; Hans Madueme, Covenant College; Dane Ortlund, Crossway; Jason Sexton, Golden Gate Baptist Seminary Editorial Board: Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School Lee Gatiss, Wales Evangelical School of Theology Paul Helseth, University of Northwestern, St. Paul Paul House, Beeson Divinity School Ken Magnuson, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Jonathan Pennington, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary James Robson, Wycliffe Hall Mark D. Thompson, Moore Theological College Paul Williamson, Moore Theological College Stephen Witmer, Pepperell Christian Fellowship Robert Yarbrough, Covenant Seminary

Paul and the Ancient Celebrity Circuit

Paul and the Ancient Celebrity Circuit PDF

Author: James R. Harrison

Publisher: Mohr Siebeck

Published: 2019-11-18

Total Pages: 467

ISBN-13: 3161546156

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"In this study, James R. Harrison compares the modern cult of celebrity to the quest for glory in late republican and early imperial society. He shows how Paul's ethic of humility, based upon the crucified Christ, stands out in a world obsessed with mutual comparison, boasting, and self-sufficiency." --

1 and 2 Thessalonians

1 and 2 Thessalonians PDF

Author: Nijay K. Gupta

Publisher: Zondervan Academic

Published: 2019-07-23

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0310518725

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The study of Paul's Thessalonian letters is enjoying fresh interest today. These texts are considered by many to be amongst the earliest extant Christian documents. They are included in conversations about early Jewish and Christian apocalypticism. New insights are coming from examination of the religious, socio-cultural, and political contexts of Roman Thessalonica. And, looking back, these letters have played an important role in the development of Christian eschatology. This volumes serves as an up-to-date guide to these academic discussions and debates and much more. This volume on 1 and 2 Thessalonians in the Zondervan Critical Introductions to the New Testament series offers a volume-length engagement with subjects that normally only receive short treatments in biblical commentaries or in New Testament Introductions. This volume addresses: Authorship Date Audience Socio-Historical Context Genre Purpose Integrity Textual History Greek Style Structure Argument Other Critical Issues Main Interpretive Issues Reception into the Canon Selected History of Interpretation Bibliography