Paul, Founder of Churches

A Study in Light of the Evidence for the Role of "Founder-Figures" in the Hellenistic-Roman Period
1. Auflage 2012
ISBN: 978-3-16-150716-8
Verlag: Mohr Siebeck

Buch, Englisch, Band 292, 550 Seiten, Format (B × H): 241 mm x 164 mm, Gewicht: 1006 g

Reihe: Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament

The apostle Paul's understanding of his role and responsibilities in transferring the cult of Jesus Christ to new lands to found new groups devoted to this immigrant son of God is not unique. His modus operandi cannot be adequately explained in terms of Jewish precedents. Rather, Paul's pattern is a creative appropriation of the enduring Greek model of the founder, the key figure in Greek imaginings of the formation of social space, whether colony or cult. Cult foundation inscriptions as well as literary descriptions show that such foundations were laid according to persistent elements of a pattern originating in Greek foundation narratives focused on the oracular selection of the founder-figure and his obedience to a divine impetus for cult innovation. With the help of modern culture studies, especially postcolonial critique, Paul's letters show that he not only appropriated this traditional Greek model and applied it to the foundation of his churches, but creatively adapted it for purposes of group self-definition and his own sensibilities. While Paul uses few technical foundation terms, his reliance on divine visionary endorsement of his transfer of the Christ cult to new places, the way the apostle exercises authority over the communities he has founded, his attempt to integrate his Greek communities into the sacred history of Israel, and the strategies used against him by his opponents reveal his use of the Greek foundational model. Paul shares the discourse and action of contemporary cult founders who, like him, were obeying their deity's call for transferal to a new location.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hanges, James C.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Kirchengeschichte Theologenbiographien, Religiöse Führer
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Kirchengeschichte Frühes Christentum, Patristik, Christliche Archäologie
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Bibelwissenschaften Neues Testament: Exegese, Geschichte

Über Autor(innen)

Hanges, James C.
Born 1954; 1999 PhD, University of Chicago; since 2005 Associate Professor of Comparative Religion, Miami University, Ohio.

James C. Hanges
Born 1954; 1999 PhD, University of Chicago; since 2005 Associate Professor of Comparative Religion, Miami University, Ohio.