Concept of the Christ in St. Paul's Thought. The Nature of Communication among Humans and between God and Humans
| Author: | Greene, John T. | |
| Year: | 2012 | |
| Pages: | 200 | |
| ISBN: | 0-7734-4080-1 978-0-7734-4080-7 | |
| Price: | $159.95 + shipping | |
| (Click the PayPal button to buy) | ||
CHRIST in Paul’s Thought is concerned with religious ideas of the nature of communication between God and humans, and between humans and humans as presented in the undisputed correspondence of the Apostle Paul. This communication scheme is compared and contrasted with texts understood as post-Pauline glosses, pseudo-Pauline, and deuteron-Pauline literature, as well as apocryphal texts pertaining to the Apostle to determine whether the communication scheme demonstrated in the communications agent, Paul, operate in unison to bring to dejected humankind a communication scheme of God’s – through Christ – salvific activity and telos. Paul’s concept of CHRIST’S function in this scheme is tied to both ancient Israel’s understanding of the covenant, and the Greco-Roman world’s failure through its philosophical and religious teachings to assuage and/or resolve human despair. By his understanding of CHRIST, Paul represents him as both the specific savior agent for traditional Israel, as well as for universal “Israel,”: the Church. Membership in this Church/”Israel” has the power to resolve the despair.
Reviews
“In reading this text it slowly dawns on the reader that the subtleties of Paul’s thought have been overlooked for centuries, and that his understanding of how the God of Israel communicates with His created order, expecially concerning the issue of whether or not He is a just God. Professor Greene has, with his unusual work, joined a list of prominent scholars who have weighed in on Paul’s thought. His approach will prove both fresh to this issue, and an unusual one.”
Prof. Mishael Caspi,
Bates College “We have come to expect profound work from Professor John T. Greene. Once again in this challenging volume he gives us an important example of his toweringly erudite scholarship. This volume offers a surprising perspective on Paul and Jesus. It is at once interesting, entertaining, provocative, and highly readable. It is interesting because it is both a fresh and comprehensive investigation of a topic that has been at the forefront of critical biblical studies for a century and seems never to be exhausted.”
Prof. J. Harold Ellens,
University of Michigan, Ph.D.
“Professor Greene’s work is truly a unique one. He offers the readers a new spectrum of interpretations of different names of Jesus as they appear in the New Testament. He takes his readers on an exciting journey through the writings of the New Testament Pauline corpus while discussing his communication thesis. Throughout he has proven to be, indeed, among the excellent scholars of the NT. His work ought to be on the shelf of students and scholars of the NT and Comparative Religion.”
Prof. Mishael Caspi,
Bates College
Prof. Mishael Caspi,
Bates College “We have come to expect profound work from Professor John T. Greene. Once again in this challenging volume he gives us an important example of his toweringly erudite scholarship. This volume offers a surprising perspective on Paul and Jesus. It is at once interesting, entertaining, provocative, and highly readable. It is interesting because it is both a fresh and comprehensive investigation of a topic that has been at the forefront of critical biblical studies for a century and seems never to be exhausted.”
Prof. J. Harold Ellens,
University of Michigan, Ph.D.
“Professor Greene’s work is truly a unique one. He offers the readers a new spectrum of interpretations of different names of Jesus as they appear in the New Testament. He takes his readers on an exciting journey through the writings of the New Testament Pauline corpus while discussing his communication thesis. Throughout he has proven to be, indeed, among the excellent scholars of the NT. His work ought to be on the shelf of students and scholars of the NT and Comparative Religion.”
Prof. Mishael Caspi,
Bates College
Table of Contents
Foreword by Mishael M. Caspi
Preface
Introduction
Notes
Chapter One: “CHRIST” in Paul’s Thought in Romans 1-8:
Establishing a Scheme of Communication in the Hellenistic World
The Data and Literary Environments
Critical Analysis of the Data
Scheme of Paul’s Thoughts Concerning the Modal Activity of Christ
Notes
Chapter Two: CHRIST in Paul’s Thought in Selected Uncontested Correspondence:
The Scheme Holds
Introduction
The Data and Literary Environments
Explication of Data within Literary Environments
Critical Analysis of the Data
Summary
Notes
Chapter Three: The Concept of CHRIST in Biblical Post Pauline and Deutero-Pauline Materials: The Evidence of Glosses, 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastorals: Different Data to Support an Old Claim:
The Scheme Disappears
Introduction
The Delay of a Parousia(n)
The Mystery and Body of Christ
The Pre-Existence of Christ and the Mystical Body
The Pastor Prepares a Later-than-Paul Group for the Future
The Data and Literary Environments
Explication of Data within Literary Environments
Summary
Notes
Chapter Four: CHRIST in Romans 9-16:
The Case of Misplaced Data
Introduction
The Data and Literary Environments
Explication of Data within Literary Environments
Critical Analysis of Data
Summary
Notes
Chapter Five: Selected Extra, Deutero-Canonical, and Apocryphal Literature Concerning Paul:
A Scheme Unknown
Introduction
The Extra-Canonical, Apocryphal Texts and Data in Literary Environments
Similarities to Canonical N.T. Pauline Epistles
Conclusion
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
Preface
Introduction
Notes
Chapter One: “CHRIST” in Paul’s Thought in Romans 1-8:
Establishing a Scheme of Communication in the Hellenistic World
The Data and Literary Environments
Critical Analysis of the Data
Scheme of Paul’s Thoughts Concerning the Modal Activity of Christ
Notes
Chapter Two: CHRIST in Paul’s Thought in Selected Uncontested Correspondence:
The Scheme Holds
Introduction
The Data and Literary Environments
Explication of Data within Literary Environments
Critical Analysis of the Data
Summary
Notes
Chapter Three: The Concept of CHRIST in Biblical Post Pauline and Deutero-Pauline Materials: The Evidence of Glosses, 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastorals: Different Data to Support an Old Claim:
The Scheme Disappears
Introduction
The Delay of a Parousia(n)
The Mystery and Body of Christ
The Pre-Existence of Christ and the Mystical Body
The Pastor Prepares a Later-than-Paul Group for the Future
The Data and Literary Environments
Explication of Data within Literary Environments
Summary
Notes
Chapter Four: CHRIST in Romans 9-16:
The Case of Misplaced Data
Introduction
The Data and Literary Environments
Explication of Data within Literary Environments
Critical Analysis of Data
Summary
Notes
Chapter Five: Selected Extra, Deutero-Canonical, and Apocryphal Literature Concerning Paul:
A Scheme Unknown
Introduction
The Extra-Canonical, Apocryphal Texts and Data in Literary Environments
Similarities to Canonical N.T. Pauline Epistles
Conclusion
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index