Overview
What did Paul mean when he declared that there is ‘neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor male and female’ (Galatians 3:28)? While many modern readers understand these words as a statement about human equality, this study shows that it in fact reflects ancient ideas about an ideal or utopian community. With this declaration, Paul contributed to the cultural conversation of his time about such a community. The three pairs that Paul brings together in this formula all played a role in first-century conceptions of what an ideal world would look like. Such conceptions were influenced by cosmopolitanism; the philosophical idea prevalent at the time, that all people were fundamentally connected and could all live in a unified society. Understanding Paul’s thought in the context of these contemporary ideals helps to clarify his attitude towards each of the three pairs in his letters. Like other ancient utopian thinkers, Paul imagined the ideal community to be based on mutual dependence and egalitarian relationships.
Full Product Details
Author: Karin B. Neutel (University of Oslo, Norway)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint: T.& T.Clark Ltd
Dimensions:
Width: 15.60cm
, Height: 1.50cm
, Length: 23.40cm
Weight: 0.399kg
ISBN: 9780567671929
ISBN 10: 0567671925
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 25 August 2016
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
Neutel's work as a whole is impressively researched, admirably presented, and faultlessly edited. * Bryn Mawr Classical Review * Neutel successfully offers a consistent interpretation of Galatians 3:28 in the context of Pauline theology. * Theologische Revue (Bloomsbury Translation). * ...An important study that deserves the attention of students and scholars interested in Paul's social context and its importance for his eschatological framework, specifically as it relates to gender, ethno-racial relations, and class distinctions. It makes an insightful, engaging, and persuasive case, and I highly recommend it. * Catholic Biblical Quarterly * A welcome contribution to the study of Galatians 3.28 and Pauline theology. Scholars working on this verse and these issues will want to engage with Neutel's contribution. * Religious Studies Review * This study sheds important light on the range of ancient notions of community to which Paul's one in Christ can be compared. * Theological Studies *
Neutel's work as a whole is impressively researched, admirably presented, and faultlessly edited. Bryn Mawr Classical Review
Author Information
Karin B. Neutel is Lecturer in New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
