Overview
Speculation around the health of Paul the Apostle has been present since soon after his death. Recently scholars have understood Paul to be disabled but have been wary of isolating precisely what his disabilities may have been or whether they are important for understanding his writings. This book is the first full-length study of Paul the Apostle and disability. Using insights from contemporary disability studies, Isaac Soon analyses features of Paul's body in his ancient Mediterranean context to understand the ways in which his body was disabled. Focusing on three such ancient disabilities--demonization, circumcision, and short stature--this book draws on a rich variety of ancient evidence, from textual sources and epigraphy, to ancient visual culture, to analyze ancient bodily ideals and the negative cultural effects such 'deviant' persons generated. The book also examines Paul's use of his own disabilities in his letters and shows how disability is not subsidiary to his thought but a central aspect of it. This book also provides scholars with a new method for uncovering previously unrecognized disabilities in the ancient world. Last of all, it critiques the latent ableism in much New Testament scholarship, which assumes that the figures of the early Jesus movement were able-bodied.
Full Product Details
Author: Isaac T. Soon
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Dimensions:
Width: 16.40cm
, Height: 2.30cm
, Length: 24.10cm
Weight: 0.602kg
ISBN: 9780192885241
ISBN 10: 0192885243
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 08 September 2023
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
Soon's research interests are in the area of Judaism and the New Testament, in particular disability studies....The present volume appears to be the first full-length English-language monograph on the topic, and one of the few treatments to employ modern disability theory as a lens...the book will be useful for scholars in the field of Pauline studies. * Choice *
Author Information
Since 2021, Isaac T. Soon has been Assistant Professor of Religious Studies (New Testament) at Crandall University. He has degrees from the University of Oxford and Durham University. He has published peer-reviewed journal articles in the Journal for the Study of the Pseudepigrapha, Early Christianity, the Journal for the Jesus Movement in its Jewish Setting, Vigiliae Christianae, Novum Testamentum, Religions, the Journal of Biblical Literature, and the Journal for the Study of Judaism.
