Paul and Politics: Ekklesia, Israel, Imperium, Interpretation [Paperback]

Richard A. Horsley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2000

Interpretation of Paul has long been dominated by Lutheran/Protestant theological concerns. Paul has been treated as primarily concerned with narrowly personal religious issues, and critics have often contended that Paul was a conservative regarding social issues. The contributors to this volume deal in original and provocative fashion with several interrelated issues running through Paul's letters and their subsequent interpretation in Christian history. The essays cover several interrelated topics concerning Paul and politics: Paul and the politics of interpretation; Paul and the politics of the Roman Empire; Paul and the politics of Israel (relations of Jews and Gentiles); Paul and the politics of the churches (relations of women and men, slaves and free). Contributors include: Krister Stendahl (Harvard Divinity School); Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza (Harvard Divinity School); Richard A. Horsley (University of Massachusetts, Boston); Alan Segal (Barnard College); Antoinette C. Wire (San Francisco Theological Seminary); N. T. Wright (Westminster Cathedral); Sheila Briggs (University of Southern California); Cynthia Briggs Kittredge (Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest); Pamela Eisenbaum (Iliff School of Theology); Mark Nanos (Lees Summit, Missouri); Allen Callahan (Harvard Divinity School); Sze-kar Wan (Andover Newton Theological School); Robert Jewett (Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary); and Neil Elliott (Seabury Western). Richard A. Horsley is Professor of Classics and Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and is the author of numerous books including Galilee: History, Politics, and People (Trinity Press).

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nothing more need be said about this book other than that it is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest scholars of Christianity and most righteous of human beings in our time. Professor (and Bishop) Stendahl is being honored here by seeing the concrete and magnificent effects of the seed that he planted taking root and bearing fruit and flower in splendid essays by many of the leading lights of progressive Pauline scholarship in the generation that he taught. The book makes an important and coherent statement, rare among Festschriften." —Daniel Boyarin, University of California at Berkeley (Daniel Boyarin, Univ of California at Berkeley )

"This collection of essays is a welcome publication that appropriately nuances and advances the provocative challenges—about Paul and many other topics—that we have long associated with the voice and writings of Krister Stendahl." — Vincent L. Wimbush, Union Theological Seminary, NY (Vincent L. Wimbush, Union Theological Seminary )

"Very highly recommended for personal and academic Christian history and theology reference collections and reading lists, Paul and Politics is a seminal and scholarly work that will prove an admirably springboard for group study and seminar discussions." — Wisconsin Bookwatch, the library newsletter of the Midwest Book Review, March 2001 (Wisconsin Book Watch )

"[P]rovides much helpful information about the ethos and structure of the ancient world. There are important exegetical insights into several of Paul's letters that should not be missed." (Ann Jarvis Wycliffe Theological College Theology Today, January 2002 Theology Today )

"This collection is challenging and opens up innovative vistas that could reshape Pauline studies in the near future. The collection certainly carries forward directions developed by Krister Stendahl. The various authors openly express differences of interpretation-they do not reflect a monolithic viewpoint...Those who eschew the term politics in Pauline studies may not agree, but they will hardly be able to ignore the work of this study group. Paul and the early churches he founded cannot be detached from the politics and power of the Roman Empire."—Stuart L. Love, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 63, 2001 (Stuart L. Love Catholic Biblical Quarterly )

"Nothing more need be said about this book other than that it is a fitting tribute to one of the greatest scholars of Christianity and most righteous of human beings in our time. Professor (and Bishop) Stendahl is being honored here by seeing the concrete and magnificent effects of the seed that he planted taking root and bearing fruit and flower in splendid essays by many of the leading lights of progressive Pauline scholarship in the generation that he taught. The book makes an important and coherent statement, rare among Festschriften." —Daniel Boyarin, University of California at Berkeley (, )

"This collection of essays is a welcome publication that appropriately nuances and advances the provocative challenges—about Paul and many other topics—that we have long associated with the voice and writings of Krister Stendahl." — Vincent L. Wimbush, Union Theological Seminary, NY (, )

"[P]rovides much helpful information about the ethos and structure of the ancient world. There are important exegetical insights into several of Paul's letters that should not be missed." (, Theology Today )

"This collection is challenging and opens up innovative vistas that could reshape Pauline studies in the near future. The collection certainly carries forward directions developed by Krister Stendahl. The various authors openly express differences of interpretation-they do not reflect a monolithic viewpoint...Those who eschew the term politics in Pauline studies may not agree, but they will hardly be able to ignore the work of this study group. Paul and the early churches he founded cannot be detached from the politics and power of the Roman Empire."—Stuart L. Love, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 63, 2001 (, Catholic Biblical Quarterly )

About the Author

Richard A. Horlsey is Professor of Classics and Religion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. He is author of Galilee: History, Politics, People; Archaeology, History, and Society in Galilee: The Social Context of Jesus and the Rabbis; and editor of Paul and Empire: Religion and Power in Roman Imperial Society, all published by Trinity Press.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Trinity Press Int'l (November 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563383233
• ISBN-13: 978-1563383236
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,085,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An admirable springboard for group study, March 18, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul and Politics: Ekklesia, Israel, Imperium, Interpretation (Paperback)

In Paul And Politics: Ekklesia, Israel, Imperium, Interpretation, Richard Horsley has assembled an impressive collection of contributors arguing against the traditional thinking of the past and dealing in original and provocative fashions with several interrelated issues running through Paul's letters and their subsequent interpretation within the context of Christian history. These issues include Paul and the politics of interpretation; Paul and the politics of the Roman Empire; Paul and the politics of Israel (with reference to the relations of Jews and Gentiles); Paul and the politics of churches)with respect to relations of men and women, slaves and freemen). Very highly recommended for personal and academic Christian history and theology reference collections and reading lists, Paul And Politics is a seminal and scholarly work that will prove an admirable springboard for group study and seminar discussions.

2 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Like Trying to Drink from a Fire Hose, July 12, 2002

By 

The Rev. Dr. Daniel J. G. G. Block - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul and Politics: Ekklesia, Israel, Imperium, Interpretation (Paperback)

Not for the casual reader or those unfamiliar with historical-critical method, this collection of essays provides remarkable insight into the most recent work in Pauline exegesis. Unfortunately, like some of Professor Horsley's other texts, this book is sufficiently techinical so as to effectively limit itself to the academic community. Once again, Horsley has failed to reach the masses.