Check out these new releases, now featured as new in paperback texts, in a series that highlights innovative perspectives on Early Christianity in context.
The Library of New Testament Studies:
Formerly the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement, a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches. The Early Christianity in Context series, a part of JSNTS, examines the birth and development of early Christianity up to the end of the third century CE. The series places Christianity in its social, cultural, political and economic context. European Seminar on Christian Origins and Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Supplement are also part of JSNTS.
Reading Paul in Context: Explorations in Identity Formation
“This volume represents a welcome contribution to recent discussions on identity formation in Pauline scholarship, and is a fitting tribute to the work of William S. Campbell on this subject. Its real strength lies in the eclectic nature of the essays that, while connecting on some level with issues of identity, give attention to a very wide-spectrum of subjects, including Paul and the early Christ movement's Jewish context, the anti-imperial dimension of Paul's letters, and the insights yielded by social identity theory, along with other methodological concerns in the contemporary study of Paul." - Christopher Zoccali
This new collection celebrates the distinguished contribution of William S. Campbell to a renewed understanding of Paul's theologizing and its influence on the shaping of early Christian identity. The essays are clustered around two closely related topics: Paul's theologizing, and the way it influenced Christian identity within the context of Roman Empire. The essays consider the continued relevance of previous identities in Christ', the importance of the context of the Roman Empire, and the significance of the Jewishness of Paul and the Pauline movement in the shaping of identity.
Kathy Ehrensperger has expressed interest in attending the 2014 Enoch Seminar in Rome held June 23-27. She is also the author of “Let Everyone Be Convinced in His/Her Own Mind: Derrida and the Reconstruction of Paulinism.”
Bryan J. Tucker can be found at his blog,
identityformation.blogspot.com
The Heavenlies in Ephesians
“Undoubtedly this book represents the most comprehensive study of the expression ‘in the heavenlies’ and advances modern scholarship on Ephesians. It also provides many ideas for further discussion. Brannon’s argument is coherent, well structured, and clearly presented.” – S. Aaron Son, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, TX, Journal of Evangelical Theological Society
The expression "in the heavenlies" appears five times in Ephesians and is not found at any other point in the New Testament. The two appearances which have provoked the most debate are the session of earthly believers in 2:6 and the presence of the spiritual forces of evil in 6:12.
M. Jeff Brannon conducts a lexical, exegetical, and conceptual analysis of the expression arguing against the prevailing interpretation of the term and provides in-depth examinations of three significant concepts associated with it; namely the redeemed on earth having a heavenly status, evil powers in heaven, and the cosmology of Ephesians. Brannon uses a wide range of sources; Greek, Jewish, the Apostolic Fathers, and the Septuagint. Brannon concludes that there is no basis for a distinction between the terms 'heavens' and 'in the heavenlies' in Ephesians . He also asserts that Qumran and apocalyptic texts can shed light upon and assist in a proper understanding of the difficult passages in which the expression appears.
If you would like more information on these titles, or wish to purchase them (now at the new in print price!), please click here.
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