Paul Between Damascus And Antioch

This important new book covers the time between Paul's conversion in Damascus and his arrival in Antioch, set against a detailed background of the early Christian world, the church in Damascus to which Paul was introduced on his conversion, the methods of the first Christian mission, the situation in Arabia during Paul's first mission, the mission territory in Tarsus and Cilicia to which he then moved, and the nature of the church in Antioch. Martin Hengel once more challenges the overly skeptical assessments of the New Testament record and provides powerful support for his position on Paul.

More happened in the period between Jesus and Paul, Professor Hengel argues, than in the whole of the next seven centuries, up to the time when the doctrine of the early church was completed. Certainly these decades are crucial to our understanding of the development of earliest Christianity. However, they are very much a ÒtunnelÓ period, and there is little to shed light on it. This volume does something to pierce the darkness. Among other issues, it considers the origins of the Christian mission, the role of the Hellenists, the reliability of Luke as a geographer when he is dealing with events in Palestine in the Acts of the Apostles, and the development of christological belief, particularly in Christian worship. Those familiar with Professor Hengel's work will know that they will find here a wealth of valuable insight based on painstaking examination of all available sources.

Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James

This investigation into Paul's relationship with the church of Jerusalem draws on the insights of sociology to complement the historical-critical method. Taylor argues that the church of Antioch was, for a significant part of Paul's career, not merely the base of his missionary activities but also the community from which he derived his identity. His relationship with the church of Jerusalem must be understood accordingly. Paul's alienation from the Antiochene church in the aftermath of his confrontation with Peter meant loss of apostolic commission and social identity. Galatians reflects the reconstruction of Paul's personal and apostolic identity to compensate for this loss.

The so-called 'Antioch Incident' - the confrontation between the apostles Peter and Paul in Galatians 2.11-21 - continues to be a source of controversy in both scholarly and popular estimations of the emergence of the early Church and the development of Pauline theology. Paul and the Crucified Christ in Antioch offers an interesting interpretation of Paul's account of and response to this event, creatively combining historical reconstruction, detailed exegesis, and theological reflection. S. A. Cummins argues that the nature and significance of the central issue at stake in Antioch - whether the Torah or Jesus Christ determines who are the people of God - gains great clarity and force when viewed in relation to a Maccabean martyr model of Judaism as now christologically reconfigured and redeployed in the life and ministry of the apostle Paul.

The author has chosen 1) to analyse the Eucharistic traditions of earliest Christianity; and 2) to trace their use within the church of Antioch, focusing on the following key texts: 1 Cor. 11.23-25, Matt. 26.26-29, Did. 9.1-10.6, and Igantius, Phld. 4.1. Therefore, connecting the four Eucharistic texts to the early church of Antioch constitutes the main objective of this study. -- Introduction

In Rhetoric at the Boundaries Bruce W. Longenecker explores the way in which New Testament authors used an ancient rhetorical device to effect smooth transitions, both large and small. His study demonstrates how recognition of this rhetorical technique proves decisive for New Testament interpretation. Longenecker accomplishes this by examining the evidence for chain-link interlocks in a variety of ancient sources, including the Hebrew scriptures, Jewish and Roman authors of the Graeco-Roman world, and the Graeco-Roman rhetoricians. He then applies the results of the survey to fifteen problematic passages of the New Testament. In each case, Longenecker establishes the presence of chain-link interlock and highlights the structural, literary, and theological significance of the rhetorical device for New Testament interpretation.