Reprint of the original, first published in 1876.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1875.

Does the Apostle Paul have any use for the person of Jesus presented in the Gospels? Critical scholarship thinks not, but this book argues that Paul not only mentions more than seventy specific details of the historical Jesus, but he also commends the character of Jesus and echoes His teachings repeatedly in his letters and sermons-in full agreement with the Gospel accounts. Stout examines Paul's intriguing description of the "Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim 2:5) and suggests that this title fulfills the OT expectation of God appearing in human history as a man. In his incarnated humanity, the Man Christ Jesus accomplished salvation in the historical events of his life and death, and in his resurrected humanity, he appeared to Paul on the Damascus Road-rooting Paul's Christology deeply in human experience. Furthermore, Stout shows how Paul rests his concept of salvation on a neglected aspect of his doctrine-that the entire church is associated with the historical events of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, an association which also unites his church with one another in fellowship and service. This book, then, demonstrates that Paul's gospel rests upon Jesus as a man of history who brings salvation into human history in his life, death, and exaltation as the "Man Christ Jesus."

Throughout this century the Letter of James has been viewed consistently as a disjointed set of instructions. Father Hartin deviates radically from this approach. He shows that the "call for perfection" provides a unifying meaning for the letter. Examining the concept of perfection against the background of the Greco-Roman world, the Old Testament, and the Septuagint, the author shows that perfection provides a key to define the spirituality of the Letter of James. It offers an understanding of God and of the way one is called "to be in the world." Hartin adopts a fresh approach toward understanding the categories of wisdom, eschatology, and apocalyptic as they illuminate the letter's advice.

This book is at the interface between Visual Studies and Biblical Studies. For several decades, scholars of visuality have been uncovering the significance of everyday visual practices, in the sense of learnt habits of viewing and the assumptions that underpin them. They have shown that these play a key role in forming and maintaining relationships in religious devotion and in social life. The 'Visual Studies' movement brought issues such as these to the attention of most humanities disciplines by the end of the twentieth century, but until very recently made little impact on Biblical Studies. The explanation for this 'disciplinary blind-spot' lies partly in the reception of St Paul, who became Augustine's inspiration for platonising denigration of the material world, and Luther's for faith through 'scripture alone'. In the hands of more radical Reformers, the Word was soon vehemently opposed to the Image, an emphasis that was further fostered in the philologically-inclined university faculties where Biblical Studies developed. Yet Paul's piety is visual as well as verbal, even aside from his mystical visions. He envisages a contemplative focus on certain this-worldly sights as an integral part of believers' metamorphosis into Christ-likeness. This theme runs through Romans, but finds its most concise expression in his correspondence with the Corinthians: 'We all, with unveiled face, beholding in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being metamorphosed into the same image, from glory to glory, as from the Lord, the Spirit' (2 Cor 3:18). Richly ambiguous and allegorical as this is, Paul shortly afterward defines an earthly site where this transformative, sacred gaze occurs. He insists that not mere death, but the death of Jesus is 'made manifest' in his suffering apostolic flesh. Rightly perceived, this becomes a holy spectacle for the sacred gaze, working life in those who behold in faith, but undoing those who see but do not perceive.

This book is a controversial new biography of the apostle Paul that argues for his inclusion in the pantheon of key figures of classical antiquity, along with the likes of Socrates, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and Augustus. It first provides a critical reassessment of the apostle's life in its historical context that focuses on Paul's discourse of authority, which was both representative of its Roman context and provocative to his rivals within Roman society. It then considers the legend that developed around Paul as the history of his life was elaborated and embellished by later interpreters, creating legends that characterized the apostle variously as a model citizen, an imperial hero, a sexual role model, an object of derision and someone to quote from. It is precisely this rewriting of Paul's history into legend that makes the apostle a key transformative figure of classical antiquity.

The problems of boasting, division, and human wisdom are apparent in 1 Corinthians 1–4. Addressing their interrelated nature, Dr. Richard Rojas argues they are rooted in a false understanding of wisdom. He skilfully explores how Paul’s response to the issues is found in his wisdom teaching, especially the meaning and significance of “Christ, the wisdom of God.” In this detailed study, Dr. Rojas presents a sociological and rhetorical analysis of 1 Corinthians 1–4 that brings a fresh perspective on Paul’s response to church tension with important truths for churches today. Pauline scholars and church practitioners alike will find in these pages a rich resource on 1 Corinthians and Paul’s teaching.

Even when he was a prototype of European identity, Paul transgressed the limits of Europe. It is not clear whether he was conformist or rebellious, orthodox or liberal, sexist, or egalitarian. Instead of pushing the Apostle into the arbitrary categories of modern European identity, Fatima Tofighi takes into account the challenge that Paul brings to normative conceptions of political theology (Rom 13), 'religion' (Gal 2.12-14), and women's veiling (1 Cor 11. 5-16). Alternative interpretations of these passages, with the help of postmodern theory, both solve the major problems of biblical exegesis and offer a critique of the allegedly well-defined European categories.