Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament

Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament PDF Author: Paul Trebilco
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139505114
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 389

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Book Description
What terms would early Christians have used to address one another? In the first book-length study on this topic, Paul Trebilco investigates the origin, use and function of seven key self-designations: 'brothers and sisters', 'believers', 'saints', 'the assembly', 'disciples', 'the Way', and 'Christian'. In doing so, he discovers what they reveal about the identity, self-understanding and character of the early Christian movement. This study sheds light on the theology of particular New Testament authors and on the relationship of early Christian authors and communities to the Old Testament and to the wider context of the Greco-Roman world. Trebilco's writing is informed by other work in the area of sociolinguistics on the development of self-designations and labels and provides a fascinating insight into this often neglected topic.

Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament

Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament PDF Author: Paul Trebilco
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139505114
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 389

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Book Description
What terms would early Christians have used to address one another? In the first book-length study on this topic, Paul Trebilco investigates the origin, use and function of seven key self-designations: 'brothers and sisters', 'believers', 'saints', 'the assembly', 'disciples', 'the Way', and 'Christian'. In doing so, he discovers what they reveal about the identity, self-understanding and character of the early Christian movement. This study sheds light on the theology of particular New Testament authors and on the relationship of early Christian authors and communities to the Old Testament and to the wider context of the Greco-Roman world. Trebilco's writing is informed by other work in the area of sociolinguistics on the development of self-designations and labels and provides a fascinating insight into this often neglected topic.

Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament

Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament PDF Author: Paul R. Trebilco
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781139189781
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 375

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Book Description
"What terms would early 'Christians' have used when they addressed one another? What would they have called each other? Would they have said, 'Are you a Christian?' or 'Are you a disciple?' or Are you a believer?' How would various 'Christian' groups have answered the question 'Who are we?' And how did authors refer to members of the communities to whom they were writing, and how would these members have referred to each other? Would different 'Christian' groups in different cities at different times during the New Testament period have given different answers to these questions? This will involve us in looking at a range of 'self-designations' or 'labels'. Further, what do their chosen self-designations say about the early 'Christian' movement, its identity, self-understanding, and character? This is the topic of this book. 1.1 what sort of terms are we looking for? How do we tell what is and what is not a 'self-designation'? McConnell- Ginet has helpfully discussed different forms of'labels'. Grammatically we are looking at varied phenomena. Note the following sentences: 1 (a) 'We are children of God.' (Rom 8:16)"--

1 Corinthians: A Social Identity Commentary

1 Corinthians: A Social Identity Commentary PDF Author: J. Brian Tucker
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 056771859X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 400

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Book Description
Paul's first letter to the Corinthians deals with key aspects of the formation of the Christian community at Corinth. Paul uses his correspondence with the Corinthians to address issues of morality, of community structure, of ritual and of religious behaviour. The letter is a key document for understanding the development of Christianity and for understanding Christianity in its earliest context. In this Social Identity Commentary, J. Brian Tucker provides a comprehensive coverage of the issues and concerns related to 1 Corinthians from the perspective of social identity. Tucker outlines his interpretation of the theoretical issues concerned, and then applies this to provide a clear overview of historical and critical issues related to the study of 1 Corinthians. This provides a clear engagement with the text that will serve as a useful resource for scholars, students, clergy, and people interested in the formation and purpose of the letter.

Language and Identity in Ancient Narratives

Language and Identity in Ancient Narratives PDF Author: Julia A. Snyder
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161532641
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
When a Christian writer refers to Jesus as "the Lord," what does it signify? Is it primarily a way of making a political or theological statement, or might social concerns have had more influence on the writer's choice of words? Studies of early Christianity regularly depend on a nuanced understanding of lexical significance, but current research often fails to consider social aspects of "what words mean." Julia A. Snyder argues that methodological improvements are needed in how lexical significance in ancient Greek texts is determined, based on an analysis of the relationship between speech patterns and addressee identity in the Acts of the Apostles, Acts of John, and Acts of Philip. She also illustrates how sociolinguistic variation contributes to characterization and the construction of Christian identity in the narratives, how it sheds light on the rewriting of ancient texts, and how it informs the question of whether apostolic narratives were produced for evangelistic purposes.

Metaphors and Social Identity Formation in Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians

Metaphors and Social Identity Formation in Paul’s Letters to the Corinthians PDF Author: Kar Yong Lim
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1498282903
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 271

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Book Description
Why did Paul frequently employ a diverse range of metaphors in his letters to the Corinthians? Was the choice of these metaphors a random act or a carefully crafted rhetorical strategy? Did the use of metaphors shape the worldview and behavior of the Christ-followers? In this innovative work, Kar Yong Lim draws upon Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Social Identity Theory to answer these questions. Lim illustrates that Paul employs a cluster of metaphors--namely, sibling, familial, temple, and body metaphors--as cognitive tools that are central to how humans process information, construct reality, and shape group identity. Carefully chosen, these metaphors not only add colors to Paul's rhetorical strategy but also serve as a powerful tool of communication in shaping the thinking, governing the behavior, and constructing the social identity of the Corinthian Christ-followers.

The Nature of Christian Doctrine

The Nature of Christian Doctrine PDF Author: Alister E. McGrath
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198901461
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
A groundbreaking account of the origins, development, and enduring significance of Christian doctrine, explaining why it remains essential to the life of Christian communities. Noting important parallels between the development of scientific theories and Christian doctrine, Alister E. McGrath examines the growing view of early Christianity as a 'theological laboratory'. We can think of doctrinal formulations as proposals submitted for testing across the Christian world, rather than as static accounts of orthodoxy. This approach fits the available evidence much better than theories of suppressed early orthodoxies and reinforces the importance of debate within the churches as a vital means of testing doctrinal formulations. McGrath offers a robust critique of George Lindbeck's still-influential Nature of Doctrine (1984), raising significant concerns about its reductionist approach. He instead provides a more reliable account of the myriad functions of doctrine, utilising Mary Midgley's concept of 'mapping' as a means of coordinating the multiple aspects of complex phenomena. McGrath's approach also employs Karl Popper's 'Three Worlds', allowing the theoretical, objective, and subjective aspects of doctrine to be seen as essential and interconnected. We see how Christian doctrine offers ontological disclosure about the nature of reality, while at the same time providing a coordinating framework which ensures that its various aspects are seen as parts of a greater whole. Doctrine provides a framework, or standpoint, that allows theological reality to be seen and experienced in a new manner; it safeguards and articulates the core vision of reality that is essential for the proper functioning and future flourishing of Christian communities.

Intergroup Conflict, Recategorization, and Identity Construction in Acts

Intergroup Conflict, Recategorization, and Identity Construction in Acts PDF Author: Hyun Ho Park
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 056771330X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
Hyun Ho Park employs social identity to create the first thorough analysis via such methodology of Acts 21:17-23:35, which contains one of the fiercest intergroup conflicts in Acts. Park's assessment allows his readers to rethink, reevaluate, and reimagine Jewish-Christian relations; teaches them how to respond to the vicious cycle of slander, labeling, and violence permeating contemporary public and private spheres; and presents a new hermeneutical cycle and describes how readers may apply it to their own sociopolitical contexts. After surveying previous studies of the text, Park first analyses Paul's welcome, questioning, and arrest, and how slandering and labeling make Paul an outsider. Park then describes how, through defending his Jewish identity and the Way, Paul nuances his public image and re-categorizes himself and the Way as part of the people of God. When Paul identifies himself as a Roman and later a Pharisee, Park examines Luke's ambivalent attitude toward Rome and the Pharisees, and assesses how Paul escapes dangerous situations by claiming different social identities at different times. Finally, he discloses the vicious cycle of slander, labeling, and violence not only against the Way but also against the Jews and challenges the discursive process of identity construction through intergroup conflict with an out-group, especially the proximate “Other.” Furthermore, he demonstrates how the relevance of such scholarship is not limited to Lukan studies or even biblical studies in general; the frequent use of slander, labeling, and violence in the politics of the United States and other polarized countries around the globe demands new ways of looking at intergroup relations, and Park's argument meets the needs of those seeking a new perspective on contemporary political discord.

Romans 7 and Christian Identity

Romans 7 and Christian Identity PDF Author: Will N. Timmins
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1108187013
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 253

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Book Description
In this book, Will N. Timmins provides a close rereading of Romans 7 within its literary-argumentative context and offers a fresh and compelling solution to the identity of the 'I' in this text. Challenging existing paradigms, which fail to provide both literary coherence and theological plausibility, he develops his own positive theory about the device. Along the way he also re-examines a number of key texts within the letter, which have hitherto not been given due weight within the scholarly discussion. This study offers a fresh and satisfying solution to one of the Bible's most notorious cruxes, and contributes to our understanding of the apostle Paul's thought. It will be of interest to all scholars and students within the fields of biblical studies and Christian theology.

Ethnic Diversity, National Unity

Ethnic Diversity, National Unity PDF Author: Theodros A. Teklu
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN: 1725286351
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 231

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Book Description
Although asserting one’s ethnic identity is not morally wrong, the manner in which one ethnic group construes or relates to the ethnic other(s) can obliterate the bond of togetherness and create the insecurity of life. Ethiopia, which is home to anthropologically diverse ethno-linguistic groups, exhibits a proclivity to ethnic-based hostilities and conflicts. As a result of such hostilities, Ethiopia had suffered recurrent small- and large-scale deaths, and in the last half decade only millions have been internally displaced and live in dire conditions. In dialogue with perspectives from a wide range of disciplines such as history, law, sociology, philosophy, theology, and political thought, this multi-authored book aims at generating Christian moral resources for peaceful multiethnic togetherness. This interdisciplinary engagement is meant to buttress the task of interpreting ethnic diversity and national unity within both contemporary and historical Ethiopia, and articulating a Christian moral response to the crisis of togetherness ensuing from the malpractices of affirming ethnic identity and enacting national unity.

Baptism and Cognition in Romans 6-8

Baptism and Cognition in Romans 6-8 PDF Author: Samuli Siikavirta
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161540141
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
Baptism, for Paul, is a christological event that he also uses in his ethical argument. The discussion of the relationship between Paul's theology and ethics has made use of the terms 'indicative' and 'imperative' since Wernle and Bultmann. As subsequent discussion has shown, these terms are problematic not only because of their rigidity and ambiguity. In this study, Samuli Siikavirta focuses on Romans 6-8, the key text for the interplay between Paul's theological and ethical material. He brings the discussion back to what he sees as central to this interaction: baptism and its cognition. Both elements are examined in their Jewish and Stoic settings. Death to sin, slavery to God, holiness and the indwelling of the Spirit are all seen as integral parts of the baptismal state that is deeply christological rather than symbolical. Paul's cognitive language is then viewed in light of his desire to remind his addressees of who and whose they are because of their baptism.