Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament

Self-designations and Group Identity in the New Testament

Author: Paul Trebilco

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2011-11-24

Total Pages: 389

ISBN-13: 1139505114

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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

Author: Paul R. Trebilco

Publisher:

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 9781107229372

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"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)"--


Reading the New Testament in the Manifold Contexts of a Globalized World

Reading the New Testament in the Manifold Contexts of a Globalized World

Author: Eve-Marie Becker

Publisher: Narr Francke Attempto Verlag

Published: 2022-12-12

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 3772057659

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This volume gathers the perspectives of teachers in higher education from all over the world on the topic of New Testament scholarship. The goal is to understand and describe the contexts and conditions under which New Testament research is carried out throughout the world. This endeavor should serve as a catalyst for new initiatives and the development of questions that determine the future directions of New Testament scholarship. At the same time, it is intended to raise awareness of the global dimensions of New Testament scholarship, especially in relation to its impact on socio-political debates. The occasion for these reflections are not least the present questions that have been posed with the corona pandemic and have received a focus on the "system relevance" of churches, which is openly questioned by the media. The church and theology must face this challenge. Towards that end, it is important to gather impulses and suggestions for the discipline from a variety of contexts in which different dimensions of context-related New Testament research come to the fore.


Outsider Designations and Boundary Construction in the New Testament

Outsider Designations and Boundary Construction in the New Testament

Author: Paul Raymond Trebilco

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2017-10-26

Total Pages: 372

ISBN-13: 1108314325

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What terms did early Christians use for outsiders? How did they refer to non-members? In this book-length investigation of these questions, Paul Trebilco explores the outsider designations that the early Christians used in the New Testament. He examines a range of terms, including unbelievers, 'outsiders', sinners, Gentiles, Jews, among others. Drawing on insights from social identity theory, sociolinguistics, and the sociology of deviance, he investigates the usage and development of these terms across the New Testament, and also examines how these outsider designations function in boundary construction across several texts. Trebilco's analysis leads to new conclusions about the identity and character of the early Christian movement, the range of relations between early Christians and outsiders, and the theology of particular New Testament authors.


T&T Clark Handbook to Social Identity in the New Testament

T&T Clark Handbook to Social Identity in the New Testament

Author: J. Brian Tucker

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2014-01-02

Total Pages: 674

ISBN-13: 0567017605

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Combining the insights of many leading New Testament scholars writing on the use of social identity theory this new reference work provides a comprehensive handbook to the construction of social identity in the New Testament. Part one examines key methodological issues and the ways in which scholars have viewed and studied social identity, including different theoretical approaches, and core areas or topics which may be used in the study of social identity, such as food, social memory, and ancient media culture. Part two presents worked examples and in-depth textual studies covering core passages from each of the New Testament books, as they relate to the construction of social identity. Adopting a case-study approach, in line with sociological methods the volume builds a picture of how identity was structured in the earliest Christ-movement. Contributors include; Philip Esler, Warren Carter, Paul Middleton, Rafael Rodriquez, and Robert Brawley.


Known by God

Known by God

Author: Brian S. Rosner

Publisher: Zondervan Academic

Published: 2017-09-12

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0310499836

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Who are you? What defines you? What makes you, you? In the past an individual's identity was more predictable than it is today. Life's big questions were basically settled before you were born: where you'd live, what you'd do, the type of person you'd marry, your basic beliefs, and so on. Today personal identity is a do-it-yourself project. Constructing a stable and satisfying sense of self is hard amidst relationship breakdowns, the pace of modern life, the rise of social media, multiple careers, social mobility, and so on. Ours is a day of identity angst. Known by God is built on the observation that humans are inherently social beings; we know who we are in relation to others and by being known by them. If one of the universal desires of the self is to be known by others, being known by God as his children meets our deepest and lifelong need for recognition and gives us a secure identity. Rosner argues that rather than knowing ourselves, being known by God is the key to personal identity. He explores three biblical angles on the question of personal identity: being made in the image of God, being known by God and being in Christ. The notion of sonship is at the center - God gives us our identity as a parent who knows his child. Being known by him as his child gives our fleeting lives significance, provokes in us needed humility, supplies cheering comfort when things go wrong, and offers clear moral direction for living.


1 Corinthians: A Social Identity Commentary

1 Corinthians: A Social Identity Commentary

Author: J. Brian Tucker

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2024-10-17

Total Pages: 400

ISBN-13: 056771859X

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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.


Grace for All

Grace for All

Author: Clark H. Pinnock

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2015-03-31

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 1498200133

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Did Christ atone for the sins of humanity on the cross? Does God desire all people to be saved and direct his grace toward all people for that purpose? There are some Christians following a deterministic paradigm who believe this is not true. They believe God has predestined some people for heaven and many, or even most, for hell. The rising tide of Calvinism and its "TULIP" theology needs to be respectfully answered. Grace for All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation features a distinguished international panel of scholars to examine this controversy. These writers address issues such as election, free will, grace, and assurance. They make compelling scriptural arguments for the universality of God's grace, contending that Christ atoned for the sins of all people and that God sincerely offers forgiveness for all through Christ. This book strives to uncover the biblical position on salvation. We hope the reader will enjoy this stimulating series of articles on the Arminian perspective and that it will spur further writing and discussion. Grace for All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation is an updated and revised version of Grace Unlimited, a 1975 collection of scholarly articles assembled by the late Clark H. Pinnock of McMaster Divinity College.


Conceptual Blending in Early Christian Discourse

Conceptual Blending in Early Christian Discourse

Author: Aleksander Gomola

Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published: 2018-03-19

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 311058204X

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Cognitive linguists and biblical and patristic scholars have recently given more attention to the presence of conceptual blends in early Christian texts, yet there has been so far no comprehensive study of the general role of conceptual blending as a generator of novel meanings in early Christianity as a religious system with its own identity. This monograph points in that direction and is a cognitive linguistic exploration of pastoral metaphors in a wide range of patristic texts, presenting them as variants of THE CHURCH IS A FLOCK network. Such metaphors or blends, rooted in the Bible, were used by Patristic writers to conceptualize a great number of particular notions that were constitutive for the early church, including the responsibilities of the clergy and the laity, morality and penance, church unity, baptism and soteriology. This study shows how these blends became indispensable building blocks of a new religious system and explains the role of conceptual blending in this process. The book is addressed to biblical and patristic scholars interested in a new, unifying perspective for various strands of early Christian thought and to cognitive linguists interested in the role of conceptual integration in religious language. Produced with the support of the Faculty of Philology, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland.


The Letter to Philemon

The Letter to Philemon

Author: Scot McKnight

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing

Published: 2017-10-05

Total Pages: 159

ISBN-13: 1467448761

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The Academy of Parish Clergy’s 2018 Top Five Reference Books for Parish Ministry Paul's letter to Philemon carries a strong message of breaking down social barriers and establishing new realities of conduct and fellowship. It is also a disturbing text that has been used to justify slavery. Though brief, Philemon requires close scrutiny. In this commentary Scot McKnight offers careful textual analysis of Philemon and brings the practice of modern slavery into conversation with the ancient text. Too often, McKnight says, studies of this short letter gloss over the issue of slavery—an issue that must be recognized and dealt with if Christians are to read Philemon faithfully. Pastors and scholars will find in this volume the insight they need to preach and teach this controversial book in meaningful new ways.