Paul and the Roman Imperial Order

Together the nine articles in this volume address many of the key issues that emerge in Paul's mission and letters. Heen, Elliott, and Knust all bring new insights to different facets of the imperial ideology and provide incisive critical discussion of how particular passages in Paul's letters articulate a position opposed to that ideology. The other articles focus on particular aspects of Roman imperial practices that were highly problematic for Paul's mission, his concerns to...
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Together the nine articles in this volume address many of the key issues that emerge in Paul's mission and letters. Heen, Elliott, and Knust all bring new insights to different facets of the imperial ideology and provide incisive critical discussion of how particular passages in Paul's letters articulate a position opposed to that ideology. The other articles focus on particular aspects of Roman imperial practices that were highly problematic for Paul's mission, his concerns to catalyze an alternative to imperial society, and the viability of his communities- the pyramids of patronage that constituted the hierarchical political-economic order, the institutionalized slavery that formed the basis of the imperial economy and the productivity of households as the fundamental social form, the imperial abuse of the land, and the surveillance and repression of Paul and his assemblies by local officials who maintained the imperial order city by city. The articles also bring a rich variety of fresh perspectives to issues of the relation of Paul and the Roman imperial order, including postcolonial theory, political-anthropological theory (James C. Scott) and feminist theory, along with the new perspective on the imperial cult represented by Price. This collection of articles thus stands at the cutting edge of new scholarship on Paul's mission and letters in his political and cultural context.