The Pauline Churches
A Socio-Historical Study of Institutionalization in the Pauline and Deutrero-Pauline Writings

The author studies the Pauline corpus in order to trace the process of institutionalisation in the Pauline communities.

Margaret Y. MacDonald (Author)

9780521616058, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 2 December 2004

304 pages
21.7 x 13.9 x 2.1 cm, 0.408 kg

The author studies the Pauline corpus in order to trace the process of institutionalisation in the Pauline communities. She claims that development can be traced since we have not only letters from Paul himself, but also the Pastoral epistles from the beginning of the second century, as well as Ephesians and Colossians, writings which are characteristic of the ambiguous period following the disappearance of the earliest authorities. This is the first substantial examination of the Pauline corpus from this angle; it also incorporates effectively insights from the social sciences.

Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
1. The project
2. The social sciences and New Testament interpretation
3. Methodological limits and possibilities
4. Where from here?
Part I. Paul: Community-Building Institutionalization: 5. Attitidues to the world/ethics
6. Ministry
7. Ritual
8. Belief
9. General conclusion
Part II. Colossians and Ephesians: Community-Stabilizing Institutionalization: 10. Attitudes to the world/ethics
11. Ministry
12. Ritual
13. Belief
14. General conclusion
Part III. The Pastoral Epistles: Community-Protecting Institutionalization: 15. Attitidues to the world/ethics
16. Ministry
17. Ritual
18. Belief
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index of Biblical passages discussed
Subject index.

Subject Areas: Biblical studies & exegesis [HRCG]