Portraits of Paul: An Archaeology of Ancient Personality

by Bruce J. Malina, Jerome H. Neyrey

Overview

How did ancient persons understand themselves, other people, and the world around them? Is there a marked contrast between their understandings of "self" and "other" and the way modern Westerners define the same? Bruce Malina and Jerome Neyrey focus on the figure of Paul to provide a comprehensive investigation of how one man was perceived in the ancient world. Drawing on primary sources from antiquity, as well a lessons from cultural anthropology, the authors help provide a fuller understanding of the person of Paul and his world. The result is a new, more balanced way to approach the New Testament.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780664256814
Publisher:	Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date:	07/01/1996
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.65(d)

About the Author

Bruce J. Malina is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity of the Department of Theology at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Jerome H. Neyrey is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana and executive secretary of The Context Group in South Bend, Indiana.

Editorial Reviews

...[A] collaborative effort of two of the most innovative authors on the present exegetical scene, is a fascinating and pioneering introduction to the manner in which ancient Mediterraneans conceived of the self and how they perceived and evaluated the personality traits of their contemporaries....methodologically well conceived and cogently presented. Its theoretical argument is clearly and persuasively laid out; illustrations and supportive evidence are richly provided; technical terms are always clearly defined and illustrated.
— Society of Biblical Literature

John H. Elliott