The Power of Images in Paul
Published on 1. August 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
328 pages
978-0-8146-5963-2 (ISBN)
Description
In his letters to the early Christian communities, the apostle Paul left for Christians of all time an array of powerful images: from the pain of a thorn in the flesh to the tenderness of a nursing mother for her children, from the competition on an athletic field to the growth of an agricultural field. In The Power of Images in Paul, Raymond Collins explores how Paul uses the ordinary to describe what is extraordinary, how Paul skillfully uses a wide range of metaphors as a means of both persuasion and clarification. But this book is more than an analysis of Paul's images themselves. Collins also examines how Paul deliberately draws from secular as well as religious and biblical themes in order to draw a culturally diverse audience into relationship with Christ. Entering Paul's world with Collins, readers will better appreciate Paul's use of metaphor and, more important, be persuaded as was Paul's original audience of God's unfailing love in Christ.
Reviews / Votes
Prof. Collins' study of images in the Pauline epistles runs the gamut from metaphors such as olive trees, athletics and the body to the apostle's biblical allusions and kinship terminology. Single chapters are devoted to a careful analysis of individual letters. In the process Collins recovers many images that have been obscured or mistranslated in modern English versions. Therefore this book is an important reference for anyone engaged in translation or exegesis of the Pauline epistles. Collins also highlights the extraordinary creativity found in Paul's use of imagery as the constellation of metaphors changes from one letter to the next. Paul emerges as a talented rhetorician with senses keenly attuned to the world of the Greco-Roman city and the language of the Scriptures. A major contribution to the new literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament.Pheme Perkins, Department of Theology, Boston College The Power of Images in Paul is a work of sound scholarship that is also accessible to a general audience. An individual or a Bible study group can use it profitably alongside a careful reading of each letter. Those who do so will become more careful readers of Scripture (since Scripture communicates largely through images) and will encounter Paul in new ways. It provides fresh insights to preachers and teachers working through specific Pauline passages and themes. The various images that Collins treats may also provide abundant material for meditation and prayer. For those in search of a reliable and creative resource during this Pauline year, I recommend this volume with great enthusiasm.
America [P]uts the spotlight on Paul's abundant and diverse use of imagery in this extensive study of the apostle's letters.
The Bible Today This book deserves a place on the shelves of those who wish to deepen their appreciation of Paul's place in the history of Christianity.
Prairie Messenger A thorough exploration of the metaphors and other types of images found in Paul's letters. Both Collins' adeptness at exegesis and his respect for the rhetorical abilities of Paul come through in this book. . . . Collins' book will be a useful resource to the teacher, preacher, or student seeking to understand Paul's use of metaphor in general as well as the background, meaning, and rhetorical impact of a particular image found in Paul's letters.
Interpretation
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Collegeville, MN
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
477 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8146-5963-2 (9780814659632)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Raymond F. Collins
The Power of Images in Paul
E-Book
03/2016
1st Edition
Liturgical Press
from
€106.99
Available for download
Person
Raymond F. Collins is a Roman Catholic priest and a New Testament scholar. Most of his academic career was spent at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium, the world's oldest Catholic university, and at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, where he taught and served as the dean of the School of Religious Studies. Among his twenty books are major commentaries on Paul's First and Second Letters to the Corinthians and the Pastoral Epistles, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus.
Content
CONTENTS
Preface vii
Note on References ix
Abbreviations xi
1. The Role of Metaphor in Hellenistic Rhetoric 1
2. The First Letter to the Thessalonians 11
3. The Letter to the Philippians 40
4. The Letter to Philemon 68
5. The Letter to the Galatians 77
6. The First Letter to the Corinthians 109
7. The Second Letter to the Corinthians 150
8. The Letter to the Romans 185
9. Paul's Use of Metaphor 225
Epilogue 262
General Bibliography 264
Index of Scripture References 272
Index of Classical, Jewish, and Patristic Sources 291
Index of Modern Authors 299
Index of Topics 303
Preface vii
Note on References ix
Abbreviations xi
1. The Role of Metaphor in Hellenistic Rhetoric 1
2. The First Letter to the Thessalonians 11
3. The Letter to the Philippians 40
4. The Letter to Philemon 68
5. The Letter to the Galatians 77
6. The First Letter to the Corinthians 109
7. The Second Letter to the Corinthians 150
8. The Letter to the Romans 185
9. Paul's Use of Metaphor 225
Epilogue 262
General Bibliography 264
Index of Scripture References 272
Index of Classical, Jewish, and Patristic Sources 291
Index of Modern Authors 299
Index of Topics 303