James and Paul: The Politics of Identity at the Turn of the Ages

by V. George Shillington (Translator)

Overview

Recent interest in the person and work of James of Jerusalem and in the community he led has sometimes put the apostle Paul in a negative lighta reversal of the more usual pattern in Protestantism, where Paul is the shining light and James is thrust into the shadows. Rather than exaggerating the opposition between these two figures, V. George Shillington seeks to understand them both as Jews, without prejudice, operating under the banner of Jesus crucified and risen, and engaged in different but complementary missions.

Examining what can be reconstructed of both men and their respective missions from Acts read critically and other epistolary and legendary sources, Shillington concludes that the tension between those missions indicates a conflict between different politics of identity, a conflict best understood by granting each figure the integrity of his own very Jewish visionand recognizing the importance of how much they held in common.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451482133
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	06/01/2015
Pages:	382
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

V. George Shillington is professor emeritus at Canadian Mennonite University, Winnipeg. He holds a doctorate from McMaster University. His publications include Jesus and His Parables (editor, 1997); 2 Corinthians (1998); Reading the Sacred Text (2002); An Introduction to the Study of Luke-Acts (2007); The New Testament in Context (2009); and Jesus and Paul before Christianity (2011).

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Abbreviations xi

Prologue xiii

Part I James Rediscovered: "In Step with His Brother"

1 Evidence from the Rhetoric of a Primary Witness 3

2 An Underdeveloped Portrait in the Narrative of Luke-Acts 33

3 An Honorary Epistle 65

4 With holding the Name of the Disciple Whom Jesus Loved 97

5 The Legendary James the Just 121

Part II Paul under Obligation: "As One Untimely Born"

6 Awakening to the Dawn of a New Day 153

7 Between James and Paul: Pre-Pauline Faith Formulas Embedded in Paul's Letters 179

8 The Exercise of Power in the Sphere of Christ 209

9 One Diverse Humanity "in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:26-29) 253

10 Money from the Nations for the Poor Saints in Jerusalem: More Than "A Polite Bribe" 283

11 Conclusion: The Politics of James and Paul 321

Index of Authors 331

Index of Biblical References 335