Paul's Gift from Philippi: Conventions of Gift Exchange and Christian Giving

by G. W. Peterman

Overview

This book is a study of Paul's response to the financial help he received from the church in Philippi while he was a prisoner in Rome. It examines Philippians 4.10-20 in the light of Greek and Roman practices and language regarding the exchange of gifts and favors in society. Dr. Peterman concludes that "gift exchange" or "social reciprocity" permeated every level of society in Paul's day, and that Paul's seemingly ungracious response was an attempt to create a new, Christian attitude to gifts and to giving.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521572200
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	03/28/1997
Series:	Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series , #92
Pages:	260
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.75(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; List of Abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. Giving and receiving in the Old Testament and extra-biblical Jewish literature; 3. Giving and receiving in the Graeco-Roman world; 4. Partnership in Philippians 1-2; 5. Philippians 4.10-20: Paul's thank-you section; 6. Giving and receiving elsewhere in Paul's letters; 7. Conclusions and Implications; Appendix A: a selection of Seneca's texts; Appendix B: other uses of ∆O∑I∑ KAI AHM¥I∑; Appendix C: the support of wandering preachers and philosophers; Bibliography, Index of Greaco-Roman authors, Papyri and inscriptions; Index of biblical books with apocrypha and fathers; Index of modern authors.

Editorial Reviews

Paul's supposedly grudging acknowledgment of the Philippians' gift in Phil. 4:10-20 has vexed one commentator after another....Peterman's work...seeks to redress this lapse....Peterman presents a clear, concise, and well-mapped thesis which is a welcome addition to recent studies exploring the social conventions underlying NT texts. Whether or not Peterman is right in every detail of exegesis, he is right on the basic methodology....[He] provides convincing arguments that Paul's thank-you was not an afterthought or a tactless expression of ingratitude.
— Society of Biblical Literature

David E. Garland

"Peterman's work also adds to our knowledge of conventions of social reciprocity in the Greco-Roman world and provides weighty countervailing evidence against arguments that would chop the letter to the Philippians into an assortment of separate letters sent at different times." David E. Garland, Journal of Biblical Literature

"...Peterman's book is an important contribution to our understanding of the letter and of Paul's rich theology of Christian giving." James Ware, Religious Studies Review

From the Publisher