Thursday, November 30, 2017

Newman, Paul's Glory-Christology

REISSUED IN PAPERBACK BY BAYLOR UNIVERSITY PRESS:
Title: Paul's Glory-Christology
Sub-title: Tradition & Rhetoric

Series: (Library of Early Christology Series)
By (author): Carey C. Newman
ISBN10-13: 1481307967 : 9781481307963
Illustrations: 5 illus
Format: Paperback
Size: 230x155mm
Pages: 323
Weight: .542 Kg.
Published: Baylor University Press (US) - August 2017
List Price: 38.50 Pounds Sterling
Availability: In Stock Qty Available: 7
Subjects: History of religion : Church history : New Testaments : Biblical studies & exegesis : Christian theology

Glory formed an essential part of early Christianity's christological vocabulary. Along with "word", "image" and "wisdom" Glory (doxa) language worked to define the identity, status, and even uniqueness of Christian belief in Jesus. In this book Carey C Newman, using methodology developed in semantics, semiotics, and literary theory, examines the origin and rhetoric of Paul's Glory-language. Newman divides the investigation into three distinct tasks: (1) to plot the tradition -- history of Glory that formed part of Paul's linguistic world, (2) to examine Paul's letters, in light of the reconstructed tradition -- history of Glory, in order to discern the rationale of Paul's identification of Christ as Glory, and (3) to map out the implications of such an identification for Paul's theological and rhetorical strategy. Newman reaches four conclusions for understanding Paul. First, Paul inherited a symbolic universe with signs already full of signification. Second, awareness of the connotative range of a surface symbol aids in discerning Paul's precise contingent strategy. Third, knowing a symbol's referential power defines and contributes to the deeper structure of Paul's theological grammar. Finally, the heuristic power within the construals of the Glory tradition coalesce in Paul's Christophany and thus provide coherence at the deepest level of Paul's Christology. Taken together, these conclusions reveal that nothing less than Paul's declaration of Jesus as God is expressed in his designation of Jesus as Glory.
Another in Baylor's new Library of Early Christology reprint series, on which more here and links.

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