Paul and the Second Century

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This is an examination of the apostle Paul within the Second Century, focused upon the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. This volume looks at the imprint and influence that the writings of the Apostle Paul had in the second century examining the Pauline corpus in conjunction with key second century figures and texts, such as Ignatius , Polycarp , and the Epistle of Diognetus . As such this volume is an exercise in the Wirkungsgeschichte or 'effective-history' of Paul. It investigates the impact of Paul's legacy and examines how this legacy shaped the Christianity that emerged in the second century as represented by the Apostolic Fathers, the early Christian Apologists, and among Gnostic and Judeo Christian groups. The contributors are experts in their respective areas. Each contributor in turn examines how a given document or group reflects the influence of Paul's life, letters, and theology and the various and even competing ways in which Paul's legacy may be seen to have been appropriated. As such this is the first volume to present an extended juxtaposition of Paul's thought with such a wide selection of writings from the second century. Formerly the Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement , a book series that explores the many aspects of New Testament study including historical perspectives, social-scientific and literary theory, and theological, cultural and contextual approaches, The Early Christianity in Context series, a part of JSNTS , examines the birth and development of early Christianity up to the end of the third century CE. The series places Christianity in its social, cultural, political and economic context. European Seminar on Christian Origins and Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Supplement are also part of JSNTS .

Reviews

The substantial contribution of many of the essays in this volume comes in documenting which aspects of Pauline thought and which texts influenced with second-century church father in what way. This volume thus in some senses documents the early history of Pauls influence in shaping thought within the church and without. -- Tom Wilson * Anvil *

Author Bio

Dr. Michael Bird (Ph.D, University of Queensland, Australia) teaches New Testament and Greek at Highland Theological College in Scotland, UK.He has published in several different academic journals including Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus, Currents in Biblical Research, Bulletin for Biblical Research, Tyndale Bulletin, Westminster Theological Journal, Trinity Journal, and Evangelical Quarterly.
Joseph R. Dodson is Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies at the Ouachita Baptist University, USA.