Mission-Commitment in Ancient Judaism and in the Pauline Communities

by John Dickson

Publisher:

Mohr Siebeck

, 2003

Overview

The extent to which Jewish and Christian communities of the first century evidenced ‘proselytising’ tendencies has been hotly contested in recent research, with scholars tending either to deny outright or affirm emphatically the presence of ‘mission’ in the synagogue or the church. Through a thorough historical and philological examination of Second Temple Jewish literature and the epistles of Paul, John P. Dickson offers a carefully nuanced picture of the shape and extent of mission-commitment in Judaism and early Christianity. Particularly significant is the author’s contention that the mission outlook of the apostle Paul—both in his self-conception and in his expectations of converts—was shaped decisively by his Jewish heritage.

Key Features

• Contextualizes Christian mission and its Jews background
• Presents contemporary views on Paul’s thought and theology
• Studies extrabiblical literature to bring context to biblical literature

Contents

• Winning the Gentiles: Mission and Missionaries in Ancient Judaism
• Promoting the Torah: Mission-Commitment Amongst the Jewish Faithful
• Heralds and Partners: The Structure of Pauline Mission
• Heralds at Home: Evangelists and the Local Church
• The Eschatological Herald: Gospel and Authorization from Isaiah to Paul
• Providing for the Gospel: Mission-Commitment as Financial Assistance
• Interceding for the Gospel: Mission-Commitment as Prayer
• Not ‘Leaving the World’: Mission-Commitment as Social Integration
• Adorning the Gospel:Mission-Commitment as Ethical Apologetic
• Words of Truth and Grace: Mission-Commitment as Public Worship and as Verbal Apologetic
• Summary and Conclusions: Mission-Commitment in Ancient Judaism and in the Pauline Communities

Product Details

• Title: Mission-Commitment in Ancient Judaism and in the Pauline Communities: The Shape, Extent and Background of Early Christian Mission
• Author: John Dickson
• Series: Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament (WUNT)
• Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
• Publication Date: 2003
• Pages: 413
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Pauline Studies

About John Dickson

John Dickson is a senior research fellow of the department of ancient history at Macquarie University. He is also codirector of the Center for Public Christianity and senior minister at St. Andrew’s Roseville. Dickson is the author of more than a dozen books, including The Christ Files: How Historians Know What They Know about Jesus, Life of Jesus: Who He Is and Why He Matters, and, with Chuck Pierce, The Worship Warrior.