Paul and Empire Criticism: Why and How?

by Najeeb T. Haddad

Publisher:

Cascade Books

, 2023

The world's ever growing highly partisan political environment has fuelled a renewed interest in the study of politics in the New Testament. This interest has given rise to "empire criticism," which attempts to understand how the Roman Empire affected the early Christian communities and writings. The subgenre of "Paul and empire" studies has produced several important studies, but none have offered a clear methodological approach to this topic. This book fills this lacuna by introducing readers to the difficulties of method in Paul and empire studies, as well as introducing them to contemporary methods, debates, and other issues. Most importantly, it will be a guide for learning to apply sound methods to this field of study.

Praise for Paul and Empire Criticism

“Finding a reliable starting point is critical to any new method in biblical studies. In this book, Najeeb Haddad achieves this for the new methodology called ‘empire criticism,’ which analyzes Paul’s complex views of civil government. Haddad separates the chaff from the wheat in this new approach to Paul’s letters to place it on a sound footing and to avoid overinterpretations. A lucid, balanced, and reliable resource!”

—Ronald D. Witherup, PSS, author of Scripture and Tradition in the Letters of Paul



“Among many Pauline scholars it is a truism that several of Paul’s texts are anti-imperial. In this volume, Najeeb Haddad takes this truism and puts it to the test. Methodologically rigorous, historically astute, and exegetically thoughtful, Haddad shows that most of our judgments about Paul and the Roman Empire need to be rethought and made in much more complex and nuanced terms. This volume is a superb introduction to the topic of Paul and empire.”

—Stephen Fowl, Loyola University Maryland

Product Details

• Title: Paul and Empire Criticism: Why and How?
• Author: Najeeb T. Haddad
• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Print Publication Date: 2023
• Logos Release Date: 2023
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Ebook
• ISBNs: 9781725271883, 9781725271876, 9781725271869, 1725271885, 1725271877, 1725271869
• Resource ID: LLS:9781725271883
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-03-01T03:13:08Z

About Najeeb T. Haddad

Najeeb T. Haddad is Chair and Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Notre Dame of Maryland University. He is the author of Paul, Politics, and New Creation (2021).