Paul’s Suffering and Weakness in 2 Corinthians: Reading from a Disability Perspective
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
Missionary, theologian, and church leader, the apostle Paul is one of the giants of the Christian faith. He is also, Dr. Royal L. Pakhuongte suggests, a person who suffered from disability.
Combining a disability perspective with rhetorical and sociological criticism, Pakhuongte explores 2 Corinthians through the lens of a disability hermeneutic. He examines Paul’s conflict with the Corinthian church against the sociological backdrop of Jewish and Greco-Roman culture, both of which rejected those deemed disabled as unfit for leadership, corporate worship, or, in some cases, life itself. Pakhuongte demonstrates that the depth of Paul’s suffering is best understood in the context of this stigmatization, which, far from being peripheral to Paul’s ministry, had profound impact on Paul’s gospel message.
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- Explores 2 Corinthians through the lens of a disability hermeneutic.
- Examines Paul’s conflict with the Corinthian church.
- Demonstrates that the depth of Paul’s suffering is best understood in the context of this stigmatization.
Royal Pakhoungte takes his readers on a tour de force with a passionate, engaging, and critical reinvestigation of Paul’s apostolic suffering from a disability perspective. As a skilled exegete, aided with sociological and rhetorical tools of interpretation, he brings the relevant passages from 2 Corinthians to life from their original social context that stigmatized the disabled bodies. By examining Paul’s suffering compounded by his physical disability, Royal successfully exhumes the mostly overlooked liberative theological insights embedded within the text to affirm the dignity of a disabled person. Hence, he invites the church to be the alternate space in the world celebrating the physical differences without hierarchy and stigma. I highly recommend this book for all, both students and theologians.
--Roji Thomas George, DTh. Professor of New Testament, South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies, Bangalore, India
This interesting book focuses on Paul’s narration of suffering and weakness in 2 Corinthians from a disability perspective, analysing the mental and psychological pressures that Paul experienced in his life and ministry. The author has developed a disability hermeneutic that critically examines the effect of societal attitudes, which are themselves disabling for a person who is already struggling with physical challenges. His thorough investigation is an important contribution that fills the gap in Pauline scholarship in the area of disability discourse.
--Susan Mathew, PhD. Professor of New Testament, Faith Theological Seminary, Manakala, India. Founder-Director of Deepti Special School and Rehabilitation Centre, Manakala, India
- Title: Paul’s Suffering and Weakness in 2 Corinthians: Reading from a Disability Perspective
- Author: Royal L. Pakhuongte
- Publisher: Langham
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Pages: 311
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
- Subjects: Bible. N.T. 2 Corinthians › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Paul, the Apostle, Saint; People with disabilities in the Bible
- ISBNs: 9781839736476, 9781839736483, 9781839736490, 183973647X, 1839736488, 1839736496
- Resource ID: LLS:PLSSFFR2CRNTHNS
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2023-10-17T20:15:11Z
