Paul's Letter To The Romans And Roman Imperialism [Hardcover]

Description: This book seeks to demonstrate that the Letter to the Romans may be seen as an attempt by a subordinate group to redress actual and potential issues of confrontation with the Empire, and to offer hope, even in the crisis of facing death. Paul demonstrates that it is God's peace and not Rome's peace that is important; that loyalty to the exalted Jesus as Lord and to the kingdom of God--not Jupiter and Rome--leads to salvation; that grace flows from Jesus as Christ and Lord and not from the benefactions of the Emperor. If the resurrection of Jesus--the crucified criminal of the Roman Empire--demonstrates God's power over the universe and death, the very instrument of Roman control, then the Christ-believer is encouraged to face suffering and death in the hope of salvation through this power. Paul's theology emerges from and is inextricably bound to the politics of his day, the Scriptures of his people, and to the critical fact that the God who is one and Lord of all is still in charge of the world. Endorsements: A model of what exegesis must be in a global, postmodern world. Ian Rock's remarkable study of Romans 1:1-17 (and 9-11) makes explicit (1) its analytical/textual frame (a rigorous historical critical/political and rhetorical exegesis), (2) its contextual frame (Rock's experience of the interaction of imperialism and religion in the Caribbeans and in Rome), and (3) its hermeneutical/ideological frame (striking theological insights in Paul's letter). --Dr. Daniel Patte Professor of Religious Studies, New Testament and Early Christianity, Vanderbilt University Co-editor of the series Romans through History and Cultures Editor of The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity (2010) This book enables us to listen to Paul again as he speaks in Romans. Just when we thought we had heard all that St. Paul had to say, Dr. Rock invites us to listen again. When we do so, we hear some new things that, like the old ones, can lead us to a deeper understandló