Paul Trebilco
University of Otago, Theology and Religion, Faculty Member
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What terms did early Christians use for outsiders? How did they refer to non-members? In this book-length investigation of these questions, Paul Trebilco explores the outsider designations that the early Christians used in the New... more
What terms did early Christians use for outsiders? How did they refer to non-members? In this book-length investigation of these questions, Paul Trebilco explores the outsider designations that the early Christians used in the New Testament. He examines a range of terms, including unbelievers, 'outsiders', sinners, Gentiles, Jews, among others. Drawing on insights from social identity theory, sociolinguistics, and the sociology of deviance, he investigates the usage and development of these terms across the New Testament, and also examines how these outsider designations function in boundary construction across several texts. Trebilco's analysis leads to new conclusions about the identity and character of the early Christian movement, the range of relations between early Christians and outsiders, and the theology of particular New Testament authors.
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CHAPTER 2 THE DIASPORA FROM 66 TO c. 235 CE ALLEN KERKESLAGER, CLAUDIA SETZER, PAUL TREBILCO, AND DAVID GOODBLATT I THE JEWS IN EGYPT AND CYRENAICA, 66-c. 235 C: E ALLEN KERKESLAGER A INTRODUCTION The ...
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Lithium aluminium hydride reductions of 2,2-dimethyl-3-phenyIhex-4-yn-3-ol (5a) and its methoxy (5b) and dimethoxy (5c) derivatives are reported. The nature of the solvent dependence of these reactions is identified, and the mode of... more
Lithium aluminium hydride reductions of 2,2-dimethyl-3-phenyIhex-4-yn-3-ol (5a) and its methoxy (5b) and dimethoxy (5c) derivatives are reported. The nature of the solvent dependence of these reactions is identified, and the mode of formation of the products of the reactions determined.
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Different languages associate parts of the body with different func-tions. In the New Testament, the heart is the centre of the inner life, including the understanding, emotions, will, and spiritual life. This is in contrast to... more
Different languages associate parts of the body with different func-tions. In the New Testament, the heart is the centre of the inner life, including the understanding, emotions, will, and spiritual life. This is in contrast to contemporary English, where the heart is most strongly associated with the emotions alone. When Paul writes of the Spirit in connection with the human heart in Galatians 4:6, Romans 5:5, and 2 Corinthians 1:22, we can see in context that he is not simply think-ing of the heart as the centre of emotions, but also as the centre of thinking, understanding, volition, and decision-making. Accordingly, contemporary readers risk misunderstanding the depths of what Paul is saying in these verses.
Different languages associate parts of the body with different func-tions. In the New Testament, the heart is the centre of the inner life, including the understanding, emotions, will, and spiritual life. This is in contrast to... more
Different languages associate parts of the body with different func-tions. In the New Testament, the heart is the centre of the inner life, including the understanding, emotions, will, and spiritual life. This is in contrast to contemporary English, where the heart is most strongly associated with the emotions alone. When Paul writes of the Spirit in connection with the human heart in Galatians 4:6, Romans 5:5, and 2 Corinthians 1:22, we can see in context that he is not simply think-ing of the heart as the centre of emotions, but also as the centre of thinking, understanding, volition, and decision-making. Accordingly, contemporary readers risk misunderstanding the depths of what Paul is saying in these verses.
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The purpose of this introductory chapter - as the title says - is to set the scene for the coming chapters: providing definitions of some of the more central concepts, and a description of the overall structure of the book and how... more
The purpose of this introductory chapter - as the title says - is to set the scene for the coming chapters: providing definitions of some of the more central concepts, and a description of the overall structure of the book and how different chapters relate to each other. However, we would like to start the chapter with some general comments on the role and importance of cities in the world today.
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In the tradition of The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks, this book explores the relationship between the earliest Christians and the city environment. Experts in classics, early Christianity, and human geography analyze the growth,... more
In the tradition of The First Urban Christians by Wayne Meeks, this book explores the relationship between the earliest Christians and the city environment. Experts in classics, early Christianity, and human geography analyze the growth, development, and self-understanding of the early Christian movement in urban settings. The book's contributors first look at how the urban physical, cultural, and social environments of the ancient Mediterranean basin affected the ways in which early Christianity progressed. They then turn to how the earliest Christians thought and theologized in their engagement with cities. With a rich variety of expertise and scholarship, The Urban World and the First Christians is an important contribution to the understanding of early Christianity.
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This paper discusses, in two parts, the 'self-designations' for their readers which were used by the authors of the Pastoral Epistles (here in part one), the Johannine Letters and Revelation (to follow in part two). Different... more
This paper discusses, in two parts, the 'self-designations' for their readers which were used by the authors of the Pastoral Epistles (here in part one), the Johannine Letters and Revelation (to follow in part two). Different ways in which self-designations might relate to terms ...
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This paper discusses, in two parts, the 'self-designations' for their readers which were used by the authors of the Pastoral Epistles (here in part one), the Johannine Letters and Revelation (to follow in part two). Different ways... more
This paper discusses, in two parts, the 'self-designations' for their readers which were used by the authors of the Pastoral Epistles (here in part one), the Johannine Letters and Revelation (to follow in part two). Different ways in which self-designations might relate to terms coined by outsiders are considered in the introduction. It is argued that the term 'Christian' was an 'outsider-coined' term, which does not seem to have been regularly used for the purposes of self-designation in the literature considered here. The key terms used for self-designation in the Pastoral Epistles are 'brother and sister' and 'the believers', which, it is argued here, are used both by the author and the readers. Reasons why these particular self-designations were used are offered. Comparative conclusions will follow the investigation of self-designation in the Johannine Letters and Revelation in Part Two.
An analysis of the distribution of self-designations in Acts reveals that Luke’s use of these self-designations is not random. Rather significant insight into Luke’s theology and into early Christian history can be gained by looking at... more
An analysis of the distribution of self-designations in Acts reveals that Luke’s use of these self-designations is not random. Rather significant insight into Luke’s theology and into early Christian history can be gained by looking at the way these self-designations are distributed throughout Acts, when they are actually used, and whether they are used by Luke’s narrator or by actors in his story. The self-designations discussed here are ἀδελφοί, µαθηταί, ἐκκλησία, “the believers” and “the saints” or “the sanctified ones.”
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Summary This paper discusses the ‘self-designations’ for their readers which were used by the Johannine Letters and Revelation. The key terms used in the Johannine Letters are 'brother and sister' and 'children of God' and... more
Summary This paper discusses the ‘self-designations’ for their readers which were used by the Johannine Letters and Revelation. The key terms used in the Johannine Letters are 'brother and sister' and 'children of God' and in Revelation 'saints' and 'servants'. It is argued that in the case of the Pastorals (drawing on our earlier discussion in Part One) and the Johannine Letters these designations are also being used by the readers, whereas the 'world-shaping' nature of John's work means that we cannot say that the key terms that he adopts in order to refer to his readers were currently being used by them. Following these discussions, conclusions are reached with regard to early Christian communities and how they perceived their identity.
1. Introduction, 2. Brothers and sisters â" adelphoi, 3. The believers, 4. The saints â" hoi hagioi, 5. The assembly â" hÄ" ekklÄ" sia, 6. Disciples â" mathÄ" tai, 7. The way â" hÄ" hodos,... more
1. Introduction, 2. Brothers and sisters â" adelphoi, 3. The believers, 4. The saints â" hoi hagioi, 5. The assembly â" hÄ" ekklÄ" sia, 6. Disciples â" mathÄ" tai, 7. The way â" hÄ" hodos, 8.'Christian'â" Christianos, 9. Conclusions.
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It is argued that ἐκκλησία was first used by the Hellenists, probably in Jerusalem, and that it was chosen because of its strong background in the lxx. This raises the issue of why ἐκκλησία was chosen rather than συναγωγή, which occurs... more
It is argued that ἐκκλησία was first used by the Hellenists, probably in Jerusalem, and that it was chosen because of its strong background in the lxx. This raises the issue of why ἐκκλησία was chosen rather than συναγωγή, which occurs over twice as often in the lxx. The case is put that ἐκκλησία was chosen because συναγωγή was already in use by Jewish communities as a designation for their groups and their buildings. This view has not been argued for in detail, and the implications of this choice have not been fully explored. Through the use of ἐκκλησία the Hellenists could express their continuity with the OT ‘assembly’ of the people of God and could also distinguish themselves from other Jewish communities, without making the claim that they alone were the heirs of that people.
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It is argued that ἐκκλησία was first used by the Hellenists, probably in Jerusalem, and that it was chosen because of its strong background in the lxx. This raises the issue of why ἐκκλησία was chosen rather than συναγωγή, which occurs... more
It is argued that ἐκκλησία was first used by the Hellenists, probably in Jerusalem, and that it was chosen because of its strong background in the lxx. This raises the issue of why ἐκκλησία was chosen rather than συναγωγή, which occurs over twice as often in the lxx. The case is put that ἐκκλησία was chosen because συναγωγή was already in use by Jewish communities as a designation for their groups and their buildings. This view has not been argued for in detail, and the implications of this choice have not been fully explored. Through the use of ἐκκλησία the Hellenists could express their continuity with the OT ‘assembly’ of the people of God and could also distinguish themselves from other Jewish communities, without making the claim that they alone were the heirs of that people.
Research Interests:
It is argued that ἐκκλησία was first used by the Hellenists, probably in Jerusalem, and that it was chosen because of its strong background in the lxx. This raises the issue of why ἐκκλησία was chosen rather than συναγωγή, which occurs... more
It is argued that ἐκκλησία was first used by the Hellenists, probably in Jerusalem, and that it was chosen because of its strong background in the lxx. This raises the issue of why ἐκκλησία was chosen rather than συναγωγή, which occurs over twice as often in the lxx. The case is put that ἐκκλησία was chosen because συναγωγή was already in use by Jewish communities as a designation for their groups and their buildings. This view has not been argued for in detail, and the implications of this choice have not been fully explored. Through the use of ἐκκλησία the Hellenists could express their continuity with the OT ‘assembly’ of the people of God and could also distinguish themselves from other Jewish communities, without making the claim that they alone were the heirs of that people.
Research Interests:
It is argued that ἐκκλησία was first used by the Hellenists, probably in Jerusalem, and that it was chosen because of its strong background in the lxx. This raises the issue of why ἐκκλησία was chosen rather than συναγωγή, which occurs... more
It is argued that ἐκκλησία was first used by the Hellenists, probably in Jerusalem, and that it was chosen because of its strong background in the lxx. This raises the issue of why ἐκκλησία was chosen rather than συναγωγή, which occurs over twice as often in the lxx. The case is put that ἐκκλησία was chosen because συναγωγή was already in use by Jewish communities as a designation for their groups and their buildings. This view has not been argued for in detail, and the implications of this choice have not been fully explored. Through the use of ἐκκλησία the Hellenists could express their continuity with the OT ‘assembly’ of the people of God and could also distinguish themselves from other Jewish communities, without making the claim that they alone were the heirs of that people.
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Paul was at home in the three worlds of the title of this chapter, which formed a complex and variegated whole. Paul presents us with a range of his Jewish credentials, including that he is ‘a Hebrew born of Hebrews’ and a Pharisee. We... more
Paul was at home in the three worlds of the title of this chapter, which formed a complex and variegated whole. Paul presents us with a range of his Jewish credentials, including that he is ‘a Hebrew born of Hebrews’ and a Pharisee. We have no reason to doubt that he was born in Tarsus and received some education in Jerusalem (Acts 22: 3). A number of dimensions of Paul’s theology can be seen to have come from his Jewish framework of thought, even as he reworks that thought in the light of his new experience in Christ. Dimensions of Paul’s language and thought can also be seen to reflect the all-pervasive Graeco-Roman culture of the day, in which Paul was thoroughly at home. He had received some elements of Hellenistic education and was both a citizen of Tarsus and a Roman citizen. All three contexts are important when we are interpreting Paul’s letters, and we would be wrong to ask if any one context dominated his thought. He was ideally suited then to take a Jewish Gospel to the G...
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© 2004 Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany All rights reserved First published 2004 in Germany by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen This edition published 2007 in the United States of America by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2140 Oak Industrial Drive... more
© 2004 Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany All rights reserved First published 2004 in Germany by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen This edition published 2007 in the United States of America by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2140 Oak Industrial Drive NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan ...
© 2004 Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany All rights reserved First published 2004 in Germany by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen This edition published 2007 in the United States of America by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2140 Oak Industrial Drive... more
© 2004 Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, Germany All rights reserved First published 2004 in Germany by Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen This edition published 2007 in the United States of America by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. 2140 Oak Industrial Drive NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan ...
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A forthcoming book from Eerdmans in Oct 2017