Paul's Non-Violent Gospel: The Theological Politics of Peace in Paul's Life and Letters

Rather than viewing the Apostle Paul's many references to peace and non-retaliation as generalized ethical principles drawn from Paul's background, Jeremy Gabrielson argues that peace and non-retaliation should be understood in relation to Paul's biography of being a violent persecutor of Jesus' followers. After his "Damascus road" experience, Paul zealously announced the gospel, but abandoned his violent ways. His apostolic vocation included calling and equipping assemblies of people whose common life was ordered by a politics characterized by peaceableness. This political dimension of Paul's gospel, in continuity with the earliest evidence we possess regarding Jesus and his disciples, stands in stark contrast to the politics of both the contemporary Roman imperial power as well as those who would seek to replace Rome by violent means.

Author: Jeremy Gabrielson
Publisher: Pickwick Publications
Published: 11/01/2013
Pages: 218
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.20w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9781498267052

About the Author
Jeremy Gabrielson (PhD, University of St. Andrews) lives in Scotts Valley, California.