Bearing Christ's reproach : the challenge of Hebrews in an honor culture / by David A. deSilva.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

deSilva, David A., 1967-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Hebrews--Socio-rhetorical criticism.

Bible.

Bible. Hebrews.

Honor in the Bible.

Socio-rhetorical criticism of sacred works.

Physical Description:

x, 169 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

North Richland Hills, Tex. : BIBAL Press, [1999]

Summary:

Early Christians faced a number of challenges to persevering in their commitment to the new movement which was spreading throughout the Mediterranean. Rarely during the first century did they experience persecution in the form of official sanctions or executions, but very commonly they faced a variety of levels of unofficial pressure to return to the values and commitments of the culture from which they converted, whether Greco-Roman or Jewish. The Epistle to the Hebrews provides a window into how the larger society applied pressure to early Christians to shame them back into conformity with their neighbors, as well as into one Christian leader's strategies for insulating his readers from those pressures. As such, Hebrews becomes an illuminating text for considering how, in every age, to sustain commitment to the Christian world-view and ethos in a non-supportive environment. Intended for the non-specialist.

Contents:

Reading Hebrews within an honor culture. Hebrews and honor. Honor and classical rhetoric. Honor and the rhetoric of minority cultures

The situation of the addressees. The setting and purpose of Hebrews in scholarly debate. The community's experience of dishonor. The community's responses to dishonor. The author's strategy for reshaping the response

Despising shame : the negation of society's social control. Jesus, the "Perfecter of Faith." The witnesses of faith. The example of the community

Honor, gratitude, and the divine patron. The honor of Christ. The son and God's favor. The danger of violating the bond of patronage

The path to honor. The alternate court of reputation. The foundations of Christian honor. The reinterpretation of disgrace. The path to honor.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 137-147) and indexes.

ISBN:

094103786X

OCLC:

42463517