Paul and the Power of Sin: Redefining 'Beyond the Pale' (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, Series Number 115)

This study seeks to base Paul's language of sin in the socio-cultural context of his original letters. T.L. Carter draws on the work of social anthropologist Mary Douglas to conduct a cross-cultural analysis of the symbolism of the power of sin in the letters, examining thoroughly Douglas' "Grid and Group" model and defending its use as a heuristic tool for New Testament scholars. He also offers fresh insight into key passages from 1 Corinthians, Galatians and Romans. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 CONTENTS......Page 11 FIGURES......Page 12 PREFACE......Page 13 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 15 The context of the power of sin......Page 17 The legacy of Augustine......Page 20 Conclusion......Page 30 Introduction......Page 35 Natural Symbols (1st edition, 1970, 3rd USA edition, 1982)......Page 39 Natural Symbols (2nd edition, 1973, 3rd UK edition, 1996)......Page 44 Isenberg and Owen, Malina, Neyrey......Page 47 Cultural Bias (1978)......Page 51 Applying the matrix to Paul......Page 56 Introduction......Page 61 Applying ‘Grid and Group’ to 1 Corinthians......Page 62 Locating Corinth on the matrix......Page 70 Locating Paul on the matrix......Page 79 Conclusion......Page 92 Introduction......Page 94 Applying ‘Grid and Group’ to Galatians......Page 98 Redrawing the boundaries......Page 102 Jerusalem and Antioch......Page 107 Gentile sinners justified in Christ (Gal. 2:15–16)......Page 113 Paul’s answer (Gal. 2:18f.)......Page 121 The curse of the law......Page 127 The power of sin......Page 130 Works of the flesh......Page 134 Conclusion......Page 137 Introduction......Page 140 The purpose of Romans......Page 141 The weak and the strong......Page 144 The theme of the letter......Page 153 Locating Paul on the matrix......Page 159 Insiders and outsiders......Page 162 Romans 3:13a......Page 171 Psalm 9:27–28 LXX......Page 172 Isaiah 59:7–8 MT......Page 173 Psalm 36:2–3 MT......Page 174 Hope for a low grid community......Page 180 New boundaries for old......Page 184 Believing Gentiles as righteous insiders......Page 190 Release from the law......Page 198 A Torah-observant Jew as a sinful outsider......Page 199 Forbidden desire (7:7–12)......Page 201 The conflict between willing and doing......Page 204 The eschatological Spirit......Page 213 Conclusion......Page 218 7 CONCLUSION......Page 220 BIBLIOGRAPHY......Page 226 INDEX OF SELECTED SUBJECTS......Page 243 INDEX TO ANCIENT REFERENCES......Page 247 Paul And The Power Of Sin Seeks To Ground Paul's Language Of Sin In The Socio-cultural Context Of His Original Letters. T.l. Carter Draws On The Work Of Social Anthropologist Mary Douglas To Conduct A Cross-cultural Analysis Of The Symbolism Of The Power Of Sin In The Letters, Examining Thoroughly Douglas' 'grid And Group' Model And Defending Its Use As A Heuristic Tool For New Testament Scholars. He Uses This Model To Examine The Social Location Of Paul And The Communities To Which He Wrote, And Offers A Fresh Insight Into Key Passages From 1 Corinthians, Galatians And Romans. Carter Concludes That An Important Part Of Paul's Purpose Was To Safeguard The Position Of Law-free Gentile Believers By Redrawing Social Boundaries Along Eschatological Rather Than Ethnic Lines.--jacket. 1. Introduction -- 2. 'grid And Group' -- 3. Physical And Social Boundaries In Corinth -- 4. Exclusive Boundaries In Galatia -- 5. Small Bounded Groups In Rome -- 6. Inclusive Boundaries In Rome -- 7. Conclusion. T.l. Carter. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 210-226) And Indexes. Paul and the Power of Sin, first published in 2001, seeks to ground Paul's language of sin in the socio-cultural context of his original letters. T. L. Carter draws on the work of social anthropologist Mary Douglas to conduct a cross-cultural analysis of the symbolism of the power of sin in the letters, examining thoroughly Douglas''Grid and Group'model and defending its use as a heuristic tool for New Testament scholars. He uses this model to examine the social location of Paul and the communities to which he wrote and offers a fresh insight into key passages from 1 Corinthians, Galatians and Romans. Carter concludes that an important part of Paul's purpose was to safeguard the position of law-free Gentile believers by redrawing social boundaries along eschatological rather than ethnic lines. Paul and the Power of Sin, first published in 2001, seeks to ground Paul's language of sin in the socio-cultural context of his original letters. T.L. Carter draws on the work of social anthropologist Mary Douglas to conduct a cross-cultural analysis of the symbolism of the power of sin in the letters, examining thoroughly Douglas' 'Grid and Group' model and defending its use as a heuristic tool for New Testament scholars. He uses this model to examine the social location of Paul and the communities to which he wrote and offers a fresh insight into key passages from 1 Corinthians, Galatians and Romans. Carter concludes that an important part of Paul's purpose was to safeguard the position of law-free Gentile believers by redrawing social boundaries along eschatological rather than ethnic lines The Oxford English Dictionary defines sin as 'A transgression of the divine law and an offense against God, a violation (especially wilful or deliberate) of some religious or moral principle.' This 2001 book seeks to ground Paul's language of sin in the socio-cultural context of his original letters