Paul’s Emotional Regime: The Social Function of Emotion in Philippians and 1 Th essalonians

This book is the first full-length treatment of emotion in the Pauline corpus. In his letters Paul speaks often of his emotions, and also promotes certain feelings while banishing others. This indicates that for Paul, emotion is vital. However, in New Testament studies, the study of emotions is still nascent; current research in the social sciences highlights its cognitive and social dimensions. Ian Jew combines rigorous social-scientific analysis and exegetical enquiry to argue that emotions are intrinsic to the formation of the Pauline communities, as they encode belief structures and influence patterns of social experience. Using joy in Philippians and grief in 1 Thessalonians as representative emotions, Jew demonstrates that authorised feeling have socially integrating and differentiating functions; by reinforcing the shared theological realities upon which emotional norms are based, group belonging is bolstered. Simultaneously, authorised emotions fortify the theological boundaries between Christians and others, which strengthens group solidarity in the church by accentuating its members’ insider status. Using this framework heuristically, Jew explores how the interplay of symbolic, ritual, and social elements within Paul’s eschatological worldview reinforces emotional norms, and demonstrates that attention to emotion can only deepen our understanding of the social formation of the early believers. Cover Series Title Copyright Contents Illustrations Foreword Acknowledgements Abbreviations 1 Introduction 1.1. Introductory Comments 1.2. Emotion and Early Christianity: Survey of Research 1.2.1. Studies of Emotion in the Wider New Testament 1.2.1.a. Recent Studies 1.2.1.b. Stephen Barton 1.2.1.c. Katherine M. Hockey 1.2.2. Studies of Emotion in Paul 1.2.2.a. Paul’s Rhetorical Use of Emotional Appeal 1.2.2.b. Paul’s Treatment of Grief 1.2.2.c. Paul’s Notion of Joy 1.2.3. Summary 1.3. Contemporary Emotions Research: Selected Aspects 1.3.1. Overview 1.3.2. Emotions Research in the Social Sciences and Humanities 1.3.3. Emotion: Nature and Terminology 1.3.3.a. The Nature of Emotion and Its Conceptual History 1.3.3.b. Emotion and Cognition 1.3.3.c. ‘Emotion’ as a Portmanteau Term 1.4. Aims of the Study 1.5. Methodological Approach 2 Emotion in Stoicism 2.1. Introduction 2.1.1. Translating πάθος 2.2. The Broader Philosophical Background 2.2.1. Rationality, Virtue, and Eudaimonia 2.2.2. Stoic Physics and the Pneuma 2.2.3. Stoic Psychology of Knowledge and Action 2.2.3.a. Knowledge 2.2.3.b. Action 2.3. The Stoic Understanding of Emotion 2.3.1. The Passions as ‘Excessive’ Impulses 2.3.2. The Passions as Value Judgements 2.3.3. The Taxonomy of the Emotions 2.3.3.a. The Passions 2.3.3.b. The Eupatheiai 2.3.3.c. The Propatheiai 2.3.3.d. ‘Moral Emotions’ 2.4. The Stoic Therapy of Emotion 2.4.1. Reason, Nature, and Oikeiosis 2.4.2. Philosophy as Therapy 2.4.3. The Case for Stoic Therapy 2.4.4. Stoic Therapy in Practice 2.5. The Early Roman Empire Stoics on Grief and Joy 2.5.1. Grief 2.5.1.a. Consolation in Antiquity 2.5.1.b. Seneca on Grief 2.5.1.c. Epictetus on Grief 2.5.2. Joy 2.5.2.a. Joy as a Eupathic Response 2.5.2.b. Seneca on Joy 2.6. Conclusion 3 Joy in Philippians 3.1. The Background to Philippians 3.1.1. Overview 3.1.2. Literary Integrity 3.1.3. Genre 3.1.3.a. A Hortatory Letter of Friendship 3.1.3.b. A Letter of Consolation 3.1.3.c. Other Proposals and Conclusion 3.1.4. Distinctives 3.1.4.a. Lexical Distinctives 3.1.4.b. Thematic Distinctives 3.2. Suffering in Philippians 3.2.1. Paul’s Suffering 3.2.1.a. Paul in Prison (Phil. 1.7, 13-14, 17) 3.2.1.b. The Actions of Paul’s Rivals (Phil. 1.15-17) 3.2.1.c. Paul’s Common Suffering with the Philippians (Phil. 2.17-18) 3.2.2. The Philippians’ Suffering (Phil. 1.27-30) 3.2.3. Christ’s Suffering (Phil. 2.5-11) 3.2.4. The Examples of Paul’s Co-workers (Phil. 2.19-30) 3.2.5. Conclusion 3.3. Joy: Exegetical Considerations 3.3.1. Joy in Partnership in the Gospel (Phil. 1.3-5; 2.28-30; 4.10-19) 3.3.2. Joy in the Gospel’s Advancement 3.3.2.a. Joy and the Progress of the Gospel in Rome (Phil. 1.15-18) 3.3.2.b. Joy and the Progress of the Gospel in the Philippians’ Lives (Phil. 1.18-26; 2.1-4; 4.1) 3.3.2.c. Mutual Joy in the Face of Suffering (Phil. 2.17-18) 3.3.3. Joy ‘in the Lord’: The Eschatological Horizon (Phil. 3.1; 4.4-9) 3.4. The Basis and Function of Joy 3.4.1. The Theological Basis of Joy 3.4.2. The Social Character and Function of Joy 3.5. Conclusion 4 Grief in 1 Thessalonians 4.1. The Background to 1 Thessalonians 4.1.1. Overview 4.1.2. Literary Integrity 4.1.3. Genre 4.1.3.a. A Paraenetic Letter 4.1.3.b. A Letter of Consolation 4.1.3.c. Other Proposals and Conclusion 4.1.4. Distinctives 4.2. Conflict and Suffering in 1 Thessalonians 4.2.1. Introduction 4.2.2. The Nature of the Thessalonians’ Suffering (1 Thess. 1.6) 4.2.3. The Cause of the Thessalonians’ Suffering (1 Thess. 2.14) 4.3. Grief in 1 Thessalonians 4.13-18 4.3.1. Extent of the Passage 4.3.2. The Disclosure Formula 4.3.3. The Circumstances of the Thessalonians’ Grief 4.3.3.a. The Martyrdom of Fellow Believers? 4.3.3.b. Major Hypotheses Concerning the Thessalonians’ Grief 4.3.4. A Prohibition against Grief? 4.4. Consolation in 1 Thessalonians 4.4.1. The Theological Basis of Consolation 4.4.1.a. The Confession of the Church (1 Thess. 4.14) 4.4.1.b. The ‘Word of the Lord’ (1 Thess. 4.15-17) 4.4.1.c. Comfort One Another with These Words (1 Thess. 4.18) 4.4.2. The Social Character and Function of Consolation 4.4.2.a. The Social Regulation of Grief 4.4.2.b. The Thessalonians’ Grief 4.4.2.c. The Social Character of Consolation 4.4.2.d. The Function of Consolation 4.5. Conclusion 5 The Pauline Emotional Regime 5.1. Introduction 5.2. The Early Christians and Emotion 5.2.1. Wayne Meeks’s The First Urban Christians 5.2.2. Moving beyond Meeks: The Social Function of Emotion 5.3. The Sociological Concept of the ‘Emotional Regime’ 5.3.1. The Emotional Regime 5.3.2. Religious Emotional Regimes 5.3.3. Key Characteristics of Religious Emotion 5.3.3.a. Emotional Ordering 5.3.3.b. Emotional Transcendence-Transition 5.3.3.c. Inspiration-Orientation 5.3.4. Dialectical Relationships within an Emotional Regime 5.3.5. The Power of Religious Emotion 5.3.6. Conclusion 5.4. The Function of Emotion in the Pauline Congregations 5.4.1. Introduction 5.4.2. The Integrating and Differentiating Functions of Emotion 5.5. Exploring the Pauline Emotional Regime 5.5.1. Emotional Ordering 5.5.2. Symbols and Emotional Ordering 5.5.3. Instruction, Imitation, and Emotional Ordering 5.5.4. Ritual and Emotional Ordering 5.5.5. Language and Emotional Ordering 5.5.6. Letters and Emotional Ordering 5.5.7. Conclusion 5.6. Comparing the Pauline and Stoic Emotional Regimes 5.6.1. Paul on Joy and Grief 5.6.2. The Stoics on Joy and Grief 5.6.3. Similarities 5.6.4. Differences 5.7. Conclusion 5.7.1. Suggestions for Further Research Bibliography Index of Ancient Sources Index of Subjects In his letters Paul speaks often of his emotions, and also promotes certain feelings while banishing others. This indicates that for Paul, emotion is vital. However, in New Testament studies, the study of emotions is still nascent; current research in the social sciences highlights its cognitive and social dimensions. Ian Y. S. Jew combines rigorous social-scientific analysis and exegetical enquiry to argue that emotions are intrinsic to the formation of the Pauline communities, as they encode belief structures and influence patterns of social experience. By taking joy in Philippians and grief in 1 Thessalonians as representative emotions, and contrasting Paul's approach with that of his Stoic contemporaries, Jew demonstrates that authorized feelings have socially integrating and differentiating functions; by reinforcing the shared theological realities upon which emotional norms are based, group belonging is bolstered. Simultaneously, authorized emotions fortify the theological boundaries between Christians and others, which strengthens group solidarity in the Church by accentuating its members' insider status. Using this framework heuristically, Jew explores how the interplay of symbolic, ritual, and social elements within Paul's eschatological worldview reinforces emotional norms, and demonstrates that attention to emotion can only deepen our understanding of the social formation of the early believers. "This book is the first full-length treatment of emotion in the Pauline corpus. In his letters, Paul speaks often of his emotions, and also promotes certain feelings while banishing others. This indicates that for Paul, emotion is vital. However, in New Testament studies, the study of emotions is still nascent; current research in the social sciences highlights its cognitive and social dimensions. Ian Y.S. Jew combines rigorous social-scientific analysis and exegetical enquiry to argue that emotions are intrinsic to the formation of the Pauline communities, as they encode belief structures and influence patterns of social experience"-- Provided by publisher "This book is the first full-length treatment of emotion in the Pauline corpus. In his letters, Paul speaks often of his emotions, and also promotes certain feelings while banishing others. This indicates that for Paul, emotion is vital. However, in New Testament studies, the study of emotions is still nascent; current research in the social sciences highlights its cognitive and social dimensions. Ian Y. S. Jew combines rigorous social-scientific analysis and exegetical enquiry to argue that emotions are intrinsic to the formation of the Pauline communities, as they encode belief structures and influence patterns of social experience"--