Portraits of Paul : an archaeology of ancient personality

The authors focus on Paul to discern how ancient persons understood themselves, other people, and the world around them, believing that biblical interpretation can be skewed if contemporary presuppositions about personality are imposed on history.

How did ancient persons understand themselves, other people, and the world around them? Is there a marked contrast between their understandings of self and other and the way modern Westerners define those concepts? Bruce Malina and Jerome Neyrey focus on the figure of Paul to provide a comprehensive investigation of how one man was perceived in the ancient world. Drawing on primary sources from antiquity, as well as lessons from cultural anthropology, the authors help provide a fuller understanding of the person of Paul and his world. By doing so, they offer readers a new, and more balanced, way to approach the New Testament.

Society of Biblical Literature - John H. Elliott

...[A] collaborative effort of two of the most innovative authors on the present exegetical scene, is a fascinating and pioneering introduction to the manner in which ancient Mediterraneans conceived of the self and how they perceived and evaluated the personality traits of their contemporaries....methodologically well conceived and cogently presented. Its theoretical argument is clearly and persuasively laid out; illustrations and supportive evidence are richly provided; technical terms are always clearly defined and illustrated.

How did ancient persons understand themselves, other people, and the world around them? Is there a marked contrast between their understandings of "self" and "other" and the way modern Westerners define the same? Bruce Malina and Jerome Neyrey focus on the figure of Paul to provide a comprehensive investigation of how one man was perceived in the ancient world. Drawing on primary sources from antiquity, as well a lessons from cultural anthropology, the authors help provide a fuller understanding of the person of Paul and his world. The result is a new, more balanced way to approach the New Testament.