The Scandal of Community: Pauline Factions and the Circulation of Grace (Paul in Critical Contexts)

Taylor M. Weaver offers a provocative reading of Pauline community, focusing on social and historical readings of the Pauline collection, body metaphors, and socio-politics of the gift, through models and methods developed by critical theorists. Weaver pays attention to conceptual apparatuses revolving around gifting, community, and immunity found in the writings of Italian philosopher Roberto Esposito, augmenting common readings of the historical Paul, while also enriching philosophical co-optations of Paul. Using critical theories (revolving around munus/gift), Weaver unveils different gifting types, showing how these expand one’s understanding of early Christian community. The study ends with a new exegesis of 2 Corinthians 8:1–15, illuminating the text through effective theoretical avenues. This book expands methodological borders, providing innovative models of Pauline Christianity, and developing new readings of community profitable to both New Testament studies and theory. Cover 1 The Scandal of Community 2 Series page 3 The Scandal of Community: Pauline Factions and the Circulation of Grace 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction 12 Contouring the Pauline 14 Community Manifestations and Radical Pauls 15 Departing from Past Interventions 16 Esposito and Communitas 18 Layout of the Project 20 Notes 22 Part 1 The Espositoan Community 26 Chapter 1 28 Esposito and the Contours of Communitas 28 Describing Esposito’s Work 29 Gifting: A Brief Derridean Account 34 Reworking Community 38 Community, Political Philosophy, and Being 41 Immunitarian Shifts 46 Conclusion 54 Notes 55 Chapter 2 70 Contemporary Orientations of Community 70 Before Esposito: A Web of Communities 71 Conclusion 81 Notes 82 Chapter 3 86 Neoliberal Communities 86 The Individual and the Market 89 Mechanisms of Terror 96 The Entrance of the Hobbesian Specter 97 Neoliberal Communities of Death 105 Conclusion 107 Notes 108 Part 2 Delegating a Space 116 Chapter 4 118 Reading Paul through Distorted Optics 118 Hermeneutics, Theology, Philosophy 121 Paul and the Philosophers 127 Badiou and Paul: Re-Orienting the Badiouian Figuration 129 Critiquing Completion 138 Coming Back Around: Bultmann and the Philosophers 142 Conclusion 146 Notes 147 Chapter 5 160 Pauline Community 160 Reading Pauline Community 164 The Pauline Social Body: Gifts in Common 167 Social Activity and Associations 194 Conclusion 196 Notes 196 Chapter 6 216 The Pauline Communitas 216 Reviewing Espositoan Themes 219 Bodies and the Pauline Immunitarian Agent 231 Notes 234 Conclusion 238 Bibliography 240 Index 260 About the Author 266 Weaver offers a provocative reading of Pauline community, focusing on social and historical readings of the Pauline collection, body metaphors, and sociopolitics of the gift, through models and methods developed by critical theorists. He pays attention to conceptual apparatuses revolving around gifting, community, and immunity found in the writings of Italian philosopher Roberto Esposito, augmenting common readings of the historical Paul, while also enriching philosophical co-optations of Paul.. Using critical theories, Weaver unveils different gifting types, showing how these expand one's understanding of ealy Christian community,. The study ends with a new exegesis of 2 Corinthians 8:1-15, illuminating the text through effective theoretical avenues. This book expands methodological borders, providing innovative models of Pauline Christianity, and developing new readings of community profitable to both New Testament studies and theory. --Book cover Using the thought of Italian philosopher Robert Esposito, Taylor M. Weaver provides a new reading of Pauline community.