Although the political interpretation of Paul is still considered something of a novelty in North America and Europe, it is well established in Latin America and among theologians of liberation. In The Practice of Hope, Nstor O. Mguez brings the insights of historical-critical study and political analysis together with incisive theological reflection. Taking on European philosophical interpretations of Paul, the "North Atlantic consensus" regarding social stratification in the Pauline churches, and the distortions of "rapture" theology, Mguez situates Paul's mission in the political context of Roman Thessalonica and reads his first letter in engagement with Latin American realities. The result is a surprising rediscovery of Paul as an organic intellectual for whom hope is always a socially concrete reality.
Author(s): Nestor O. Miguez (editor)
Series: Paul in Critical Contexts
Edition: 1
Publisher: Fortress Press
Year: 2012
Language: English
Pages: 243
Contents
Foreword
Preface
1: Introduction: Paul’s Relevance Today
2: Methodological Considerations
3: Antecedents and Thesis
4: The Urban Character of the Church among Gentiles
5: Life in Thessalonica
6: Social Composition of the Church of Thessalonica
7: Paul and the Gentile Church
8: The Political Analogy in Pauline Language
9: The Text of the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians
10: The Missionary Project of Paul in the First Letter to the Thessalonians
11: The Risk and Future of Paul’s Strategy
12: An Excluding Option
13: The Awaited Revolution
Excursus 1: On the Rapture
14: The Counterhegemonic Strategy
15: Paul in Thessalonica according to Acts
16: Paul as a “Strategist” and “the Christian Revolution”
Excursus 2: Nascent Christianity Viewed by the Empire
Excursus 3: A Hermeneutical and Theological Reflection
Notes
Bibliography
Index