Becoming Christian: Essays on 1 Peter and the Making of Christian Identity (Library of New Testament Studies | LNTS)

by David Horrell

Publisher:

Bloomsbury

, 2013

Overview

The first letter of Peter remains a relatively neglected corner of the New Testament—the number of monographs devoted to it is tiny, compared with those on the Gospels and Pauline letters. This book argues that it offers insight into crucial processes in the development of Christian identity. In particular, 1 Peter illustrates with great clarity the complex ways in which Christian identity was forged from Jewish traditions and negotiated in the generally hostile Roman Empire.

Becoming Christian is a collection of essays that discuss the first letter of Peter in its social and historical setting. In some cases, authors use social-scientific and postcolonial methods to shed light on the ways in which the letter contributes to Christian identity formation. Author David G. Horrell also examines the persecution and suffering of Christians in Asia Minor, the significance of the name “Christian,” and the response of the letter to the hostility encountered by Christians in society. These essays offer significant and original engagements with this letter and will remain a resource for studies of 1 Peter for some time to come.

In the Logos edition, this volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, and a wealth of other resources in your digital library. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

Key Features

• Presents a collection of essays that discuss the first letter of Peter
• Argues that 1 Peter offers insight into the development of Christian identity
• Examines the persecution and suffering of Christians in Asia Minor

Contents

• The Product of a Petrine Circle? Challenging an Emerging Consensus
• The Themes of 1 Peter: Insights from the Earliest Manuscripts
• ‘Already Dead’ or ‘Since Died’? Who are ‘the Dead’ and When was the Gospel Preached to Them (1 Pet. 4.6)?
• Aliens and Strangers? The Socio-Economic Location of the Addressees of 1 Peter
• ‘Race’, ‘Nation’, ‘People’: Ethnoracial Identity Construction in 1 Pet. 2.9
• The Label Χριστιανός (1 Pet. 4.16): Suffering, Conflict, and the Making of Christian Identity
• Between Conformity and Resistance: Beyond the Balch–Elliott Debate Towards a Postcolonial Reading of 1 Peter

Top Highlights

“The description of the addressees as πάροικοι and παρεπίδημοι cannot serve as an indication of their socio-economic status.” (Page 129)

“1) This is the only New Testament text in which all three ‘people’ words occur together: γένος, ἔθνος, λαός.” (Page 144)

“A first step is to see the label Χριστιανός as a form of stigma.” (Page 198)

“Imperial precedent had effectively criminalized Christianity, but this stance was enacted only when and where popular hostility and prejudice—which could of course take many forms—escalated to the point where accusations were brought and where governors were disposed to hear such cases. The occasional and local nature of Christian persecution does not mean that there was no official stance towards Christianity, but is in fact reflective precisely of that stance.” (Page 197)

“Someone who bears a stigma is ‘the bearer of a ‘mark’ that defines him or her as deviant, flawed, limited, spoiled, or generally undesirable’” (Page 198)

Product Details

• Title: Becoming Christian: Essays on 1 Peter and the Making of Christian Identity
• Author: David Horrell
• Series: Early Christianity in Context
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Print Publication Date: 2013
• Logos Release Date: 2014
• Pages: 312
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. 1 Peter › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Christianity › Essence, genius, nature; Identification (Religion)
• ISBNs: 9780567423825, 0567423824
• Resource ID: LLS:BCMNGCHRSTN
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-25T19:11:51Z

About David Horrell

David G. Horrell is Professor of New Testament Studies at the University of Exeter, UK. He is the author of several books, including An Introduction to the Study of Paul (T&T Clark, Second Edition 2006) and Solidarity and Difference (T&T Clark, 2005). He was the editor of the Journal for the Study of the New Testament from 2002-2007. He is an active member of the British New Testament Society, having chaired the Social World of the New Testament Seminar from 2001-2006, and is also a member of the Society for Biblical Literature (SBL) and Society for New Testament Studies (SNTS). He completed his PhD at Cambridge on Paul's Corinthian letters and the letter known as 1 Clement.