{"product_id":"paul-within-paganism-restoring-the-mediterranean-context-to-the-apostle-hardcover","title":"Paul Within Paganism: Restoring the Mediterranean Context to the Apostle - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAlexander Chantziantoniou\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003ePaula Fredriksen\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eStephen L. Young\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA collaborative project, this work introduces a burgeoning new approach to the study of Paul, which contextualizes the pagans' apostle within the wider world of ancient Mediterranean religion (so-called \"paganism\"). The anthology assembles cutting-edge essays from both senior and rising scholars, whose contributions collectively demonstrate how Paul's Jewish religious program is native to the ancient Mediterranean. While providing a go-to introductory resource for teachers and scholars of biblical studies, the essays are pitched to be accessible for students (both liberal arts and divinity), in order to invite seminarians and church groups to think in religious-studies ways about Paul's letters. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis volume explores in particular how Paul positively avails himself of ideas and activities constitutive of his own time and place, such as divination, deification, magic, idols, and a host of other social practices traditionally attributed to pagans and so emphatically denied of Jews and Christians. At the same time, it interrogates how features of Paul's letters traditionally categorized as exclusively Jewish--such as his use of scripture, his claims about faith, his ideas about law, and his focus on foreskin--are themselves evidence of Paul's participation in wider Mediterranean ways of promoting engagement with the numinous. Paul operated \"within paganism\" even at his supposedly \"most Jewish\" points. \u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJust as the \"Paul within Judaism\" movement emphasizes Judaism not primarily as the contrast to but rather as the context for and content of Paul's gospel, \u003ci\u003ePaul within Paganism\u003c\/i\u003e does the same for Paul in relation to wider Greco-Roman culture. Paul and his Judaism emerge here as instances of, not exceptions to, ancient Mediterranean religion. \u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 359\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.2 x 9.1 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 04, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47650763014365,"sku":"9798889834267","price":54.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/9867\/8237\/files\/5BLc9b-opZ9798889834267.webp?v=1773886247","url":"https:\/\/handfulofbooks.com\/products\/paul-within-paganism-restoring-the-mediterranean-context-to-the-apostle-hardcover","provider":"Handful of Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}