Paul and Economics: A Handbook

Description

The social context of Paul's mission and congregations has been the study of intense investigation for decades, but only in recent years have questions of economic realities and the relationship between rich and poor come to the forefront. In Paul and Economics, leading scholars address a variety of topics in contemporary discussion, including an overview of the Roman economy; the economic profile of Paul and of his communities, and stratification within them; architectural considerations regarding where they met; food and drink; idol meat and the Lord's Supper; material conditions of urban poverty; patronage; slavery; travel; gender and status; the collection for Jerusalem; and the role of Marxist theory and the question of political economy in Paul scholarship. Contributors vii Preface xi Raymond Pickett Introduction xiii 1. The Roman Economy in the Early Empire: An Overview David B. Hollander 1 2. Urban Poverty in the Roman Empire: Material Conditions Jinyu Liu 23 3. Economic Profiling of Early Christian Communities Timothy A. Brookins 57 4. Paul’s Shift in Economic “Location” in the Locations of the Roman Imperial Economy Richard A. Horsley 89 5. Architecture: Where Did Pauline Communities Meet? Annette Weissenrieder 125 6. Paul and Slavery: Economic Perspectives Ulrike Roth 155 7. Economic Location of Benefactors in Pauline Communities Zeba A. Crook 183 8. Food and Drink in the Greco-Roman World and in the Pauline Communities John T. Fitzgerald 205 9. Socioeconomic Stratification and the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:17–34) Neil Elliott 245 10. The Economic Functions of Gift Exchange in Pauline Assemblies Thomas R. Blanton IV 279 11. Paul’s Collection for Jerusalem and the Financial Practices in Greek Cities John S. Kloppenborg 307 12. Economic Aspects of Intercity Travel among the Pauline Assemblies Cavan Concannon 333 13. Marxism and Capitalism in Pauline Studies L. L. Welborn 361 14. A New Horizon for Paul and the Philosophers: Shifting from Comparative “Political Theology” to “Economic Theology” Ward Blanton 397 Index 425