Paul's letters and contemporary Greco-Roman literature : : theorizing a new taxonomy / / by Paul Robertson.

• Superior document: Novum Testamentum, Supplements, Volume 167
• VerfasserIn: Robertson, Paul,
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, [Netherlands] ;, Boston, [Massachusetts] : : Brill,, 2016.; ©2016
• Year of Publication: 2016
• Language: English
• Series: Supplements to Novum Testamentum ; Volume 167.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (315 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

In this volume, Paul Robertson re-describes the form of the apostle Paul’s letters in a manner that facilitates transparent, empirical comparison with texts not typically treated by biblical scholars. Paul’s letters are best described by a set of literary characteristics shared by certain Greco-Roman texts, particularly those of Epictetus and Philodemus. Paul Robertson theorizes a new taxonomy of Greco-Roman literature that groups Paul’s letters together with certain Greco-Roman, ethical-philosophical texts written at a roughly contemporary time in the ancient Mediterranean. This particular grouping, termed a socio-literary sphere, is defined by the shared form, content, and social purpose of its constituent texts, as well as certain general similarities between their texts’ authors.

Table of Contents

Preliminary Material / Paul M. Robertson -- Introduction / Paul M. Robertson -- 1 Paul, Paul’s Letters, and Contemporary Greco-Roman Literature of the Ancient Mediterranean / Paul M. Robertson -- 2 Rethinking Paul and Paul’s Letters: Paul, Epictetus, and Philodemus in Context / Paul M. Robertson -- 3 How Do We Compare Literature? Re-Classifying Paul’s Letters in a Socio-Literary Sphere / Paul M. Robertson -- 4 An Overview of the Data: Annotated Literary Criteria in Paul, Epictetus, Philodemus, and Other Pauline Comparanda / Paul M. Robertson -- 5 Socio-Historical Implications of Textual Comparison: The Education and Lives of Paul, Epictetus, and Philodemus / Paul M. Robertson -- Conclusion: Socio-Literary Spheres and Literary Classification in Biblical and Classical Studies / Paul M. Robertson -- Appendix / Paul M. Robertson -- Bibliography / Paul M. Robertson -- Index of Terms / Paul M. Robertson -- Index of Ancient Authors and Texts / Paul M. Robertson.