Description
Book SynopsisThis book addresses the influence of the imperial cult in first-century AD Asia Minor and its subsequent relevance to the reading of the New Testament. In particular, this work argues, through a contrapuntal reading of 1 Timothy 2:1-7, that the early Christian community strongly resisted the Emperor’s claim to be the «mediator» between the gods and humanity. In contrast to this claim, the author shows that 1 Timothy 2:1-7 can be read as a polemic from a minority community, the Christian church in Ephesus, against the powerful voice of the Roman Empire in regard to divine mediation.
Table of ContentsContents: Contrapuntal reading of New Testament – Imperial cult and New Testament studies – Historical, linguistic, cultural context of 1 Timothy – First-century conception of Mediator (Mediation) – Exegesis of 1 Timothy 2:1-7.
