Description
Book SynopsisIn Paul and Image, Philip Erwin challenges conventional interpretations of 1 Corinthians that tend to overlook the significance of ancient Roman visual culture in framing and posing exegetical questions. He argues that in 1 Corinthians Paul engaged in a long-standing philosophical discussion of visual representation, with consequential implications for how he and his Corinthian addressees interacted with the imagery around them. By situating Paul’s letter in the context of the critical discourse on visual representation from Plato to Philo to the so-called Second Sophistic, Erwin redefines Paul’s critique of human wisdom, treatment of idols, and resurrection discourse in visual terms.
Trade ReviewPhilip Erwin convincingly demonstrates that Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians engages a pervasive critical-philosophical discourse on images and the visual arts. By showing how this discourse is at the same time conceptual and interactive, as confirmed by its engagement with actual works of art at Corinth, Erwin has set a new paradigm for Pauline studies. -- John R. Clarke, University of Texas at Austin
Table of ContentsChapter One Plato’s Critique of Art and the Phenomenon of Mimesis: the Beginning of a Philosophical Dialogue
Chapter Two Art in Dialogue (with Plato): Occasions of Appropriation and Rejoinder in Philo of Alexandria, Dio Chrysostom, and Lucian of Samosata
Chapter Three Paul on Speech and Image in 1 Cor 1-2: Entering a Dialogue
Chapter Four Paul on the Power of Images in 1 Cor 8 and 10: Externalizing the Dialogue
Chapter Five Paul on the Death and Resurrection of the Image in 1 Cor 15: Toward an End of the Dialogue
