Description
Book SynopsisMichael Peppard examines the social and political meaning of divine sonship in the Roman Empire. He begins by analyzing the conceptual framework within which the term ''''son of God'''' has traditionally been considered in biblical scholarship. Then, through engagement with recent scholarship in Roman history - including studies of family relationships, imperial ideology, and emperor worship - he offers new ways of interpreting the Christian theological metaphors of ''''begotten''''and ''''adoptive'''' sonship. Peppard focuses on social practices and political ideology, revealing that scholarship on divine sonship has been especially hampered by mistaken assumptions about adopted sons. He invites fresh readings of several early Christian texts, from the first Gospel to writings of the fourth century. By re-interpreting several ancient phenomena - particularly divine status, adoption, and baptism - he offers an imaginative refiguring of the Son of God in the Roman world.
Trade ReviewFine debut monograph...This is an admirable and enjoyable monograph: thoroughly scholarly, full of ideas, carefully argued, and beautifully written. * Journal of Theological Studies *
Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Divine Sonship Before Nicea: Biblical Scholarship on "Son of God" ; 2. Divinity and Divine Sonship in the Roman World ; 3. Begotten or Made? Adopted Sons in Roman Society and Imperial Ideology ; 4. Rethinking Divine Sonship in the Gospel of Mark ; 5. Begotten and Adopted Sons of God-Before and After Nicea ; Conclusion ; Epilogue: The Son of God in the Christian World ; Abbreviations ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index
