A Spiritual Economy: Gift Exchange in the Letters of Paul of Tarsus

Thomas R. Blanton

Published by Yale University Press 2017

A Spiritual Economy

Gift Exchange in the Letters of Paul of Tarsus

Thomas R. Blanton
Edited by: Larry L Welborn

In the series Synkrisis

https://doi.org/10.12987/9780300225143

Overview
Contents

About this book

Thomas Blanton sheds light on the philosophy surrounding gift giving in Paul’s letters and on modern theories of gift exchange through the lens of religion.

The exchange of gifts is a fundamental part of society and a foundational element in Greco-Roman religions. Combining theories of gift exchange, both modern and Greco-Roman, Thomas Blanton reveals how religious discourse—in the guise of “spiritual gifts” believed to come from Israel’s god—is instrumental in the formation of sociopolitical hierarchies and the assignment of honor and prestige. Blanton uses an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates religion, classics, sociology, and anthropology to investigate the economy of gift exchange shown in Paul’s letters.

Author / Editor information

Thomas R. Blanton, IV, is auxiliary faculty in New Testament Studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Blanton’s articles have appeared in the Journal of Biblical Literature and New Testament Studies, and he is the author of Constructing a New Covenant.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	vii
One Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
Two Symbolic Goods as Media of Exchange in Paul’s Gift Economy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	15
Three The Benefactor’s Account Book: The Rhetoric of Gift Reciprocation According to Seneca and Paul Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	27
Four Gift or Commodity? On the Classification of Paul’s Unremunerated Labor Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	41
Five Classification and Social Relations: The Dark Side of the Gift Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	61
Six The Gift of Status Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	76
Seven Spiritual Gifts and Status Inversion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	104
Eight Summary and Conclusions Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	134
Appendix: Letters and Events Significantly Shaping Paul’s Relations with the Corinthian Assembly: A Relative Chronology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	143
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	145
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	147
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	191
Index of Subjects Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	213
Index of Modern Authors Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	215
Index of Biblical and Early Jewish Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219
Index of Greek and Roman Sources Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	225

Language: English
Publisher: Yale University Press
Pages
- Main content: 224

eBook

Published: January 10, 2017
ISBN: 9780300225143