A Spiritual Economy: Gift Exchange in the Letters of Paul of Tarsus (Synkrisis) - Hardcover

Blanton IV, Thomas R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0300220405 ISBN 13: 9780300220407

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2017

Synopsis

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.

About this title

About the Author:

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.

Review:

"If you think you know what ‘grace’ means in the theology of Paul, read this book and think again.  Deploying an awe-inspiring array of disparate disciplines, Blanton shows us, with precision and clarity, how the language of giving and receiving would have worked in the social world that Paul inhabited."—Wayne A. Meeks, Yale University (Wayne A. Meeks)

“In this pioneering work, Blanton elevates the discussion of gift exchange in Pauline Christianity to a new level with its remarkable approach to ancient texts and cultural practices of the Greco-Roman world and use of modern theory.”— John T. Fitzgerald, University of Notre Dame
(John T. Fitzgerald)

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0300220405
• ISBN 13: 9780300220407
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240