Paul spoke of his own death in the context of ministry and often spoke of it positively. We have examined some positive expressions for voluntary premature death, specifically noble death, martyrdom, ...and atoning sacrifice. Confusion and overlap exist in contemporary discussions of these terms so we have appealed for semantic precision in order to understand Paul’s motive and optimism better when it comes to his conversations about his death.
We now turn to consider the worldviews that had a bearing on Paul’s thinking. Traditionally, academic conversation on Pauline background turns on cultural polarities such as Greek, Roman, Jewish, and Christian.
Conclusion Jenks, R. Gregory
Paul and His Mortality,
12/2015
Book Chapter
When anyone dies for any reason, it is typical to seek to eulogize the person and find meaning in his or her life and death. Some people expend tremendous effort seeking to make sure their life is ...meaningful and honorable and that they have both lived well and “die well.” They want a good eulogy. Paul’s standard for evaluating his life’s meaning and goodness was how well he imitated the life of Christ. Jesus’ life and death were thus his fixation and inspiration, particularly when he faced his own death.
Jesus’ death had transcendent significance on several levels. As the
Conversing about mortality is more than just conversing about death. Mortality has to do with how death affects one’s self-understanding and definition. Choices are derived from that deeper level of ...self-perception. When we say we are mortal, we are saying that there is a terminus to our existence. We are limited in the dimension of time. We have a beginning and we have an end. How we choose to live our lives, because we are cognizant of our end, makes us distinct. We Homo sapiens are uniquely conscious of our mortality. Our pending death can be a driving force in
Paul’s View of Death Jenks, R. Gregory
Paul and His Mortality,
12/2015
Book Chapter
In chap. 2, I defined death and offered three positive motives for voluntary death: noble death as a general category for altruistic and often heroic dying for others; martyrdom, dying to promote an ...ideology or cause, typically with a hope of postmortem vindication; and atoning sacrifice, where death itself has a reconciling effect. I considered the way that vicariousness has been used to convey ideas of substitution, representation, and mimesis and concluded that, because atonement needs semantic protection, we had best assign representation and mimesis to martyrdom. The categories, however, are not mutually exclusive. Jesus’ death can be categorized as
In my survey of ideological influences on Paul, we looked at Gentile and Jewish background issues in chaps. 3 through 6. We now tighten our focus and consider aspects more central to Paul’s thinking. ...Paul’s confession of Jesus Christ trumped his Roman citizenship, his Jewish heritage and training, his understanding of history, and the way he interpreted the OT Scriptures. Jesus is the core of Christianity. Perhaps that is a tautology, but this simple fact can be overshadowed. As we look at Jesus in this chapter, we are looking at the apex, the focal point, and the center of Christian
The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus launched a new movement, first within Judaism and later independent of it, that forever changed global consciousness of mortality, death, and life after ...death. The new covenant relationship inaugurated in Christ shifted the salvific understanding of his followers. The new movement tore down national and sociological barriers, stretched beyond regional borders to encompass the globe, emphasized the individual in addition to the group, and offered a new eschatological paradigm. His first followers emboldened not just by Jesus’ example and command to follow him to the point of death but also by the new
The historical books tell the story of Israel from the death of Moses through the conquest of the land, establishment, division, and fall of the monarchy, their exile, and the return of the remnant.¹ ...Their narratives include battle accounts, biographies, rehearsal of the Law, prophetic pronouncement, poetic prayers of response to God and historical description. Great leadersin Jewish history—judges, warriors, prophets, priests, and royalty—are represented in this time period and their biographies are both entertaining and instructional. The ebb and flow of spiritual and political progress and regress, of internal and external conflict, provide the drama and setting
Having defined death and identified categories for voluntary death in chap. 2, chaps. 3 to 8 trace the cultural and historical development of human thought on mortality and death. Chapter 3 ...considered Gentile views of death and mortality and concluded that noble death is well attested, martyrdom is not, and the idea of atoning sacrifice is, but with some caveats. Many of the concepts that find fuller development in the gospel are present in Greek literature, but the overall impact of the gospel in a polytheistic culture that allows for sacrifices but with an underdeveloped eschatology would be greatly minimized
From their exile to the first century, Israel was fragmented. Jews inside and outside Palestine struggled to understand their identity. The vast majority of Jews were scattered throughout the ...civilized world as the Diaspora. A “righteous remnant” had returned to the Holy Land looking for covenant renewal, but secular domination put a damper on the covenant vision. The Jewish Hasmoneans staged a successful uprising, and for about 80 years Israel governed itself independently. But Rome returned under General Pompey in 63 B.C. and finally with the installment King Herod in 37 B.C. definitvely established its reign over this complex people.
