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Jenks, R. Gregory
Paul and His Mortality, 12/2015Book Chapter
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
