ISBN Paul and Gender (Reclaiming the Apostle's Vision for Men and Women in Christ) book English Paperback 368 pages

In this volume, respected New Testament scholar Cynthia Long Westfall offers a coherent Pauline theology of gender. Westfall interprets passages on women and men together and places those passages in the context of the Pauline corpus as a whole. Her inclusion of the entire Pauline canon enables her to address the issues effectively, and she reads the texts in light of their own claims of authorship, recipient, and circumstances. She also gleans new insights by making sense of the passages in the context of the Greco-Roman culture.Paul and Gender includes fresh perspectives on the most controverted texts, offering viable alternatives for some notorious interpretive problems in certain Pauline passages. The author reframes gender issues in a way that stimulates thinking, promotes discussion, and moves the conversation forward. As Westfall explores the significance of Paul's teaching on both genders, she seeks to support and equip males and females to serve in their area of gifting, regardless of social status, race, or gender.This book is a call for all who study Paul and gender to learn to distinguish between their assumptions and the presuppositions they use to make sense of the texts. It will be of use to New Testament scholars, professors and students in courses on Paul, and pastors and church leaders.ContentsIntroduction1. Culture1.1 Paul's Hellenism and Palestinian Judaism1.2 The Pauline Relationship with the Church and Greco-Roman Society1.3 Contrast between Rhetoric and Practice in the First Century1.4 Gender and Greco-Roman Values1.5 Gender and Public and Domestic Spheres1.6 First Corinthians 11 and the Head Covering2. Stereotypes2.1 Male Metaphors Applied to All Believers2.2 Feminine Metaphors Applied to All Believers2.3 Feminine Metaphors Applied to Men3. Creation3.1 Gender and the Image of God3.2 The Glory of God and the Glory of Man3.3 The Purposes and Destiny for Gender in Creation3.4 Gender and the Order of Creation3.5 Creation and Headship3.6 Woman Created for Man4. The Fall4.1 Gender and Deception4.2 Gender and the Origin of Sin and Death4.3 A Woman Is Saved through Childbirth5. Eschatology5.1 Pauline Eschatology and Transcendent Norms5.2 Eschatology and Creation5.3 Eschatology, Resurrection, and the Representation of Christ5.4 Eschatology and the Destiny of Humanity5.5 Eschatology and Life in the Christian Community5.6 Eschatology and the Household5.7 Eschatology and Galatians 3:285.8 Is There a Problem with Overrealized Eschatology?6. The Body6.1 Gender, the Flesh, and the Body in Paul6.2 The Body as Male/Female6.3 Sexuality6.4 Marriage and Singleness6.5 Sex and Children6.6 Separation, Divorce, and Remarriage6.7 Sexual Immorality (Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:12-19)7. Calling7.1 Gender, Call, Service, and the Priesthood of the Believer7.2 The Relationship between Marriage and Calling7.3 Women in Service or in Silence?8. Authority8.1 Gender, Authority, Power, and Status in the Greco-Roman Culture8.2 Paul's Theology of Authority, Power, and Status8.3 Men and Authority8.4 Women and Authority9. 1 Timothy 2:11-159.1 Broad Exegetical Choices9.2 The Purpose of the Letter9.3 Antidotes to False Teaching (2:1-15)ConclusionIndexes