Paul in Ecstasy
Paul in Ecstasy
$127.00
USDWhile many readers of Paul's letters recognize how important his experience was to his life and thought, Biblical scholars have not generally addressed this topic head-on. Colleen Shantz argues that they have been held back both by a bias against religious ecstasy and by the limits of the Biblical texts: how do you responsibly access someone else's experience, particularly experience as unusual and debated as religious ecstasy? And how do you account responsibly for the role of experience in that person's thought? Paul in Ecstasy pursues these questions through a variety of disciplines - most notably neuroscience. This study provides cogent explanations for bewildering passages in Paul's letters, outlines a much greater influence of such experience in Paul's life and letters, and points to its importance in Christian origins.
- Combines 'hard science' with Biblical exegesis
- Has implications for Biblical specialists in understanding both particular biblical passages and Pauline studies
- Brings biblical studies into current conversation with broader cultural interests in religion
Reviews & endorsements
'Paul in Ecstasy is highly original. It contains a compelling analysis of the prejudices against the themes of ecstasy, mysticism, enthusiasm, and charismatic experiences in mainstream scholarship and a very solid account of neurological research. The latter is by itself worth the price of the book.' Robert Jewett, Guest Professor of New Testament, University of Heidelberg and Part-time Professor of Biblical and Historical Studies, University of Wales Lampeter
'Shantz's methodical and disciplined application of insights from cognitive neuroscience to the interpretation of Paul's ecstatic experiences is insightful, balanced, and thorough. It takes a deserved place among similar contemporary studies of Paul and other biblical personalities such as Enoch, Ezekiel, and John. Her lucid and elegant style makes the application of complex scientific concepts to the interpretation of Paul easily accessible and pleasurable to read even for those entirely unfamiliar with or skeptical of this approach.' John J. Pilch, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Product details
July 2009Adobe eBook Reader
9780511537325
0 pages
0kg
2 b/w illus. 1 table
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- 1. What ecstasy?: an assessment of the misregard
- 2. Paul's brain: the cognitive neurology of ecstasy
- 3. Paul's voice: parsing Paul's ecstatic discourse
- 4. Paul's practice: discerning ecstasies in practice
- 5. The whole Paul: a short course in (non-deterministic) complexity.
