Jesus, Paul, and Power

Talbott "displays both a truly extraordinary range of reading across disciplines and the mental dexterity to integrate many of the contesting views that circulate in contemporary scholarship, with special attention to the contributions of many feminist scholars. Then he proposes original solutions to some of the most vexing problems related to understanding Jesus and Paul in the context of ancient Mediterranean religion and culture. His powerful key to unlocking the door to deeper understanding of these ancient documents is his close analysis of how Paul's letters describe and apply power when compared with the evidence in the Jesus tradition."

S. Scott Bartchy, from the Foreword



"'Kyrie Eleison, Christe Eleison: Imperial Master-Owner, Anointed Prince, have mercy on us, please spare us!' What happened before the Christian movement adopted the patriarchal culture of Rome? How did the earliest Christians imagine the relationships of state and citizen, master and servant, man and woman, bishop and disciple, rich and poor, relative and foreigner? Ground Zero for answers is the historical study of the communities Jesus and Paul meant to form. A Christian ethic that is authentic hangs on the answers. Rick Talbott's map through the thickets of contemporary Jesus and Paul studies is indispensable."

--Patrick Nichelson

Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies

California State University, Northridge