Gifts and Ritual: The Charismata of Romans 12: 6-8 in the Context of Roman Religion

Teresa Lee McCaskill

doi:10.5771/9781978715677

Summary

Paul’s teaching about divine benefactions in Rom 12:6–8 extends the theme of worship that he establishes in Rom 12:1–2. Together, these passages address a uniquely gentile dilemma that many in his audience faced as new Christ-followers, which was the challenge of finding acceptable replacements for former cultic activities that were woven through all of life’s stages, from birth to death. One of the chief shortcomings of the scholars that have written about Rom 12:6–8 is a failure to address what Paul's gentile audience might have brought to his teaching and how his alignment of gifts with ritual (Rom 12:1–2) mirrored their polytheistic background. By analyzing examples from ancient texts and artifacts, Teresa Lee McCaskill shows that all seven of the terms Paul uses in Rom 12:6–8 would have had recognizable cultic antecedents for first-century worshipers in Rome. McCaskill presents a theoretical model that discusses how Paul’s gentile audience might have viewed the charismata and considered them as examples of sanctioned practices to replace former rituals. She also weighs the effectiveness of these particular gifts for furthering Paul’s missional objectives.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2023
Copyright Year: 2023
ISBN-Print: 978-1-9787-1566-0
ISBN-Online: 978-1-9787-1567-7
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 196
Product Type: Monograph

1. Contents No access
2. Acknowledgments No access
An Introduction to the Χαρίσματα of Rom 12:6–8 No access Pages 1 - 32
Rom 12:6: From “Prophecy in Proportion to Faith” (NRSV) to “Prophecy in Accordance No access Pages 33 - 56
Rom 12:7: From “Ministry, In Ministering” (NRSV) to “A Mission, in Accordance No access Pages 57 - 74
Rom 12:7: From “The Teacher, In The Teaching” (NRSV) To “The One who Teaches, in Accordance No access Pages 75 - 98
Rom 12:8: From “The Exhorter in Exhortation” (NRSV) to “The One who Invokes and Invites No access Pages 99 - 110
Rom 12:8: From “The Giver, in Generosity” (NRSV) to “The One Who Shares with Generosity No access Pages 111 - 126
Rom 12:8: From “The Leader, in Diligence” ‌‌‌‌‌‌(NRSV) to “The One Who Champions with Zeal No access Pages 127 - 142
Rom 12:8: From “The Compassionate, with Cheerfulness” ‌‌‌(NRSV) to “The One Who Shows Mercy No access Pages 143 - 156
Why the Χαρίσματα of Rom 12:6–8 Matter No access Pages 157 - 176
Bibliography No access Pages 177 - 186
Index No access Pages 187 - 194
About the Author No access Pages 195 - 196