Jewish Studies

Paul von Otting is the first to present a comprehensive monograph on the cultural history of the (late) ancient death penalty, critically revising the prevailing conception of a regime of violence during this period. In addition, he determines the place of capital punishment within the changing society and culture of the late antique world, offering new insights into the nature of pre-modern criminal justice.

David Wyman examines documentary and literary sources to compose a detailed description of civic benefaction, including the phenomenon of benefactors who risk their lives. He then analyzes how Paul's letter to the Galatians incorporates the language, motifs, and relational dynamics of benefaction.

This volume investigates the topic of Jesus's passion and resurrection with a broad scope, ranging from apocryphal gospels, such as the Gospel of Peter and the Gospel of Nicodemus, to Manichean texts and Coptic apocrypha from the sixth and seventh centuries. The ancient texts reinterpret Jesus's passion and resurrection in creative and diverse ways, for example by dramatizing the story or by emphasizing the cross as part of the divine plan of salvation.

In his letters, Paul regularly speaks of being chosen or called by God. Annette Weippert examines Paul's understanding of election and calling, taking into account conceptions in the Pauline environment and focusing on the question of Paul's intentions when he addresses the idea in his letters.