Religious Studies

Inter-congregational connections profoundly shaped the Pauline mission. Christoph W. Stenschke provides the first comprehensive analysis of these connections in the seven generally acknowledged authentic Pauline letters. He examines their various forms as well as their rhetorical function and historical plausibility within the epistolary context.

In this epigraphical commentary, the author examines the apostle Paul's first Epistle to the Thessalonians in the light of ancient inscriptions. He proposes new interpretations to better appreciate the significance of the letter in its socio-historical and epigraphic context.

Melissa J. Barciela examines the place of the suffering body in Paul's letter to the Philippians. She brings together three key angles of inquiry - Paul among ancient philosophers, embodiment in antiquity, and the theme of suffering - to offer a new reading of the embodied language in the letter.

Discovered in 1945 at Nag Hammadi, the Coptic Gospel of Thomas ranks among the most significant apocryphal writings of early Christianity. Long regarded as a loose collection of sayings, Stephanie Janz adopts a new approach: tracing catchwords and recurring motifs to interpret the logia within the context of the whole text.