Loving Resistance and Resistance through Love
A Multilayered Reading of Paul’s Teaching and Loving Testimony in the Letter to Philemon
- Biblical Studies & Commentaries
- Publisher: Resource Publications (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2022
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Publisher's Description
The Letter to Philemon is one of the most beautiful rhetorical letters written by Paul--and yet, at the same time, perhaps the most underread letter in the New Testament. Paul wrote this letter out of love, hoping to persuade the slave master Philemon to choose compassion rather than follow the typical Roman attitudes towards slaves; to treat Onesimus as a brother in Christ rather than as an inferior, subhuman chattel. This letter is not only theologically important but also important in a practical sense because it is more than mere words--it is a testimony. In order for readers to better appreciate the true depth of the meanings in the letter, this book is written in a rather creative way. Each chapter begins with a selected scene from the movie Les Miserables, to introduce the key theme of the chapter. Then the author will interpret the details of the text of the letter and the other relevant texts in the Pauline corpus. The final section of each chapter is a creative story, based on the text and historical context. The purpose of inventing these creative stories is to help readers better grasp the historical context and, most importantly, the rhetoric in the letter.
Endorsements (3)
“Alex’s book is fascinating. This is a book about love, faith, and divine acceptance. It narrates different characters and scenes in Les Misérables that help readers understand different themes in Philemon. People usually hold prejudices in different social statuses and hierarchies. But this book behaves as a corrective and helps readers to orientate toward divine love. I highly recommend.”
“Reading Paul’s letter to Philemon to address a fundamental question about how one can live in love and hope within systems of oppression, Ip gives us a fresh and refreshing reading that challenges some long-standing assumptions about the well-known apostle and his much-debated letter.”
“Approaching Philemon through the narrative lens of Les Misérables, Alex Ip insightfully unveils the social and ecclesial impact of Paul’s approach to the complexities of first-century slavery though imaginative, source-based historical reconstruction, rhetorical analysis, and close attention to the apostle’s Greek terminology. Writing for the pastoral edification of the everyday reader, Ip powerfully argues that the epistle’s key theological motif is faith working in love, enabling believers to resist unconsciously held social norms and prejudices.”
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