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About
For contemporary Western readers, it can be easy to miss or misread cultural nuances in the New Testament.
Through our understanding of honor and shame in the Mediterranean world, we gain new appreciation for how early Christians sustained commitment to a distinctive Christian identity and practice. By examining the protocols of patronage and reciprocity, we grasp more firmly the connections between God's grace and our response. In exploring kinship and household relations, we grasp more fully the ethos of the early Christian communities as a new family brought together by God. And by investigating the notions of purity and pollution along with their associated practices, we realize how the ancient map of society and the world was revised by the power of the gospel.
Through our understanding of honor and shame in the Mediterranean world, we gain new appreciation for how early Christians sustained commitment to a distinctive Christian identity and practice. By examining the protocols of patronage and reciprocity, we grasp more firmly the connections between God's grace and our response. In exploring kinship and household relations, we grasp more fully the ethos of the early Christian communities as a new family brought together by God. And by investigating the notions of purity and pollution along with their associated practices, we realize how the ancient map of society and the world was revised by the power of the gospel.
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Reviews
"In Honor, Patronage, Kinship, and Purity, David deSilva equips us to interpret the biblical text more faithfully in its historical context and explores the practical significance of these four vital cultural dynamics. In this second edition, his updates are both expansive and insightful. It no doubt surpasses the first edition as the standard for understanding honor, patronage, kinship, and purity in the New Testament world."
Jackson W., theologian-in-residence, Mission ONE
"Reading the New Testament is a crosscultural experience. Thankfully, David deSilva is an expert guide, offering insight into four key areas of the wider world of the early Christians. When students ask me how they can learn to read the New Testament with deeper understanding of the context, this is a textbook I am always quick to recommend. A new, expanded edition is very welcome, offering more insight and reflecting the latest scholarship."
Nijay K. Gupta, professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary