'A Cosmopolitan Ideal': dr. Karin Neutel's publication about Paul's declaration
What did Paul mean when he declared that there is 'neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor male and female' (Galatians 3:28)? While many modern readers understand these words as a statement about human equality, this study shows that it in fact reflects ancient ideas about an ideal or utopian community. With this declaration, Paul contributed to the cultural conversation of his time about such a community.
The three pairs that Paul brings together in this formula all played a role in first-century conceptions of what an ideal world would look like. Such conceptions were influenced by cosmopolitanism; the philosophical idea prevalent at the time, that all people were fundamentally connected and could all live in a unified society. Understanding Paul's thought in the context of these contemporary ideals helps to clarify his attitude towards each of the three pairs in his letters. Like other ancient utopian thinkers, Paul imagined the ideal community to be based on mutual dependence and egalitarian relationships.
More information
For more information and ordering, visit the Bloomsbury website.
| Last modified: | 25 July 2023 1.04 p.m. |
More news
-
10 June 2025
University of Groningen and Rijksmuseum sign cooperation agreement
On Friday 6 June, the University of Groningen (UG) and the Rijksmuseum signed a cooperation agreement. With this agreement, both parties confirm their cooperation on various themes, including the transfer of heritage from generation to generation.
-
10 June 2025
Sense of purpose in people affected by low literacy and poverty
Anyone who takes to the streets at the crack of dawn may have already spotted it: the Salvation Army’s ontbijtfiets (breakfast bike) in Groningen. Sujin Rosie, PhD student at the Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society at the University of...
-
04 June 2025
Dead Sea Scrolls older than previously thought
Many Dead Sea Scrolls are older than previously thought. Not only that, but two fragments of the biblical scrolls also appear to date from the time of their presumed authors. These are the findings of an international team of researchers led by...