An Existential-Psychological Reading of Romans 8: 35-39 in the Context of Igbo Christianity
With its reflection on God's love for Christians amidst life crises, Romans 8:35-39 ranks among the most loved of Pauline writings. This study reads Romans 8:35-39 in the context of its existential and psychological implications for Igbo Christianity. The study adopts a lexical exegetical appro...
Main Author: | |
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Contributors: | |
Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
[2018]
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In: |
Neotestamentica
Year: 2018, Volume: 52, Issue: 2, Pages: 333-357 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Bible. Römerbrief 8,35-39
/ God
/ Love
/ Existence
/ Psychology
/ Igboid
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IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality HC New Testament KBN Sub-Saharan Africa |
Further subjects: | B
Bible. Römerbrief 8,35-39
|
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Summary: | With its reflection on God's love for Christians amidst life crises, Romans 8:35-39 ranks among the most loved of Pauline writings. This study reads Romans 8:35-39 in the context of its existential and psychological implications for Igbo Christianity. The study adopts a lexical exegetical approach and considers aspects of the psychological theory of religious coping in its reading of the pericope. In the study, it is contended that Romans 8:35-39 dealt with existential threats that threatened all first-century CE Christians (particularly those in Rome), and that its teachings were aimed at psychologically conditioning the minds of these Christians towards having a positive perception of existential threats through a belief in the love of God. This interpretation holds promise for Igbo Christianity, where the combination of life crises and spirit-world paranoia has had a negative impact on Igbo Christians' view of human existence. Romans 8:35-39 teaches Christians the need for having a positive perception of life crises, notwithstanding a belief in the reality of the activities of the spirit world; God's love is always enough to pull Christians through life crises. |
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ISSN: | 2518-4628 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Neotestamentica
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/neo.2018.0021 |