Understanding 'body of Christ' in the Letter to the Ephesians
Body of Christ' could be figure or metaphor, or corporate entity. Broader horizons on language, literature and religious phenomena, open up to a less formalistic approach and sensitises to respect religious phenomena such as mysticism and apocalypticism-often considered to be maverick elements....
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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Published: |
NTWSA
1998
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In: |
Neotestamentica
Year: 1998, Volume: 32, Issue: 2, Pages: 459-495 |
Further subjects: | B
Postmodernism
B Theology B Epistemology B Ephesians B Mysticism B Apocalypricism B Body of christ B Christianity |
Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
Summary: | Body of Christ' could be figure or metaphor, or corporate entity. Broader horizons on language, literature and religious phenomena, open up to a less formalistic approach and sensitises to respect religious phenomena such as mysticism and apocalypticism-often considered to be maverick elements. By redefining the text as the culmination of an extended interactive process, reflecting mere glimmerings of the real nature of its history, opens up possibilities for understanding. Reappraising the Judaic fabric of Christianity, leads to a more adequate assimilation of apocalypticism, mysticism and Gnosticism as 'interfaces'. These developed close to the formation of the New Testament and shaped Christianity, which did not emerge as the vaunted 'pristine orthodoxy'. This leaves room for elements such as hekhalot and merkavah mysticism to (via an incipient shiur qomah concept) to provide the key to understand 'body of Christ' in Ephesians. This body would be a mystical extension of its Head into this world. |
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ISSN: | 2518-4628 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Neotestamentica
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.10520/AJA2548356_457 |