This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Pahl, M. W. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

The ‘Gospel’ and the ‘Word’: Exploring Some Early Christian Patterns

Graduate Institute for Theology and Religion, University of Birmingham, B29-6LG, UK, michaelpahl{at}gmail.com

Graham Stanton and others have made important steps toward understanding the origins and development of ‘gospel’ language in earliest Christianity. This article attempts to provide a similar contribution regarding the use of ‘word’ language as synonymous with ‘gospel’ language among the earliest Christians. A distinctive and predominant ‘word (of x)’ pattern can be discerned in this regard, particularly evident in the Pauline writings and in the description of the Pauline mission in Acts. This use of ‘word’ language in synonymy with the gospel most likely had its origin in the legal and prophetic ‘word’ language of the Jewish scriptures, acquired through the eschatological self-understanding of the early Christians in general and the prophetic self-understanding of Paul in particular.

Key Words: Acts • (see pdf for character) • gospel • (see pdf for character) • Paul • word

Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Vol. 29, No. 2, 211-227 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0142064X06072840


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?