Contents

pp v-v

Acknowledgments

pp vi-viii

Introduction

pp 1-30

Part I - Everyday Religion and Its Alternatives

pp 31-32

1 - The Religion of Plant and Animal Offerings Versus the Religion of Meanings, Essences and Textual Mysteries

pp 33-56

2 - Locating the Religion of Associations

pp 57-79

3 - Why “Common Judaism” Does Not Look Like Mediterranean Religion

pp 80-98

Part II - Paul as Freelance Expert

pp 99-100

4 - Kinds of Myth, Meals and Power: Paul and the Corinthians

pp 101-141

5 - The Social Formations of Paul and His Romans: Synagogues, Churches and Occam’s Razor

pp 142-156

Part III - Paul’s Message and Objectives

pp 157-158

6 - The Dilemma of Paul’s Physics: Features Stoic-Platonist or Platonist-Stoic?

pp 159-180

7 - What is Pauline Participation in Christ?

pp 181-194

8 - Paul’s Four Discourses about Sin

pp 195-216

9 - Are Paul’s Moral Teachings Designed for Ordinary Humans?

pp 217-230

Part IV - Historians and Critical Historiography

pp 231-232

10 - The Concept of Community and the History of Early Christianity

pp 233-249

11 - Jesus the Teacher and Stoic Ethics in the Gospel of Matthew

pp 250-266

12 - The Secrets of the Gods and the End of Interpretation

pp 267-277

Bibliography

pp 278-299

Ancient Sources Index

pp 300-305

Subject Index

pp 306-316