Paradise Now and Not Yet: Studies in the Role of the Heavenly Dimension in Paul's Thought with Special Reference to his Eschatology

by Andrew T. Lincoln

• ISBN13: 9780521609395
• ISBN10: 0521609399
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-12-23
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Dr Lincoln sees three main factors contributing to the Pauline picture of heaven: Paul's Jewish conceptual background and knowledge of Old Testament and other traditions about heaven; the effect on that inherited background of Paul's encounter with the risen Saviour and his later visions and revelations of the heavenly Christ; and his apostolic task in moulding the thought and practice of the converts in the churches for which he felt responsible, countering what lie considered to be distorted views or false options. The author analyses passages in Paul's letters where the concept of heaven plays a significant role, and discusses the relation of the concept to the background of his thought, his views of history, of the cosmos, of the destiny of humanity, and of the nature of Christian existence. As a uniquely full treatment of a neglected aspect of Paul's thought this monograph makes an important and contemporarily relevant contribution to New Testament studies.

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Abbreviations and note on the text	xii
Introduction	1	(8)
1 Galatians and the heavenly Jerusalem	9	(24)
1. The polemical setting	9	(2)
2. Genesis and the two Jerusalems	11	(4)
3. The development of the argument about the two Jerusalems	15	(1)
4. The present Jerusalem	16	(2)
5. The heavenly Jerusalem - its background, meaning and eschatological reference	18	(4)
6. The heavenly Jerusalem as mother	22	(3)
7. The freedom of the heavenly Jerusalem	25	(2)
8. The clash between the representatives of the present Jerusalem and the representatives of the heavenly Jerusalem	27	(2)
9. Concluding observations on the significance of Paul's reference to the heavenly Jerusalem	29	(4)
2 1 Corinthians and heavenly existence	33	(22)
1. Heavenly existence in Corinth	33	(2)
2. The Corinthians' views about the resurrection of the dead	35	(2)
3. The significance of Christ's resurrection (15:1-34)	37	(1)
4. Celestial bodies (15:35-41)	38	(1)
5. The contrast of psychical and spiritual bodies (15:42-44a)	39	(3)
6. From the psychical to the spiritual order (15:44b-46)	42	(3)
7. The heavenly nature of the second man (15:47)	45	(1)
8. Background for Paul's conception of the second man as heavenly	46	(4)
9. The heavenly nature of believers (15:48, 49)	50	(2)
10. Concluding observations	52	(3)
3 2 Corinthians, the heavenly house and the third heaven	55	(32)
1. The polemical setting in the Corinthian correspondence	55	(4)
2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:10 and the heavenly house	59	(12)
2. The heavenly perspective (4:16-18)	59	(1)
3. The heavenly house (5:1)	60	(5)
4. Heavenly existence and death before the parousia (5:2-4)	65	(2)
5. The Spirit as the pledge of heavenly existence (5:5)	67	(1)
6. Presence with the heavenly Lord (5:6-10)	68	(1)
7. Concluding observations on 2 Corinthians 4:16 - 5:10	69	(2)
2. Corinthians 12:1-10 and the third heaven	71	(60)
8. Paul the visionary	71	(2)
9. The context in the 'apology'	73	(1)
10. Paul's boasting about his vision	74	(3)
11. The visionary rapture to paradise	77	(7)
12. Heavenly power in earthly weakness	84	(1)
13. The heavenly vision as a manifestation of the Spirit	85	(2)
4 Philippians and the heavenly commonwealth	87	(23)
1. The literary setting and genre of 3:20, 21	87	(2)
2. The nature of Paul's argument and of his 'earthly-minded' opposition in 3:1-19	89	(8)
(i) Verses 2-11 and knowing Christ	90	(3)
(ii) Verses 12-16 and the prize of the heavenly calling	93	(2)
(iii) Verses 17-19 and the earthly-minded enemies of the cross	95	(2)
3. The apostle's counter-claim to the heavenly commonwealth: the force of 'Politeuma' (3:20)	97	(4)
4. The heavenly dimension: realized and future eschatology (3:20,21)	101	(2)
5. The heavenly dimension and the apostle's death (1: 23)	103	(3)
6. Humiliation as the badge of membership of the heavenly commonwealth	106	(1)
7. Concluding observations	107	(3)
5 Colossians and heavenly-mindedness	110	(25)
1. False teaching about the heavenly world in Colossae	110	(8)
(i) Visionary experience and asceticism (Colossians 2)	111	(3)
(ii) Elemental spirits and dualistic cosmology	114	(2)
(iii) The syncretistic teaching and its background	116	(2)
2. Salvation in Christ as the answer to the threat of hostile heavenly powers	118	(4)
(i) The security of the heavenly hope (1:5)	118	(1)
(ii) A share in the heavenly inheritance (1:12)	119	(1)
(iii) The supremacy of Christ and his reconciliation of the heavenly powers (1:15-20)	120	(1)
(iv) The annulment of the heavenly powers' regulations (Colossians 2)	121	(1)
3. True heavenly-mindedness (Colossians 3:1ff)	122	(9)
(i) Baptism, resurrection and the things above (3:1)	122	(3)
(ii) Heavenly-mindedness and earthly-mindedness set in opposition (3:2)	125	(3)
(iii) The present hiddenness and future glory of the believer's life (3:3,4)	128	(2)
(iv) The ethical consequences of true heavenly-mindedness (3:5ff)	130	(1)
4. Colossians, heaven and realized eschatology	131	(4)
6 Ephesians and heavenly life in the Church at worship	135	(34)
1. The life-setting and the heavenly dimension	135	(4)
2. Blessing for a heavenly and cosmic salvation (1:3,9f)	139	(5)
3. The exalted Christ, the Church and the cosmos (1:20ff)	144	(3)
4. The believer, baptism and the heavenly realm (2:5,6)	147	(3)
5. The Church as the heavenly temple (2:19ff)	150	(4)
6. The Church and the powers in the heavenlies (3:9,10)	154	(1)
7. Psalm 68, the exalted Christ, the Spirit and the Church (4:7ff)	155	(8)
8. The heavenly dimension and human relationships (5:21ff; 6:5ff)	163	(1)
9. The battle against the powers in the heavenlies (6:10ff)	164	(2)
10. Ephesians, heaven and realized eschatology	166	(3)
7 Heaven and the eschatological perspective in Pauline thought	169	(27)
1. Heaven, realized eschatology and apocalyptic	169	(15)
(i) Apocalyptic parallels to Paul's references to heaven	169	(1)
(ii) Heaven and the two ages	170	(4)
(iii) Paul, heaven and apocalyptic	174	(7)
(iv) Some implications for theories of the development of eschatology within the Pauline corpus	181	(3)
2. Heaven and the scope of salvation	184	(12)
(i) Heaven and the cosmic drama	185	(4)
(ii) Heaven and the destiny of humanity	189	(2)
(iii) Heaven and the tension of Christian existence	191	(5)
Notes	196	(44)
Bibliography	240	(15)
Index	255