Paul's Intercessory Prayers: The Significance of the Intercessory Prayer Passages in the Letters of St Paul

by Gordon P. Wiles

• ISBN13: 9780521048354
• ISBN10: 0521048354
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-12-03
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

A study of the communal worship and private prayers of the early Christian Church, in particular the intercessory prayer passages in Paul's seven epistles. Professor Wiles is concerned to discover what these prayers reveal about Paul's ministry and his apostolic strategy. Were his assurances that he was praying continually for his readers merely polite expressions? Were his requests for their prayers sincere and serious? How did this affect his relations with the churches and his influence on them? To answer these questions the book makes a thorough analysis of the prayer passages in the light of ancient epistolary and liturgical style. It places the passages within the structure of each letter, and relates them to the dynamic situation for which each was written.

Table of Contents

Preface

Texts and abbreviations

Introductory

Intercessory prayer material in Paul's letters

Intercessory wish-prayers: their background and form

Function of the wish-prayers in I Thessalonians

Function of the wish-prayers in Romans, I Corinthians, and Philippians

Blessings and curses

Intercessory prayer-reports: their form and function

Function of the prayer-reports in the thanksgiving periods

Function of the prayer-reports in the body of the letters

Requests and exhortations about intercessory prayer

Concluding statement

Appendixes

Bibliography

Index of passages cited

Index of authors

Index of subjects

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