What terms did early Christians use for outsiders? How did they refer to non-members? In this book-length investigation of these questions, Paul Trebilco explores the outsider designations that the early Christians used in the New Testament. He examines a range of terms, including unbelievers, 'outsiders', sinners, Gentiles, Jews, among others. Drawing on insights from social identity theory, sociolinguistics, and the sociology of deviance, he investigates the usage and development of these terms across the New Testament, and also examines how these outsider designations function in boundary construction across several texts. Trebilco's analysis leads to new conclusions about the identity and character of the early Christian movement, the range of relations between early Christians and outsiders, and the theology of particular New Testament authors.

The first book-length study of the outsider designations that early Christians used and what they reveal about the movement's identity, self-understanding and character.

About the Author
Paul Trebilco is Professor in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Otago. He is the author of five books on topics in New Testament and Early Christian studies, most recently Self-Designations and Group Identity in the New Testament (Cambridge, 2014).

Reviews
'Scholars, pastors, and students interested in the social context and identity formation of the early church will certainly benefit from Trebilco's labors.' David M. Shaw, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society



Book Information
ISBN 9781108408141
Author Paul Raymond Trebilco
Format Paperback
Page Count 370
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 558g
Dimensions(mm) 230mm * 152mm * 22mm