The Apostle and the Empire: Paul's Implicit and Explicit Criticism of Rome

Was Paul silent on the injustices of the Roman Empire? Or have his letters just been misread?

The inclusion of anti-imperial rhetoric in Paul’s writings has come under scrutiny in recent years. Pressing questions about just how much Paul critiques Rome in his letters and how publicly critical he could have afforded to be have led to high-profile debates—most notably between N. T. Wright and John M. G. Barclay.

Having entered the conversation in 2015 with his book Hidden Criticism?, Christoph ...