Practices of Power: Revisiting the Principalities and Powers in the Pauline Letters (Emerging Scholars)

The conception of "powers" and "principalities" in Paul's thought and that of his successors has been amply explored - but how was this conception expressed? How did the powers "work" in the Pauline community? Robert Moses argues that Paul's conception of the powers is unintelligible without a detailed account of the practices he advocates for the early believers. In this detailed study, Moses shows that Paul believed certain practices guarded believers from the dominion of the powers; other practices, however, exposed humans to the work of powers of darkness. Moses traces the distinct function of "power-practices" in each of Paul's letters and draws illuminating comparisons with traditional African religious practices.