A Spiritual Economy: Gift Exchange in the Letters of Paul of Tarsus
ISBN: 9780300225143
Platform/Publisher: JSTOR / Yale University Press
Digital rights: Users: unlimited; Printing: chapter; Download: chapter
Subjects: Religion;

Thomas Blanton sheds light on the philosophy surrounding gift giving in Paul's letters and on modern theories of gift exchange through the lens of religion.

The exchange of gifts is a fundamental part of society and a foundational element in Greco-Roman religions. Combining theories of gift exchange, both modern and Greco-Roman, Thomas Blanton reveals how religious discourse--in the guise of "spiritual gifts" believed to come from Israel's god--is instrumental in the formation of sociopolitical hierarchies and the assignment of honor and prestige. Blanton uses an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates religion, classics, sociology, and anthropology to investigate the economy of gift exchange shown in Paul's letters.

Thomas R. Blanton, IV , is auxiliary faculty in New Testament Studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Blanton's articles have appeared in the Journal of Biblical Literature and New Testament Studies, and he is the author of Constructing a New Covenant .

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