Signs, Wonders, and Gifts: Divination in the Letters of Paul

271 Pages·2019·3.436 MB·English

by  Jennifer Eyl

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Signs, Wonders, and Gifts
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Signs, Wonders,
and Gifts
Divination in the Letters of Paul
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JENNIFER EYL
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CIP data is on file at the Library of Congress
ISBN 978– 0– 19– 092465– 2
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Printed by Sheridan Books, Inc., United States of America
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For my parents, Pat and Tony Eyl
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: By the Power of Signs and Wonders 1
1. Taxonomy and Pauline Uniqueness: The Problem of Categories
and Modes 20
2. Divinatory Practices and Palpability of the Gods 46
3. A Taxonomy of Paul’s Divinatory Practices 86
4. A Taxonomy of Paul’s Wonderworking 115
5. Discursive Claims to Divine Authority 144
6. Paul, Pistis, and Divine Powers: An Economy of Reciprocity 170
Conclusion: Mantikē, Modes, and Milieu 213
Bibliography 221
Index 245
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Acknowledgments
It is thrilling to refine a project and watch it flourish, expand, and take
new, unexpected directions. I owe a debt of gratitude to numerous people for
invigorating conversations, mentorship, and encouragement throughout the
process of thinking through many of my ideas. First, I woud like to thank Ross
Kraemer whose inspiring influence drew me from Classics to Religious Studies
and taught me always to inquire, “What is at stake, and for whom?” I thank
Stanley Stowers for guiding my interest in this project, which was originally a
PhD dissertation. I am also grateful to Bill Arnal, Debra Scoggins Ballentine,
Willi Braun, Barry Crawford, Natasha Margulis, Craig Martin, Karin D. Martin,
Paul Robertson, Emma Wasserman, Stephen L. Young, and Ophelia— many of
whom read and offered excellent feedback on various stages of these chapters.
Daily conversations— sometimes significant, sometimes in passing— with Robyn
Faith Walsh, Erin Roberts, and Sarah Rollens (the Lady Cabal!) made this book
much better and more interesting than it would have been otherwise. They cer-
tainly made it more compelling to write. Thank you to the American Academy
in Rome for use of their library facilities throughout the Spring of 2017. I owe a
debt of gratitude to the anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and
to my editor at Oxford, Steve Wiggins, for encouraging this project. I am forever
indebted to my sister, Nancy Eyl, who has always inspired me to demand more of
myself. Special thanks to Jessica Kim for her keen editorial eye and for enticing
me to take breaks with adventurous fishing trips to Maine. In addition to those
mentioned above, I thank the many other scholars whose intellectual bravery has
opened new ways of seeing and understanding the world and the past.