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by Rob A. Fringer (Author)
Paul's Christophany (i.e., his Damascus Road Experience) has been the subject of much scholarly analysis. However, treatments of this phenomenon, while widely varied, have tended to extract the various references from their literary contexts in order to reconstruct the event, to discover the foundations and content of Paul's Christology, or to analyze Paul's experience of conversion and/or call. The current study, focused on the undisputed Pauline epistles, evaluates how and why Paul employed the various Christophanic references in their particular literary and sociohistorical contexts. Through this assessment, the importance of Paul's Christophanic references as part of his larger arguments is established. It is shown how Paul uniquely shapes the various Christophanic references to fit the needs of his argument and through it, the needs of each community. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that Paul's Christophanic references do not primarily establish his apostolic status or assert his apostolic authority. Through this study, the corporate nature of Paul's Christophanic references becomes increasingly evident, and multiple general conclusions are drawn, which provide a possible glimpse into Paul's understanding of his Christophanic experience.
Author Biography
Rob A. Fringer is Principal and Lecturer in Biblical Studies and Biblical Languages at Nazarene Theological College in Brisbane, Australia, and an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. He is author of Engaging the Story of God (2018), has coauthored Theology of Luck (2015) and The Samaritan Project (2012), and is series editor of Frameworks for Lay Leadership.
