Do Paul's letters draw on ethnic stereotypes? Did they influence how ethnic and racial outsiders were viewed in later eras? In this volume, Matthijs den Dulk offers a series of case studies that analyze different ways in which ethnic stereotypes were used or exerted influence on Pauline writings. Informed by recent empirical research on the impact of stereotypes, Den Dulk shows that paying attention to ancient stereotypes about Galatians, Corinthians, Scythians, Cretans and other groups sheds significant new light on the context, composition and content of Paul's letters. Den Dulk's exegetical argument integrates analyses of the history of interpretation, which demonstrate that Paul's letters were used to support modern conceptions of ethnic difference, including racist theories. This study thus raises important and timely questions about the content of Paul's letters as well as their influence on subsequent ideas about race and ethnicity. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

‘This is a brilliant, original, and important work, with an unusually impressive combination of detailed historical analysis, sophisticated interdisciplinary illumination, well-chosen insights from the history of interpretation, and nuanced reflection on the contemporary significance of a consequential topic. Matthijs den Dulk identifies an important theme - ancient ethnic stereotypes and their deployment in the Pauline letters - that has been surprisingly neglected. He shows through his various case studies how a focus on these stereotypes enriches our understanding of the Pauline letters and how the categories deployed continue to have an ambivalent legacy in shaping modern thinking about racial and ethnic difference. Amidst the pile of books clamouring for your attention, start with this one!’

David G. Horrell - University of Exeter

‘Matthijs den Dulk significantly advances scholarly conversations about race, ethnicity, and the New Testament in this searing study of the lingering and formative power of stereotypes from antiquity to today. The book helps us read afresh the Pauline epistles within the complex discourses of difference that characterized the first century but also discern how stereotypes in the epistles continue to form biblical scholarship these many centuries later. In short, den Dulk helps us interpret the Pauline epistles more clearly while also holding up a critical mirror to our own hermeneutical practices.’

Eric D. Barreto - Princeton Theological Seminary

‘Combining wide knowledge of the ancient Mediterranean with nuanced readings of the Pauline corpus, Matthijs den Dulk adds significant texture and depth to our understanding of ethnic stereotypes in the first century, how the Pauline letters made use of them, and how later generations made use of Paul.’

Teresa Morgan - Yale University

‘In this excellent study, Matthijs den Dulk combines responsible exegesis, intimate knowledge of ancient literary sources, and methodological sophistication to produce new insights into the occurrence of ethnic stereotyping in the Pauline letters. The analysis is erudite and sound, the writing lucid and graceful, the results illuminating and thought-provoking. The book, which concludes with the author’s reflections on the implications of his findings, is a valuable contribution to an important and ongoing conversation.’

Martinus C. de Boer - Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam