Discerning the Body of Christ: Paul, Poverty and the Powers

Abstract

For Paul, the powers pervade all aspects of human existence. Yet attempting to trace the connection between economic arrangements and the powers in Paul’s thought is not an easy task. This article will first show how the concepts of weakness and powerlessness serve as the hinge that holds together poverty and the powers in Paul’s thought. Christ’s confrontation with the powers on the cross is possible because Christ adopted a weak and powerless state. The very same concepts of weakness and powerlessness provide Paul with the linguistic and theological resources needed to sketch his economic vision for believers. In this vision the body of Christ (crucified and gathered) becomes the space where the powers are unmasked and defeated.

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