Issued as part of UPCC book collections on Project MUSE.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 239-269) and index.

Preface -- 1. An introduction to the grand thematic narrative -- 2. The gentile influx into Zion -- 3. Rethinking the covenantal Paul -- 4. The obedient Abraham and Isaac in the Aqedah -- 5. Exodus allusions in Galatians 4:1-7 -- 6. The spirit as Exodus cloud -- 7. A narrative of the imperial cult in Asia Minor -- 8. Lessons learned and the path forward.

Much recent scholarship on Paul has searched for implicit narratives behind Paul's scriptural allusions, especially in the wake of Richard B. Hays's groundbreaking work on the apostle's appropriation of Scripture. A. Andrew Das reviews six proposals for "grand thematic narratives" behind the logic of Galatians--potentially, six explanations for the fabric of Paul's theology: the covenant (N. T. Wright); the influx of nations to Zion (Terence Donaldson); Isaac's near sacrifice (Scott Hahn, Alan Segal); the Spirit as cloud in the wilderness (William Wilder); the Exodus (James Scott, Sylvia Keesmaat); and the imperial cult (Bruce Winter et al.). Das weighs each of these proposals exegetically and finds them wanting--more examples of what Samuel Sandmel famously labeled "parallelomania" than of sound exegetical method. He turns at last to reflect on the risks of (admittedly alluring) totalizing methods and lifts up a seventh proposal with greater claim to evidence in the text of Galatians: Paul's allusions to Isaiah's servant passages.

Description based on print version record.