Ecclesial Solidarity in the Pauline Corpus: Relationships Between Churches in Paul's Letters

Over the years there have been many treatments of Pauls theology that have focused on what the churches he wrote to were like and what that might mean for today. However what Paul says about relationships between churches has been frequently neglected or only briefly considered. This book analyzes Pauls use of the word church as well as family imagery holiness language body imagery and Pauls understanding of imitation and apostleship to demonstrate the breadth of his understanding of relationships between churches of inter-church solidarity. Inter-church solidarity is shown to be integral to Pauls understanding of church from the earliest letters and the book exposes a rich tapestry of relationships that should challenge and encourage the church in the twenty-first century.