Abstract
Harry Maier's Picturing Paul in Empire: Imperial Image, Text and Persuasion in Colossians, Ephesians and the Pastoral Epistles is a fascinating study that stands apart from other recent attempts to situate early Christianity within the Roman Empire. Maier does not fall prey to making simplistic arguments that the disputed Pauline letters (here encompassing Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastorals) somehow “resisted” the empire, but rather, he engages in a far more nuanced interpretation of their ideas as part of the on-going cycle of production and consumption of imperial ideology. His introduction explains why such a close study of “empire” with respect to these texts is necessary now: the scholarly conversation on “empire” has become increasingly popular, but in so doing, has also become undisciplined and imprecise. His analysis promises to be highly attuned to the “vivid speech” (29; ekphrasis in Greek) employed in these texts, as well as to the phenomenon of pseudepigraphy, both of which contribute to the letters' persuasive power. In addition, he intends to compare the imagery that is developed in the epistles to visual representations of the Roman Empire, of which we are fortunate to have many archetypical examples to survive from antiquity. This is all incorporated into the wider framework of postcolonial theory in order to make sense of the rhetorical strategies present in these texts.
Before turning to his main focus on the disputed letters, Maier explores in chapter one some of the undisputed letters with a view towards discerning their appropriation of imperial imagery. Instead of seeing Paul as entirely oppressed by the Roman Empire or, conversely, as rigidly determined by its ideology, Maier uses postcolonial concepts such as “hybridity” and “entanglement” to describe Paul's immersion in imperial imagery and his innovative incorporation of those ideas—Paul “makes do” (à la Michel de Certeau) with the socio-cultural resources at his disposal. The letters, for instance, adopt imperial motifs such as military triumphs, civic harmony, and renewal/regeneration inaugurated by beneficent emperors, but these ideas are reworked to communicate ideas about Christ's victory and reign. The strategy of “making do” will be continued by Paul's admirers, who co-opt his legacy and authority and apply them to their new situations.
Chapter two focuses on Colossians, which is also imbued with the notion of Christ's cosmic realm, pictured in the text as the result of a military victory which bestows harmony and abundance on those who inhabit it. The author of Colossians imagines a kind of civic unity and homogeneity in Christ that plays on tropes found elsewhere in imperial propaganda. The goal of Colossians' construction of this alternative empire in Christ is to “dissuade its audience from participating in rival religious ritual and beliefs” (99).
Chapter three examines Ephesians, which also envisages an empire in Christ, but this time, diversity is celebrated, not smoothed out. Maier sees this construction as a “thirdspace” (Edward Soja) or “heterotopia” (Michel Foucault) crafted by the author, who styles himself as an “imperial diplomat” (106) of this new polity. The diverse constituency is again envisioned as a recipient of a kind of civic victory and concord, but it is creatively clothed in the document with Jewish language.
Chapter four treats the Pastoral letters as a collection. Akin to the other disputed letters, they too utilize imperial imagery such as military victory or athletic competition; they also dwell, as is well known, on household metaphors drawn from Roman society to make sense of the social and familial relationships within the Christian community. But again, the author's resourcefulness comes into view: “The Pastorals take pre-existing gender codes and pictorial celebrations of imperial harmony and family domesticity, and transform them into new space for Christian practices” (195).
The epilogue acknowledges that there is even more work to be done in order to chart how Paul's legacy was used by later authors and groups.
In all the texts under question, Maier argues that the authors do not simply mimic imperial discourse; they participate in it and in doing so, contribute to its continuing construction and deployment. Though dense, the study is brimming with illustrations (e.g., numismatic evidence, sculptures, mosaics, and other artistic representations) to illuminate the visual world that the imagery of these letters would have evoked in the audiences' minds. Each chapter contains an impressive range of comparative details that cannot be done justice here.
In addition, by attending to thinkers such as Edward Soja, Michel de Certeau, Michel Foucault, and Homi Bhabha, among others, this is, to date, one of the most methodologically sophisticated treatments, not only of the disputed letters, but also more generally of the influence of “empire” on New Testament authors. Maier cogently demonstrates the wealth of striking imagery related to imperial victory and concord, inter alia, that ought to be considered by contemporary commentators when assessing the rhetorical tactics in these writings. The resulting study is a refreshingly complex analysis of the disputed letters, and it is thus highly recommended.