Paul the Storyteller
A Narratological Approach
Author Christoph Heilig ISBN 9780802878953 Binding Trade Paper Publisher WM B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Publication Date October 22, 2024 Size 152 x 229 mm
An incisive study of Paul’s use of stories and narratives in his letters Paul is often thought of as a crafter of numerous and complex arguments, but some scholars, such as N. T. Wright and
An incisive study of Paul’s use of stories and narratives in his letters
Paul is often thought of as a crafter of numerous and complex arguments, but some scholars, such as N. T. Wright and Richard Hays, have shown that narratives are vitally important in his letters. Through careful examination of the texts, Christoph Heilig demonstrates that Paul is indeed a talented teller of stories—not only explicit narratives but also implicit stories.
In this volume, after a decade of research and writing, Heilig presents his definitive report on narrative in Paul. While Richard Hays and N. T. Wright have argued that Paul’s letters contain implicit narratives, Heilig stresses that a sound methodology requires beginning with text-linguistic investigation of explicit narratives. As Heilig argues, focusing on explicit narratives repeatedly redirects our attention to implicit (“almost”) stories. On this basis, he shows that Hays’s “narrative substructures” and Wright’s “worldview” narratives can also be fruitfully integrated into a narratological approach. Paul is a different kind of storyteller than the gospel writers, for example, but at countless points miniature narratives play a crucial role for Paul’s communicative goals.
Students and scholars of the New Testament will welcome Heilig’s expert guidance through a hotly debated area of Pauline studies.
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Paul is often thought of as a crafter of numerous and complex arguments, but some scholars, such as N. T. Wright and Richard Hays, have shown that narratives are vitally important in his letters. Through careful examination of the texts, Christoph Heilig demonstrates that Paul is indeed a talented teller of stories—not only explicit narratives but also implicit stories.
In this volume, after a decade of research and writing, Heilig presents his definitive report on narrative in Paul. While Richard Hays and N. T. Wright have argued that Paul’s letters contain implicit narratives, Heilig stresses that a sound methodology requires beginning with text-linguistic investigation of explicit narratives. As Heilig argues, focusing on explicit narratives repeatedly redirects our attention to implicit (“almost”) stories. On this basis, he shows that Hays’s “narrative substructures” and Wright’s “worldview” narratives can also be fruitfully integrated into a narratological approach. Paul is a different kind of storyteller than the gospel writers, for example, but at countless points miniature narratives play a crucial role for Paul’s communicative goals.
Students and scholars of the New Testament will welcome Heilig’s expert guidance through a hotly debated area of Pauline studies.
“Recent scholarship has applied narratology to the Corpus Paulinum. In contrast to the macro-narrative constructions of Richard Hays and N. T. Wright, Christoph Heilig argues for micro-narratives or implicit narratives in Paul’s letters on the basis of textual linguistics. The result is a persuasive case for protonarratives in Paul’s letters that provides a new framework for reading the letters. I recommend the work enthusiastically.”
—Gregory E. Sterling, Yale Divinity School
“The important controversies concerning ‘narrative substructures’ in Paul’s theology have lacked methodological rigor—until now! Heilig uses his expertise in narratology and text grammar to set this scholarly discussion on a firm footing, starting from the myriad mini-narratives explicit in Paul’s texts. The analysis may be demanding for those unfamiliar with the concepts, but the results are richly rewarding, as Heilig here charts the only plausible and secure path for future research in this field.”
—John M. G. Barclay, Durham University
“Christoph Heilig masterfully shows how in the apostle Paul’s letters, the Word has become a story; in other words, how Paul’s theology is deeply embedded in episodic and grand narratives. Heilig explains how narrativity works and how narratives work out in Paul’s letters. A terrific resource for studying Paul and the storied nature of Paul’s theology.”
—Michael F. Bird, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia
“Narrative study in Paul takes a giant step forward with Paul the Storyteller. Heilig delivers a brilliant, comprehensive analysis of both explicit and implicit narratives in Paul’s letters, providing in-depth research, clear definitions, and numerous examples of the importance of narrative structures for interpreting Paul.”
—Lynn H. Cohick, Houston Theological Seminary
“Stories are everywhere, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. Christoph Heilig’s book helps us attune our senses to notice both explicit and implicit storytelling in Paul’s letters. More than that, time and again his book offers a close analysis of Paul’s precise wording and a compelling case that our typical translations and interpretations flatten and obscure the richness of Paul’s expression. The result is a book that mediates to us a greater understanding of what Paul wrote and a heightened appreciation for what has made these texts so compelling over the span of millennia.”
—James McGrath, Butler University
“Few Pauline scholars have considered narrative as closely as Christoph Heilig, and those who have will need to reconsider in light of this book. Monumental, penetrating, and utterly compelling, this book is a game-changer.”
—Constantine R. Campbell, Sydney College of Divinity
“In Paul the Storyteller, Christoph Heilig demonstrates his characteristic care in probing issues that are both significant and disputed within scholarship. Proposing a fresh narratological approach to the question of whether Paul can be considered a storyteller, Heilig points a way forward in an area of study that has been at something of a standstill. This book might well be the start of the second quest for the narratological Paul.”
—Bruce Longenecker, Baylor University
“I welcome Christoph Heilig’s unusually thorough volume on the narratology of the apostle Paul. In it, he masterfully examines the linguistic and metalinguistic factors by which the narrative side of the Corpus Paulinum can be meaningfully interpreted. I am particularly pleased with his consistent inclusion of text-grammatical factors.”
—Heinrich von Siebenthal, Staatsunabhängige Theologische Hochschule Basel
“Christoph Heilig takes the narrative approaches of Richard B. Hays and N. T. Wright and shifts them onto a foundation in narrativity, correcting some missteps and grounding his own exegesis more solidly in linguistics and, thus, in the text. The readings that emerge from Paul’s letters, both narratives and implicit narratives, will provide much fuel for future discussion and debate. As did his earlier work with Bayes’ Theorem, Heilig’s narratological methodology paves a new and theoretically solid way forward for biblical scholarship.”
—Laura J. Hunt, University of Wales, Trinity St. David
“In this thought-provoking book, Christoph Heilig applies the theory of narratology to the analysis of Paul’s letters in much more depth than an
View Review quote
—Gregory E. Sterling, Yale Divinity School
“The important controversies concerning ‘narrative substructures’ in Paul’s theology have lacked methodological rigor—until now! Heilig uses his expertise in narratology and text grammar to set this scholarly discussion on a firm footing, starting from the myriad mini-narratives explicit in Paul’s texts. The analysis may be demanding for those unfamiliar with the concepts, but the results are richly rewarding, as Heilig here charts the only plausible and secure path for future research in this field.”
—John M. G. Barclay, Durham University
“Christoph Heilig masterfully shows how in the apostle Paul’s letters, the Word has become a story; in other words, how Paul’s theology is deeply embedded in episodic and grand narratives. Heilig explains how narrativity works and how narratives work out in Paul’s letters. A terrific resource for studying Paul and the storied nature of Paul’s theology.”
—Michael F. Bird, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia
“Narrative study in Paul takes a giant step forward with Paul the Storyteller. Heilig delivers a brilliant, comprehensive analysis of both explicit and implicit narratives in Paul’s letters, providing in-depth research, clear definitions, and numerous examples of the importance of narrative structures for interpreting Paul.”
—Lynn H. Cohick, Houston Theological Seminary
“Stories are everywhere, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. Christoph Heilig’s book helps us attune our senses to notice both explicit and implicit storytelling in Paul’s letters. More than that, time and again his book offers a close analysis of Paul’s precise wording and a compelling case that our typical translations and interpretations flatten and obscure the richness of Paul’s expression. The result is a book that mediates to us a greater understanding of what Paul wrote and a heightened appreciation for what has made these texts so compelling over the span of millennia.”
—James McGrath, Butler University
“Few Pauline scholars have considered narrative as closely as Christoph Heilig, and those who have will need to reconsider in light of this book. Monumental, penetrating, and utterly compelling, this book is a game-changer.”
—Constantine R. Campbell, Sydney College of Divinity
“In Paul the Storyteller, Christoph Heilig demonstrates his characteristic care in probing issues that are both significant and disputed within scholarship. Proposing a fresh narratological approach to the question of whether Paul can be considered a storyteller, Heilig points a way forward in an area of study that has been at something of a standstill. This book might well be the start of the second quest for the narratological Paul.”
—Bruce Longenecker, Baylor University
“I welcome Christoph Heilig’s unusually thorough volume on the narratology of the apostle Paul. In it, he masterfully examines the linguistic and metalinguistic factors by which the narrative side of the Corpus Paulinum can be meaningfully interpreted. I am particularly pleased with his consistent inclusion of text-grammatical factors.”
—Heinrich von Siebenthal, Staatsunabhängige Theologische Hochschule Basel
“Christoph Heilig takes the narrative approaches of Richard B. Hays and N. T. Wright and shifts them onto a foundation in narrativity, correcting some missteps and grounding his own exegesis more solidly in linguistics and, thus, in the text. The readings that emerge from Paul’s letters, both narratives and implicit narratives, will provide much fuel for future discussion and debate. As did his earlier work with Bayes’ Theorem, Heilig’s narratological methodology paves a new and theoretically solid way forward for biblical scholarship.”
—Laura J. Hunt, University of Wales, Trinity St. David
“In this thought-provoking book, Christoph Heilig applies the theory of narratology to the analysis of Paul’s letters in much more depth than an
Christoph Heilig leads a research group at the University of Munich that focuses on the intersection between literary studies and biblical exegesis. His books include The Apostle and the Empire (2022), Paul’s Triumph (2017), and Hidden Criticism (2015). His previous book on narratives in Paul (Paulus als Erzähler, 2020) received a Manfred Lautenschlaeger Award for Theological Promise.
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Table of Contents
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Preface
List of Abbreviations
1. Introducing Narrative
2. The Grammar of Narration
3. Stories in Context
4. Fragments of Implicit Protonarratives
5. Of Narrative Substructures and Worldview Narratives
Bibliography
Index of Authors
Index of Subjects
Index of Scripture and Other Ancient Sources