num_pages: 224
description: Until recently many scholars have read Paul's use of the word Christos as more of a proper name (Jesus Christ) than a title Jesus the Messiah. One result Joshua W. Jipp argues is that important aspects of Paul's thinking about Jesus' messiahship have gone unrecognized. Jipp argues that kingship discourse is an important source for Paul's christological language: Paul uses royal language to present Christ as the good king. Jipp surveys Greco-Roman and Jewish depictions of the ideal king and argues for the influence of these traditions on several aspects of Paul's thought: king and law (Galatians 56; Romans 1315; 1 Corinthians 9); hymning to the king (Colossians 1:15-20); the just and faithful king; the royal roots of Paul's language of participation in Christ; and the enthroned king (Romans 1:3-4; 1 Corinthians 15:20-28). Jipp finds that Paul's use of royal tropes is indeed significant. Christos is a royal honorific within Paul's letters and Paul is another witness to ancient discussions of monarchy and ideal kingship. In the process Jipp offers new and noteworthy solutions to outstanding questions concerning Christ and the law the pistis Christou debate and Paul's participatory language.
language: English
title: Christ Is King: Paul's Royal Ideology
publisher: Fortress Press (December 1, 2015)