Tag: head metaphor
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Household: “Head” as “Symbol of the Whole” and “Preeminence in Status”
Agriculture is still a significant part of the culture in the American Midwest. You occasionally run into ranchers, and when you do, the conversation eventually turns to how many "head" they own. We are not talking about cattle heads. We are talking about complete cattle. The head is the most visible and distinguishing feature of…
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Houeshold: “Head” as “Origin” or “Source”
I wrote in my previous post that the head was not the bodily organ responsible for intellect and control in Greek physiology. What, then, is the function of the head with regard to the body? The head was the life-giving source that animated the rest of the body. The body grew out of the head.…
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Household: Household Code Lost in Translation: Kephale
We have now examined the household codes in 1 Peter and Titus. It is time to turn to the household codes presented in Ephesians and Colossians. These codes present a major challenge because of a one-word metaphor: kephale, meaning "head." The word is used several times in the New Testament, and most instances refer to…
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Paul’s Subversion of the Empire
[This post was originally posted March 16, 2006, as part of my Theology and Economics series.] Some of the most controversial passages in Scripture deal with the "household codes" in the New Testament epistles. Most prominent among these are Ephesians 5:18-6:9 and Colossians 3:18-4:1. Some scholars regard Ephesians and Colossians as deutero-Pauline epistles written after…
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Theology and Economics: Paul’s Subversion of the Empire
Some of the most controversial passages in Scripture deal with the "household codes" in the New Testament epistles. Most prominent among these are Ephesians 5:18-6:9 and Colossians 3:18-4:1. Some scholars regard Ephesians and Colossians as deutero-Pauline epistles written after Paul's death. Part of the case against Pauline authorship is their inclusion of the household codes…