Practices of Power: Revisiting the Principalities and the Powers in the Pauline Letters

The conception of “powers” and “principalities” in Paul’s thought and that of his successors has been amply explored—but how was this conception expressed? How did the powers “work” in the Pauline community? Robert Moses argues that Paul's conception of the powers is unintelligible without a detailed account of the practices he advocates for the early believers. In this detailed study, Moses shows that Paul believed certain practices guarded believers from the dominion of the powers; other practices, however, exposed humans to the work of powers of darkness. Moses traces the distinct function of “power-practices” in each of Paul’s letters and draws illuminating comparisons with traditional African religious practices.