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Honour Not Non-Violence: Retrieving a Concept from the First-Century Context of Christian Marginalisation
- Neotestamentica
- New Testament Society of Southern Africa
- Volume 54, Number 2, 2020
- pp. 209-222
- 10.1353/neo.2020.0016
- Article
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Abstract:
It is well-established that “honour/shame” culture was pervasive in first-century Roman Palestine. What is less established is the extent to which the honour/shame culture influences readings of the New Testament. This article argues that the lens of honour/shame radically alters the meaning of New Testament texts typically understood as relating to non-violence. A text from the Gospel of Luke is examined to establish that the cultural context and intertextual cues point to honour and dignity as themes of key verses rather than non-violence.