Resurrection as Anti-Imperial Gospel: 1 Thessalonians 1:9b-10 in Context

This well-informed study presents a stimulating analysis of the resurrection in its relevance in the context of imperial domination. Pillar highlights the subversive and liberating power of faith in the one vindicated in the resurrection, not least in its relevance also for contemporary church and society. –Kathy Ehrensperger, University of Wales, Trinity St. David

From the vantage point of a vista of literary, numismatic, and archeological evidence, Pillar offers us in this study a fresh look at 1 Thessalonians 1:9 10, the first literary attestation of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Sharing the lens of Pillar s perspective on what Paul wrote about the resurrection in the earliest of his letters helps us to understand in a new and different way just how much of an impact the announcement of the good news of the resurrection made upon those who first heard Paul s gospel. Resurrection as Anti-Imperial Gospel is a must read. –Raymond F. Collins, Brown University