The purpose of this thesis is to determine whether in some of Paul's uses of the title K-6ptoq for Jesus, there exists a polemic against the living Roman emperor. After preliminary matters concerning methodology, history of research, and limitations are addressed (chapter 1), the sources for the study are described (chapter 2). Issues surrounding Paul's letters are considered. Then the various literary and non-literary sources which are used to better understand Paul's letters are discussed. The thesis proceeds inductively. Chapter 3 describes aspects of the first century context in which the original readers lived. This is intended to provide a grid to understand Paul's proclamation ofJesus as Lord as close to the first century context as possible. First, forms of emperor worship (imperial cults) are described within the context of Roman religious experience. However, this alone does not provide sufficient context to determine whether a polemic exists. Thus, the role of the emperor in the larger context is also considered. Chapter 4 focuses on the title K-6ptoq and the nature of lordship. First, the meaning, usage, and possible referents are described. The relational nature of the term is emphasised. The wide range of potential referents make it difficult to determine whether a polemic exists. The result is the postulation and defence of a superlative concept of supreme lord which has a restricted referent in a given culture. In chapter 5, the usages of the title for the Julio-Claudian and Flavian emperors are catalogued and it is determined that the living Caesar fills the role of the concept supreme lord in the context of Paul's original readers. Using communication principles from relevance theory, it is demonstrated that an author may include certain contextual clues that would suggest a challenge to the default referent by another. Certain modifiers and structures in the Pauline text lead to the conclusion that in some cases Paul intended a polemic against the living emperor. Specifically, this is suggested for Rom 10: 9; 1 Cor 8: 5-6; 12: 3; Eph 4: 5; Phil 2: 11.

In recent years, a prolific amount of books and articles on Paul have sought to bring Paul's life and theology into new light. This dissertation is an investigation into an aspect of Paul's life and thought which has remained little discussed in secondary literature, even when as of late, the social world of Paul has been in more focus — that of Paul's portrayal of manual work, and Ins use of the imagery of the workplace (ideas of toil, labour, weakness, slavery, economics, and so on). The thesis contributes to our understanding of what may have affected the portrayal of work in Paul's thought by surveying all the available evidence, and secondly, it concludes by way of providing a balance to the studies of Hock and others, that Paul's portrayal of work was derived from his Jewish heritage as well as his Graeco-Roman context. The first chapter introduces the subject, surveys previous research to demonstrate the need for the present study, and sets out the broader context of the literature to be examined. Chapter two considers the Jewish evidence. Two ways of looking at work are identified. Firstly, the portrayal of God as worker is examined and secondly, the portrayal of human work is discussed. These themes shape chapter three which discusses the Graeco-Roman evidence, and Chapter four which examines the non-Pauline Christian material. Chapter five considers the portrayal of work in the Pauline letters, cross-referencing with the previous chapters where relevant. The final chapter summarises the conclusions that are drawn from the evidence and outlines their implications for current scholarship in Paul.