This study explains Paul's assertions about the Spirit in his letter to the Galatians by exploring the role the Spirit plays in his identity construction strategy. The study's argument moves in four stages. First, it argues that Paul uses the letter to construct an identity for his Galatian converts and to persuade them to embrace and implement that identity. Second, it argues that this identity is both social and moral in character--a fact that allows Paul's argument to be analyzed using the tools of social psychology (specifically, the Social Identity Approach). Third, it argues that this identity is defined by its association with Christ, with God, and with the eschatological situation. As Paul presents his construction of these entities, he is simultaneously giving shape to the identity he wants his converts to adopt as their own. Fourth, it argues that this identity is constituted by the active, empowering presence of the Spirit. For Paul, identification with Christ through faith is coincidental with reception of the Spirit, and the presence of the Spirit plays a significant role in the formation and maintenance of the identity category Paul describes as God's family.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TCU/oai:etd.tcu.edu:etd-10242011-121025 |
| Date | 24 October 2011 |
| Creators | Berry, Wade Jason |
| Contributors | Carolyn Osiek |
| Publisher | Texas Christian University |
| Source Sets | Texas Christian University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf, application/octet-stream |
| Source | http://etd.tcu.edu/etdfiles/available/etd-10242011-121025/ |
| Rights | unrestricted, I hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to TCU or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report. |
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