From Slaves to Sons

The Author: Sam Tsang received his Ph.D. from the University of Sheffield Biblical Studies Department. He has given seminars and spoken widely on Pauline subjects in parts of the U.S., Britain, and Asia.

«This book illumines Paul’s use of the slavery metaphor with rigor and freshness, intelligently marshaling Greco-Roman sources with the wealth of Pauline research into slavery in the last decade – all the while maintaining exegetical credibility with the text of Galatians. No mean feat. Much has been written on the social and rhetorical functions of slavery in Paul’s letters, but no one has combined all the relevant results into a unified metaphor as Sam Tsang has. This study will surely open up new questions in Pauline studies for years to come. Bravo!» (Sze-kar Wan, John Norris Professor of New Testament Interpretation, Andover Newton Theological School, Massachusetts)«This work is thoroughly informed both by Greco-Roman contextual study and by contemporary rhetorical/argumentative theory of metaphor. Sam Tsang offers a fine-grained analysis of the slavery metaphors in Galatians, identifying the apologetic, polemical, and didactic uses of Paul’s slavery language. This close study of the rhetorical function of such language thus marks important distinctions within material otherwise run together in contemporary research. Students of Paul and Galatians, Greco-Roman social context, metaphor, and rhetoric will find this insightful book a most welcome addition to the literature.» (R. Barry Matlock, Department of Biblical Studies, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom)