Chapter History Research Articles

Paul's Understanding of the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:36–54

The present essay contributes to the current discussion regarding the nature of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. The article begins with a capsule summary of the chapter's history of interpretation, which is generally unfamiliar to NT scholars but provides crucial perspective on the current discussion. The article then offers a new proposal regarding the literary and syntactic structure of Paul's exposition of the resurrection body in 1 Cor 15:36–54. Building on prior structural analysis of the text, the essay points to key but previously neglected features of the passage's composition, arguing that the specific way in which Paul shapes his exposition has crucial implications for his understanding of the nature of the resurrection event. In concert with this structural analysis, the article also seeks to advance scholarly discussion of two much-debated elements of Paul's thought in the passage, providing a fresh discussion of the nature of the “change” that Paul envisions in 15:51–52, and an analysis of Paul's description of the risen body as a sōma pneumatikon in 15:44. The structure of Paul's argument in 1 Cor 15:36–54 proposed here has, I argue, significant ramifications for the long-standing debate regarding the nature of the resurrection in Paul.

Black Islam in Diaspora: The Case of Nation of Islam (NOI) in Britain1

This paper examines an ethno-religious movement, the Nation of Islam (NOI), which globally appeals to Black Diaspora. Despite being originally American, this movement has become a global ethno-religious movement due to its appeal to blacks worldwide. This paper aims to examine how the NOI's ethnic, racial, political, social and religious teachings appeal to Africans and Caribbeans beyond the borders of the USA in geographical areas such as the Caribbean, Canada, West Africa and Western Europe. However, it specifically focuses on the global impacts of the NOI in Britain. It is important that a movement's external and internal relations with both surrounding society and its infrastructure play crucial roles in establishing itself. The NOI's UK chapter's history and experiences that the movement has gone through have shaped its organizational development as well as its public perception and image.