Paradoxically, while the entirety of Molina's book argues that a sociological, network-centric analysis of the New Testament is necessary to understand the spread of Jesus groups in the first century AD, Molina does not pay much attention to the sociological and cultural details which organized interpersonal relationships in the first century AD. Aside from broad conceptions of in-group/out-group relations as they apply to Jews centered around Jerusalem and those "Greek" Jews of which Paul and Timothy are likely part, Molina does not examine the contextual realities that would have informed and constrained Paul and Timothy's relationship. In other words, Paul and Timothy's travels throughout the Mediterranean were likely organized by a far more complex set of interpersonal standards than those organizing the interactions between coworkers on an extended business trip. Thessalonica is not Toledo, and the institution of churches practicing an offshoot, apocalyptic Judaism seems a far cry from regional sales calls. It seems that Molina discusses Paul and Timothy's working relationship in relatively "modern" terms as way of making the oftentimes obscure functioning of early Christianity more accessible, but in doing so, he glosses over details that seem intrinsic to an understanding of the spread of Pauline Christianity.
he book assumes Paul and Timothy's success, and so rather than examine what specific, individual facets of their social network made them so successful...
Exegesis To understand 2 Corinthians as a letter, one must first understand the context in which it was written. This was Paul's second letter to the Christian church at Corinth. His first letter had been less than kind, admonishing the Corinthian church for what Paul saw as many deficiencies in their manner of living and worship. As might be expected, the original letter was not exactly welcome by the Corinthians, and
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