Artemis, Eve, and the Image of God

""Joseph Brennan's well-researched and well-written book offers a new perspective for understanding the image of God in the Haustafel in Ephesians. He proposes, in part, that Paul writes to counter the model provided by the cult of Artemis in Ephesus with his model of image-bearers of Christ based on mutual submission, trust, and loving self-sacrifice. I recommend this to any reader, professional or lay, looking for a different understanding of Paul's letters in their context."" --Rick Strelan, associate professor of New Testament and early Christianity, University of Queensland ""This book creatively reframes the Pauline 'marital code' in Ephesians within the context of the Artemis cult in Ephesus. The proposed interpretation of the Ephesian Haustafel is thoroughly researched, introduces crucial contextual data, and develops an original and provocative thesis--original and provocative in the most constructive scholarly sense. This book will certainly sharpen future interpretations of Pauline marital recommendations. Those unpersuaded by its thesis are obliged to answer its rigor with an equally robust exegetical and ethical alternative."" --T. J. Lang, senior lecturer in New Testament, University of St. Andrews ""Artemis, Eve, and the Image of God challenges long-held views about Paul's use of household codes in his vision for marriage laid out in Ephesians 5. The author draws on inscriptions and artifacts relating to the Artemis cult in ancient Ephesus that have been largely overlooked by scholars, and the result is a template for Christian response to social practice in any century. Highly recommended."" --Sandra Glahn, author of Nobody's Mother: Artemis of the Ephesians in Antiquity and the New Testament ""Artemis, Eve, and the Image of God offers a thorough and innovative analysis of the Ephesians' household codes, integrating the impact of the Artemis cult, reflections on the imago Dei, the rise of various marriage traditions (including celibacy), and the letter's evangelical intent. It presents a coherent framework that provides fresh insights into a highly debated issue of interpreting the household codes within the New Testament instructions for Christ's followers."" -- Svetlana Khobnya, senior lecturer in biblical studies, Nazarene Theological College ""Joseph Brennan's excellent study demonstrates that previous scholarship on the marriage code in Ephesians has given far too little attention to the ways in which early audiences of that letter are likely to have been influenced by the contemporary cult of Artemis. Brennan constructs a culturally appropriate context for Ephesians that helps us to imagine how the letter's images of marital union in Christ could have stood out as a highly attractive alternative to the prevailing alternatives in first-century CE Asia Minor."" --Todd Klutz, senior lecturer in biblical studies, University of Manchester ""Joseph Brennan's significant book seriously grounds Ephesians in Ephesus by relating it to extensively documented evidence about the Artemis cult in the city. The letter's idea of the image of God in Christian marriage becomes a contrast to the image of Artemis. Brennan uses this to produce a thought-provoking new reading of the 'household code' as advocating loving, mutually dependent, evangelistically effective marriage relationships."" --Peter Oakes, professor of biblical criticism and exegesis, University of Manchester ""This is an important book for all who value Paul's writings as instructive for what it means to be Christian and those concerned with the consequences of such beliefs. Joseph Brennan's i