Practices of Cursing in the Letters of Paul
By (author) Filip Sylwestrowicz
Paperback (Forthcoming)
(September 2026)
ISBN: 9783162002884
6.1 x 9.13 inches
Price: $113.00
Filip Sylwestrowicz shows how Paul wielded curses – anathemas, the handing over to Satan, the refusal to curse persecutors – as instruments of pastoral care: a means to extend his reach when absent from his churches, to safeguard his gospel, and to shape cruciform communities.
Filip Sylwestrowicz examines how the apostle Paul employed practices of cursing in his pastoral ministry. He offers three case studies of cursing in antiquity that establish a comparative framework for an analysis of the Pauline letters. These case studies include curse tablets (defixiones), epitaph curses, and curses in rites of initiation and expulsion preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Together, they help to identify various functions of cursing practices, such as marking the boundaries of communities, enhancing agency, and protecting material and immaterial objects. Against this background, the author analyses several passages in Paul’s letters in which he refers to practices of cursing. In the course of the analysis, similarities and differences between Paul’s use of curses and other ancient cursing practices are identified. The author concludes that Paul employed curses to enhance his agency when he was absent and unable to address the problems of his churches in person. He also used them to protect his gospel and to enforce cruciform conduct among Christ-followers. At the same time, Paul subordinated the use of curses to his overriding goal of conforming believers in Christ. For example, he urges Christ-followers to refrain from cursing their persecutors, since such curses would function as acts of vengeance and would be incongruous with the call to follow Christ.
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Definitions of Cursing and Blessing
1.2 Why Did People Curse and Bless?
1.3 History of Research on Cursing and Blessing in Paul
1.4 Approach and Method
Chapter 2: The Practice of Anathema
2.1 The Term Ἀνάθεμα
2.3 "Jesus Is Accursed" in 1 Cor 12:3
2.4 Paul's Imprecation in 1 Cor 16:22
2.5 Hypothetical Anathema in Rom 9:3
2.6 Summary and Conclusions
Chapter 3: The Practice of Handing Over to Satan
3.1 Background of the "Handing Over" Language
3.2 Handing Over to Satan in 1 Cor 5:5
3.3 Handing Over to Satan in 1 Tim 1:20
3.4 Summary and Conclusions
Chapter 4: The Practice of Blessing Enemies
4.1 Blessing Persecutors in Rom 12:14
4.2 Blessing Revilers in 1 Cor 4:12
4.3. Summary and Conclusions
Chapter 5: Summary and Conclusions
- By (author) Filip Sylwestrowicz
Other Titles in this Series
2 Corinthians – a Letter about Reconciliation
A Psychagogical, Epistolographical and Rhetorical Analysis
Volume 239
Die Starken und die Schwachen in Korinth und in Rom
Zu Herkunft und Funktion der Antithese in 1Kor 8,1-11,1 und in Rom 14,1-15,13
Volume 200
Cosmic Christology in Paul and the Pauline School
Colossians and Ephesians in the Context of Graeco-Roman Cosmology, with a New Synopsis of the Greek Texts
Volume 171
The Birth and Death of the PreMarkan Passion Narrative
A History of Form Criticism's Most Assured Result
Volume 608
The Antichrist Tradition in Antiquity
Antimessianism in Second Temple and Early Christian Literature
Volume 532
Der Richter und seine Anklager
Eine narratologische Untersuchung der Rechtsstreit- und Prozessmotivik im Johannesevangelium
Volume 501
Sinners and Sinfulness in Luke
A Study of Direct and Indirect References in the Initial Episodes of Jesus' Activity
Volume 434
Der Heilige Geist bei Lukas
Theologisches Profil, Grund und Intention der lukanischen Pneumatologie
Volume 389
The Ransom Logion in Mark and Matthew
Its Reception and Its Significance for the Study of the Gospels
Volume 327
Allegory Transformed
The Appropriation of Philonic Hermeneutics in the Letter to the Hebrews
Volume 269
Die Wundererzahlungen im Markusevangelium
Eine narratologische Analyse zur Erschliessung eines soteriologischen Erzahlprinzips
Volume 618
Paulus und der Nous
Eine Untersuchung zur paulinischen Anthropologie vor dem Hintergrund hellenistisch-jüdischer und griechisch-römischer Konzeptionen
A Socio-Rhetorical Interpretation of the Letter to Philemon in Light of the New Institutional Economics
An Exhortation to Transform a Master-Slave Economic Relationship into a Brotherly Loving Relationship
Volume 444
Figuren als Handlungsmodelle
Simon Petrus, die samaritische Frau, Judas und Thomas als Zugänge zu einer narrativen Ethik des Johannesevangeliums. Kontexte und Normen neutestamentlicher Ethik / Contexts and Norms of New Testament Ethics. Band VI
What was Mark for Matthew?
An Examination of Matthew's Relationship and Attitude to his Primary Source
Volume 344
Christ as the Telos of Life
Moral Philosophy, Athletic Imagery, and the Aim of Philippians
Volume 371