Kerygma, Eschatology, and Social Ethics - Softcover

"The eschatological and dualistic symbolism of the early Christians has misled us into thinking that the Gospel in its classic period has no concern with what we call social change" writes Wilder. Saint Paul's apparently conservative social views must be understood in light of his expectation of Christ's imminent return; his is an "emergency ethic" But going beyond Paul's explicit social teachings to his kerygmatic affirmations, we see that the "principalities and powers" over which Christ has triumphed also refer to the corrupted structures of society. The social-ethical significance of the kerygma becomes discernible as soon as we learn to interpret the mythological expressions of the New Testament in historical terms.

Amos N. Wilder (1895-1993), New Testament scholar, poet, literary critic, and clergyman, received all earned degrees from Yale. His teaching career included posts at Andover Newton Theological School, Chicago Theological Seminary and the University of Chicago, and Harvard Divinity School. Special honors included the Golden Rose of the New England Poetry Club (1943) and the Bross Prize (1952). Wilder also received the Croix de guerre for service in World War I. He was the brother of playwright and novelist Thornton Wilder.