The Significance of Salvation

The prevalence of salvation language in the Pastoral Epistles has been often commented on but rarely investigated. This careful study discovers a vital paraenetic role for salvation in all three letters, but finds distinctive soteriological emphases in each, challenging assumptions about the Pastoral Epistles as a corpus. Fresh exegetical insights cast light on the cross-cultural translation of early Christian ideas of salvation. ""Dr. Wieland's study of the Pastoral Epistles rightly identifies salvation as a major theme and offers a thorough study of it; his careful examination of the distinctive features of each of the Epistles brings out their individual contributions to the total picture and significantly advances our understanding of their theology. This is a sympathetic, insightful and comprehensive study that can be highly recommended to all students of New Testament theology."" --I. H. Marshall, Honorary Research Professor of New Testament, University of Aberdeen, UK ""A valuable contribution both to the interpretation of the Pastoral Epistles and to the study of ideas about salvation in the early Church. Wieland's work is characterized by great care in exegesis and by broad knowledge of primary texts and scholars. I particularly like his stress on the distinctive features of the three letters, a factor that is unduly neglected in current study."" --Peter Oakes, Greenwood Lecturer in the New Testament, Department of Religion and Theology, University of Manchester, UK ""Wieland's thorough study of the salvation language in the Pastoral Epistles is a noble attempt at exegesis and New Testament theology. He boldly tackles all of the passages in these three letters where salvation language is used, and from them draws out both distinctives and commonalities. Wieland appreciates the individual character of these three letters, too often lumped together without appreciating their distinctives, but also notes their common witness to salvation through Christ."" --Stanley E. Porter, President and Dean, Professor of New Testament, McMaster Divinity College, Hamilton, Ontatio, Canada George M. Wieland is Lecturer in New Testament at Carey Baptist College, Auckland, New Zealand, having previously worked in cross-cultural mission in Brazil and in pastoral ministry in England and Scotland. He is currently researching in the area of ethnicity and cultural and biblical interpretation. He is married to Jo and they have three children.