Who's Afraid of a Thief in the Night?

In several NT passages an audience is urged to be ready for the parousia of Christ, which will come upon them ‘like a thief in the night’. This image plays upon a common stock of cultural lore regarding the nocturnal activities of house burglars. A review of the evidence suggests that poor people an...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stanley, Christopher D. 1955- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Cambridge Univ. Press 2002
In: New Testament studies
Year: 2002, Volume: 48, Issue: 4, Pages: 468-486
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Parallel Edition:Electronic
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Summary:In several NT passages an audience is urged to be ready for the parousia of Christ, which will come upon them ‘like a thief in the night’. This image plays upon a common stock of cultural lore regarding the nocturnal activities of house burglars. A review of the evidence suggests that poor people and women had the most to fear from burglars. For them, the idea of Jesus coming ‘like a thief in the night’ might have induced feelings of fear rather than anticipation. In the case of women, the image may have functioned as a means of social control.
ISSN:1469-8145
Contains:Enthalten in: New Testament studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0028688502000280