In scholarly study of the New Testament and early Christian rhetoric, one key element is often overlooked: the sublime. To address this omission, contributors to this volume explore how the awe-inspiring, dislocating, and sometimes horrifying language that characterizes sublime rhetoric exerts cognitive, emotional, and physiological force on its audiences, transporting them to new realities as they go along. The essays lay a foundation for scholars and students to identify and interpret sublime rhetoric in biblical literature. Contributors include Murray J. Evans, Alan P. R. Gregory, Christopher T. Holmes, Roy R. Jeal, Harry O. Maier, Erika Mae Olbricht, Thomas H. Olbricht†, Vernon K. Robbins, and Jonathan Thiessen.

Roy R. Jeal is Professor Emeritus at Booth University College and a Research Associate at Vancouver School of Theology. He is the author of Exploring Philemon: Freedom, Brotherhood, and Partnership in the New Society (2015) and coeditor of The Art of Visual Exegesis: Rhetoric, Texts, Images (2017) and Welcoming the Nations: International Sociorhetorical Explorations (2020).