Paul's Triumph

Paul's metaphorical language in Second Corinthians 2:14 has troubled exegetes for a long time. Does the verb thetarhoiotaalphamussepsilonupsilonepsiloniotanu indicate that Paul imagines himself as being led to execution in the Roman triumphal procession?

Or is the victory that is in view, by contrast, one the apostles receive themselves? Perhaps the Roman ritual does not constitute the background of this metaphor at all?

Clarity with regard to these questions is a pressing issue in Pauline studies, given the fact that this metaphor introduces a central passage in the Pauline corpus that is of crucial importance for reconstructing the apostle's self-understanding. Heilig demonstrates that, if all the relevant data are taken into account, a coherent interpretation of Paul's statement is indeed possible.

Moreover, Heilig brings the resulting meaning of Paul's statement into dialogue with political discourse of the time, thus presenting a detailed argument for the complex critical interaction of Paul with the ideology of the Roman Empire.