Stimulated by the signal contributions that New Testament scholar Richard B. Hays has made to Christology and Christian ethics, the essays collected here carry forward conversations involving close studies of particular passages in the Gospels and Epistles and wider-ranging forays into big questions in those fields. Some essays build on Hays's work, pushing forward in new directions on questions of scriptural intertextuality, Christology, and participation in Christ. Others challenge his work on questions of method and substance alike. But all reflect appreciation for the advances made by this giant of twentieth and twenty-first century New Testament scholarship.

This book advances the interpretation of 1 Corinthians by exploring the ways the apostle Paul quoted or "echoed" Jewish scriptures more indirectly in his letter, by metonymy or allusion. Criteria and methods for identifying echoes are brought to the fore, as are questions of the texture of Paul's theology and his understanding of scripture. Important topics in 1 Corinthians addressed here include Paul's use of the Law, monotheism, Christology, wisdom and mystery language, punishment of the incestuous man, baptism for the dead, eschatology, and resurrection.