Trebilco, Paul

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Trebilco, Paul

(Paul R. Trebilco)

PERSONAL:

Education: University of Durham, Ph.D., 1987.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of Theology and Religious Studies, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Academic. University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand, professor of theology and head of theology and religious studies.

WRITINGS:

Jewish Communities in Asia Minor, Cambridge University Press (New York, NY), 1991, reprinted, 2006.

(Editor) Considering Orthodoxy: Foundations for Faith Today, Colcom Press (Orewa, New Zealand), 1995, reprinted, 2006.

The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius, Mohr Siebeck (Tübingen, Germany), 2004, William B. Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 2007.

(With S. Rae) 1 Timothy, Asia Theological Association (Singapore), 2007.

Contributor to periodicals and academic journals, including Tyndale Bulletin, Mediterraneo Antico, Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Australian Journal of Chemistry, Biomedical Mass Spectrometry, Stimulus, Preacher, Affirm, Journal of the Latimer Fellowship of New Zealand, and Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.

SIDELIGHTS:

Paul Trebilco is an academic whose research interests cover the Pastoral Epistles, Johannine literature, early Christianity in Ephesus, and the Judaic Diaspora.

In The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius, Trebilco examines a multitude of sources relating to the development of early Christianity in Ephesus, an ancient city that sits on the western shores of modern-day Turkey. He explores a number of issues found in Paul's letters, including the Pastorals, Acts, Revelation, Johannine Epistles, and Ignatius' letter to the Ephesians. Trebilco argues against mainstream belief that Johannine Christianity replaced Pauline Christianity in Ephesus, instead interpreting the available information to propose that a number of Christianities loosely coexisted in the area.

James Carleton Paget, writing in the Journal of Ecclesiastical History, commented that "while there is much useful material in this book, it is overly long," and that a book "half the size could have been written to equal effect." Thomas Witulski, reviewing the book in the Biblical Theology Bulletin, remarked that The Early Christians in Ephesus from Paul to Ignatius "is not without its weak points, most of which result from the extent of the material treated." Nevertheless, Witulski concluded that "Trebilco's book represents an enormous achievement despite some outdated conclusions in parts. His thorough survey of the evidence of Christianity at Ephesus in the first century and his introduction to the scholarly issues involved make this book essential reading for those interested in early Christianity in Asia Minor."