Reconstructing Honor in Roman Philippi : Carmen Christi As Cursus Pudorum. Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series

Published in 2005 by Cambridge University Press as part of the Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, this academic text was written by Joseph H. Hellerman. The work emerged from a rigorous scholarly context, aiming to bridge the gap between New Testament exegesis and the social history of the Roman world. Hellerman utilizes the theoretical framework of honor-shame dynamics to provide a fresh interpretation of the Philippian church's historical circumstances.

The design and analytical strategy of the monograph focus on the interpretation of the 'Carmen Christi'—the Christ hymn found in Philippians 2:6-11—within the specific social landscape of Philippi, a Roman colony. Hellerman argues that the hymn functions as a 'cursus pudorum,' or a 'course of shame,' contrasting with the typical Roman 'cursus honorum.' The work has been received by biblical scholars as a specialized contribution to socio-rhetorical criticism, valued for its application of Greco-Roman social values to Pauline theology.