Paul Our Mother

With surprising regularity, Paul uses material images, often to describe his ministry to the churches. He and his helpers are like nurses to the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 2:7). He is a laboring woman in Galatia (4:19), and he nurses the Corinthians with milk, since they are infants in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1-2). He himself is an infant (1 Thessalonians 2:7), sanctified like Jeremiah from the womb (Galatians 1:15) but a miscarried fetus (1 Corinthians 15:8).

Beverly Gaventa’sOur Mother S...