Powers and Principalities in the New Testament

The constructive work to be carried out now will unfold over three chapters: one for political authority, one for ecclesiology, and finally a chapter bringing together both poles by considering the lessons to be learnt from the historical passage through and beyond Christendom. This chapter will make up for the meagre and inadequate attention given by Vatican II, Hauerwas, and Cavanaugh to what scripture teaches about political authority. It will first introduce the literature from New Testament scholarship on the Powers, followed by an exposition of O’Donovan’s scriptural exegesis of divine and human political authority. The aim will be to show that O’Donovan’s exegetical work on Christ’s defeat and dethronement of the Powers depends on, without clearly alluding to, the scholarship on the Powers. It is his reliance on that scholarship that explains the connection he discerns in the New Testament between the way it presents political authority and Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension (i.e. the paschal mystery). His argument does not convince until his reliance on that scholarly literature is revealed and the exegetical validity of identifying political authority as one of the Powers is defended. Therefore, O’Donovan’s argument can be strengthened and made suitable for my purposes by showing why some biblical scholars have included political authorities among the Powers defeated by Christ.