A Theory of Primitive Christian Religion
A Theory of Primitive Christian Religion

Author: Gerd Theissen

Publisher: Hymns Ancient and Modern Ltd

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 418

ISBN-13: 9780334029137

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A discussion of 'primitive' Christianity - Christianity in its original form, this work was first given as Speaker's Lectures in Oxford. Covering the first five centuries of Christianity, it argues that neither a theology of the New Testament nor a history of the early Church can do justice to all the dimensions of the earliest Christianity. It explores in depth the formation of primitive Christianity and studies the effect of the two great crises of primitive Christianity: the split with Judaism and the threat from Gnosticism. It is aimed at academic theologians.

Martyrdom and Memory
Martyrdom and Memory

Author: Elizabeth Anne Castelli

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 376

ISBN-13: 9780231129862

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Utilising a wide range of early sources, this title identifies the roots of the concept of Christian martyrdom, as lloking at how it has been expressed in events such as the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999.

The Nature of New Testament Theology
The Nature of New Testament Theology

Author: Christopher Rowland

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-04-15

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 1405154748

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This volume brings together some of the most distinguished writersin the field of New Testament studies to provide an overview ofdiscussions about the nature of New Testament theology. Examines the development, purpose and scope of New Testamenttheology. Looks at the relationship of New Testament theology with otherbranches of theology. Considers crucial issues within the New Testament, such as thehistorical Jesus, the theology of the cross, eschatology, ethics,and the role of women. Offers fresh perspectives which take discussion of the subjectfurther in key areas Includes a foreword by Rowan Williams.

A New History of Early Christianity
A New History of Early Christianity

Author: Charles Freeman

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2009-01-01

Total Pages: 416

ISBN-13: 030012581X

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"Tracing the astonishing transformation that the early Christian church underwent - from sporadic niches of Christian communities surviving in the wake of a horrific crucifixion to sanctioned alliance with the state - Charles Freeman shows how freedom of thought was curtailed by the development of the concept of faith. The imposition of 'correct belief' and an institutional framework that enforced orthodoxy were both consolidating and stifling. Uncovering the church's relationships with Judaism, Gnosticism, Greek philosophy and Greco-Roman society, Freeman offers dramatic new accounts of Paul, the resurrection, and the church fathers and emperors."--BOOK JACKET.

Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels
Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels

Author: Thomas Hatina

Publisher: A&C Black

Published: 2008-10-18

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 0567041948

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The second title in a proposed five-volume work; volume two, following on from the volume on Mark's Gospel, concentrates on Matthew's Gospel. Contributors consider the function of embedded scripture texts in the context of the Gospels written and read/heard in their early Christian settings. The project is wide ranging, with essays on the function of scripture in the compositional history of the gospels and the collection is broad in scope as a result of current interest in the integration of methods (especially historical and narrative ones). Advancements over the last 20 years in the study of genre and narrative criticism have left a void in the study of the function of embedded biblical texts in the Gospels. This collection of essays will move the study of scripture within scripture forwards.

Liturgy and Architecture
Liturgy and Architecture

Author: Allan Doig

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-03-02

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 1351921851

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In this book Allan Doig explores the interrelationship of liturgy and architecture from the Early Church to the close of the Middle Ages, taking into account social, economic, technical, theological and artistic factors. These are crucial to a proper understanding of ecclesiastical architecture of all periods, and together their study illuminates the study of liturgy. Buildings and their archaeology are standing indices of human activity, and the whole matrix of meaning they present is highly revealing of the larger meaning of ritual performance within, and movement through, their space. The excavation of the mid-third-century church at Dura Europos in the Syrian desert, the grandeur of Constantine's Imperial basilicas, the influence of the great pilgrimage sites, and the marvels of soaring Gothic cathedrals, all come alive in a new way when the space is animated by the liturgy for which they were built. Reviewing the most recent research in the area, and moving the debate forward, this study will be useful to liturgists, clergy, theologians, art and architectural historians, and those interested in the conservation of ecclesiastical structures built for the liturgy.

Beyond Biblical Theology
Beyond Biblical Theology

Author: Timo Eskola

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2013-10-02

Total Pages: 493

ISBN-13: 9004258035

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Reading Heikki Räisänen’s hermeneutics in context, Timo Eskola explores the development of Western New Testament interpretation. Reclaiming a Wredean approach to the Scriptures, Räisänen focuses on tradition and interpretation. He builds on Weberian sociology, adopted through Peter Berger’s theories, and substitutes sacralized culturalism for biblical theology. After examining fourteenth century Quran-criticism and its impact on Reimarus, Eskola discusses the genesis of the revised history-of-religion theory that Räisänen developed when investigating the Quran’s relationship to the Bible. Sociology then becomes a link between standard historicism and poststructuralism as Räisänen reinterprets Berger’s sociology of knowledge. Räisänen’s sacralized culturalism finally becomes the theory from which his magnum opus The Rise of Christian Beliefs has been written.

The Early Christian World
The Early Christian World

Author: Philip Esler

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-20

Total Pages: 2044

ISBN-13: 1351678299

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Since its publication in 2000, The Early Christian World has come to be regarded by scholars, students and the general reader as one of the most informative and accessible works in English on the origins, development, character and major figures of early Christianity. In this new edition, the strengths of the first edition are retained. These include the book’s attractive architecture that initially takes a reader through the context and historical development of early Christianity; the essays in critical areas such as community formation, everyday experience, the intellectual and artistic heritage, and external and internal challenges; and the profiles on the most influential early Christian figures. The book also preserves its strong stress on the social reality of early Christianity and continues its distinctive use of hundreds of illustrations and maps to bring that world to life. Yet the years that have passed since the first edition was published have seen great advances made in our understanding of early Christianity in its world. This new edition fully reflects these developments and provides the reader with authoritative, lively and up-to-date access to the early Christian world. A quarter of the text is entirely new and the remaining essays have all been carefully revised and updated by their authors. Some of the new material relates to Christian culture (including book culture, canonical and non-canonical scriptures, saints and hagiography, and translation across cultures). But there are also new essays on: Jewish and Christian interaction in the early centuries; ritual; the New Testament in Roman Britain; Manichaeism; Pachomius the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. This new edition will serve its readers for many years to come.