Those working in patristic studies, theology, and the history of biblical exegesis will no doubt consider Angelomorphic Christology and the Exegesis of Psalm 85 in Tertullian's Adversus Praxean a tour de force. This fresh and insightful work addresses Tertullian's Christology.
Those working in patristic studies, theology, and the history of biblical exegesis will no doubt consider Angelomorphic Christology and the Exegesis of Psalm 85 in Tertullian's Adversus Praxean a tour de force. This fresh and insightful work addresses Tertullian's Christology.
The book deals with thinkers and movements that were embraced by many second-century religious seekers but which are now largely forgotten or known only as "heretics": Basilides, Sethianism, Valentinus' school, Marcion, Tatian, Bardaisan, Montanists, Cerinthus, Ebionites, Nazarenes, Jewish-Christianity of the "Pseudo-Clementines," and Elchasites.
In this fully revised and updated second edition of his accessible account of systematic Christology, Gerald O'Collins continues to challenge the contemporary publishing trend for sensationalist books on Jesus that are supported neither by the New Testament witness nor by mainline Christian beliefs. This book critically examines the best biblical and historical scholarship before tackling head-on some of the key questions of systematic Christology: does orthodox faith present Jesus the man as deficient and depersonalized? Is his sinlessness compatible with the exercise of a free human will? Does up-to-date exegesis challenge his virginal conception and personal resurrection? Can one reconcile Jesus' role as universal Saviour with the truth and values to be found in other religions? What should the feminist movement highlight in presenting Jesus? This integral Christology is built around the resurrection of the crucified Jesus, highlights love as the key to redemption, and proposes a synthesis of the divine presence through Jesus. Clear, balanced, and accessible, this book should be valued by any student reading systematic theology, anyone training for the ministry in all denominations, as well as interested general readers.
How might late second/early third century readings of Paul illuminate our understanding of the first century texts? A close comparison of Tertullian and Paul reveals the former to be both a dubious and a profoundly insightful interpreter of the latter. With growing interest in the field of patristic exegesis, there is a need for examination of Tertullian's readings of Paul. Tertullian, the first among the significant Latin writers, shaped generations of Christians by providing both a vocabulary for and an exposition of elemental Christian doctrines, wherein he relied heavily on Pauline texts and appropriated them for his own use. This new collection of essays presents a collaborative attempt to understand, critique, and appreciate one of the earliest and most influential interpreters of Paul, and thereby better understand and appreciate both the dynamic event of early patristic exegesis and the Pauline texts themselves. Each chapter takes a two pronged approach, beginning with a patristic scholar considering the topic at hand, before a New Testament response. This results in a fast paced and illuminating interdisciplinary volume.
W. Royce Clark observes that humanity appears to be jeopardizing our own future in a chaos of mutual antagonism and hypocrisy. Religions have traditionally provided ethical guidance, but because their absolutized metaphysics are incompatible with each other, we cannot rely on any one of them in a religiously pluralistic culture. The ethics of various religions are also built on theocratic or authoritarian foundations which are incompatible with any democratic society. Finally, many of their premises are very ancient, so not relevant or appropriate in our modern scientific world. The Western Enlightenment brought challenges against religion’s singularity, exclusivity, heteronomy, and anti-scientific assumptions, all of which disrupted their ethics and the Absolute metaphysical grounds upon which those ethics rested, raising the question of whether a “freestanding” ethic was possible. Inasmuch as the primary claim of most religions was regarded as beyond challenge, but was a conflation of history and myth, modern historical method created more doubt than certainty about such allegedly certain doctrines as “Jesus is the Son of God.” By the end of the 20th century, the impossibility of validating suchprimary Christological claims from a historical approach became evident, despite the articulate attempts at credibility in the brilliant works of John Dominic Crossan and Wolfhart Pannenberg, which remained unconvincing in important ways. Between 1832 and 2014, innovative Christian theologians such as Schleiermacher, Hegel, Tillich, and Scharlemann took a detour from the futility of historical verification. This study examines their remarkable attempts at a form of “corroboration” of the basic Christological claim, even if their primary interests were more in Christology than ethics. The question Clark takes up here is whether or not these figures have thereby provided a base for a universal ethic, or the only answer is for principles “freestanding” from any religion?
On the heels of the advance since the twentieth-century of wholly physicalist accounts of human persons, the influence of materialist ontology is increasingly evident in Christian theologizing. To date, the contemporary literature has tended to focus on anthropological issues (e.g., whether the traditional soul / body distinction is viable), with occasional articles treating physicalist accounts of such doctrines as the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus cropping up, as well. Interestingly, the literature to date, both for and against this influence, is dominated by philosophers. The present volume is a collection of philosophers and theologians who advance several novel criticisms of this growing trend toward physicalism in Christian theology. The present collection definitively shows that Christian physicalism has some significant philosophical and theological problems. No doubt all philosophical anthropologies have their challenges, but the present volume shows that Christian physicalism is most likely not an adequate accounting for essential theological topics within Christian theism. Christians, then, should consider alternative anthropologies.
The Jewish God Question explores what a diverse array of Jewish thinkers have said about the interrelated questions of God, the Book, the Jewish people, and the Land of Israel. Exploring topics such as the existence of God, God’s relationship to the world and to history, how to read the Bible, Jewish mysticism, the evolution of Judaism, and more, Andrew Pessin makes key insights from the Jewish philosophical tradition accessible and engaging. Short chapters share fascinating insights from ancient times to today, from Philo to Judith Plaskow. The book emphasizes the more unusual or intriguing ideas and arguments, as well as the most influential.The Jewish God Question is an exciting and useful book for readers wrestling with some very big questions.
This book examines the relationship between the growth of Christianity in Greece and the belief in resurrection from the dead. It gives a clear presentation of various generally unknown aspects about traditional Greek religion, such as stories about people being made physically immortal and the Greek fascination with the flesh.
This careful, sometimes innovative, mid-level commentary touches on an astonishingly wide swath of important, sensitive issues - theological and pastoral - that have urgent resonances in twenty-first-century life. This thorough commentary presents a coherent reading of 1 Corinthians, taking full account of its Old Testament and Jewish roots and demonstrating Paula's primary concern for the unity and purity of the church and the glory of God. Those who preach and teach 1 Corinthians will be grateful to Ciampa and Rosner for years to come and scholars will be challenged to see this letter with fresh eyes.
