Two prominent New Testament scholars attempt to draw pictures of two of the most important centers of first century Christianity: Antioch and Rome. You will think of Christianity's origins differently when you read this book.
"The essays in this volume bring to bear the latest scholarly and technological trends in archaeological research to shed new light on the site of Pisidian Antioch in west-central Turkey. Drawing on 3-D virtual reality technology as well as archival material from a 1924 University of Michigan expedition to the site, the authors propose new reconstructions of the city's major excavated monuments. They also evaluate these monuments in relation to the social and political imperatives of Pisidian Antioch's hybrid culture--one that overlaid a Roman imperial colony on a Hellenistic Greek city in an Anatolian region long inhabited by Phrygians and Pisidians. The study of Pisidian Antioch is thus seen in the context of recent scholarship on Rome's colonial project in the eastern empire. An accompanying DVD presents a fly-over of the virtual city created to aid in the authors' research"--Publisher's website.
Clement of Rome and his letter to the Corinthians -- Sedition and schism in the church of Corinth -- Structure and authority in Clement's view of the church -- Clement's view of God and christ -- Faith, works, and salvation in Clement of Rome -- The Didache: history and literature -- The theology of the Didache -- Clement of Rome's letter to the Corinthians -- The teaching of the Lord for the nations through the twelve Apostles (the Didache).
Enduring and influential early Christian texts. The writings of the Apostolic Fathers give a rich and diverse picture of Christian life and thought in the period immediately after New Testament times. Some of them were accorded almost Scriptural authority in the early Church. This new Loeb edition of these essential texts reflects current idiom and the latest scholarship. Here are the Letters of Ignatius, bishop of Antioch, among the most famous documents of early Christianity; these letters, addressing core theological questions, were written to a half dozen different congregations while Ignatius was en route to Rome as a prisoner, condemned to die in the wild-beast arena. Also in this collection is a letter to the Philippian church by Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna and friend of Ignatius, as well as an account of Polycarp's martyrdom. There are several kinds of texts in the Apostolic Fathers collection, representing different religious outlooks. The manual called the Didache sets forth precepts for religious instruction, worship, and ministry. The Epistle of Barnabas searches the Old Testament, the Jewish Bible, for testimony in support of Christianity and against Judaism. Probably the most widely read in the early Christian centuries was The Shepherd of Hermas, a book of revelations that develops a doctrine of repentance.
Acts is the sequel to Luke's gospel and tells the story of Jesus's followers during the 30 years after his death. It describes how the 12 apostles, formerly Jesus's disciples, spread the message of Christianity throughout the Mediterranean against a background of persecution. With an introduction by P.D. James
Featuring 118 objects excavated from the city's ruins, all reproduced in full color, Antioch: The Lost Ancient City recreates the spatial sensation, visual splendor, and cultural richness of this urban center."--Jacket.
This collection of papers brings together a broad range of new research and new material on Antioch in the late Roman period (the 2nd to the 7th centuries AD), from the writings of the orator Libanius and the preacher John Chrysostom to the extensive mosaics found in the city and its suburbs. The authors consider the lively issues of identity and ethnicity in this truly multi-cultural and multi-religious city, the effects of Romanization and Christianization on the city and surrounding region, and the central place of the city in the Roman world. These papers were presented at a colloquium in London, in December 2001.