Of all the letters in the Pauline corpus, the Letter to the Romans has attracted the greatest degree of scholarly attention. Yet surprisingly scant consideration has been given to the question of its literary genre. Taking up the comparatively brief suggestions of previous scholars, Dr Guerra argues that the Letter belongs to the protreptic genre - the class of writing in antiquity which urges the adoption of a particular way of life (or a deeper commitment to it), setting out its advantages, replying to objections, and demonstrating its superiority. Working through each chapter of the Letter in turn, he indicates how Paul provides a critique of non-Christian ways of life (both Jewish and Gentile) and affirms the superiority of the Christian Gospel. It becomes apparent that the Pauline apologetics of Romans stand between the hellenistic Jewish tradition and the later Greek Christian apologists, and may have influenced the latter.
Of all the letters in the Pauline corpus, the Letter to the Romans has attracted the greatest degree of scholarly attention. Yet surprisingly scant consideration has been given to the question of its literary genre. Taking up the comparatively brief suggestions of previous scholars, Dr Guerra argues that the Letter belongs to the protreptic genre - the class of writing in antiquity which urges the adoption of a particular way of life (or a deeper commitment to it), setting out its advantages, replying to objections, and demonstrating its superiority. Working through each chapter of the Letter in turn, he indicates how Paul provides a critique of non-Christian ways of life (both Jewish and Gentile) and affirms the superiority of the Christian Gospel. It becomes apparent that the Pauline apologetics of Romans stand between the hellenistic Jewish tradition and the later Greek Christian apologists, and may have influenced the latter.
This book is the first to tackle the origins and purpose of literary religious apologetic in the first centuries of the Christian era by discussing, on their own terms, texts composed by pagan and Jewish authors as well as Christians. Previous studies of apologetic have focused primarily on the Christian apologists of the second century. These, and other Christian authors, are represented also in this volume but, in addition, experts in the religious history of the pagan world, in Judaism, and in late antique philosophy examine very different literary traditions to see to what extent techniques and motifs were shared across the religious divide. Each contributor has investigated the probable audience, the literary milieu, and the specific social, political, and cultural circumstances which elicited each apologetic text. In many cases these questions lead on to the further issue of the relation between the readers addressed by the author and the actual readers, and the extent to which a defined literary genre of apologetic developed. These studies, ranging in time from the New Testament to the early fourth century, and including novel contributions by specialists in ancient history, Jewish history, ancient philosophy, the New Testament, and patristics, will put the study of ancient religious apologetic on to a new footing.
Annotation It is commonly acknowledged that the "original" manuscripts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John did not survive the exigencies of history. What modern readers refer to as the canonical Gospels are in fact compositions reconstructed from copies transmitted by usually anonymous scribes. Apologetic Discourse and the Scribal Tradition examines an important facet of the fascinating but seldom-reported story of the interests that shaped the formation of the text of the New Testament. With an informed awareness of the dynamic discourse between pagan critics and early defenders of early Christianity, and careful scrutiny of more than one hundred variant readings located in the literary tradition of the New Testament text, the author drafts a compelling case that some scribes occasionally modified the text of the Gospels under the influence of apologetic interests.
An examination of the charge of barbarism against the early Christians in the context of ancient rhetorical practices and mechanisms of othering, marginalization and persecution in the Roman Empire.
The Christian faith offers people hope. But how can we know that Christianity is true? How can Christians confidently present their beliefs in the face of doubts and competing views? In this second edition of a landmark apologetics text, Douglas Groothuis makes a clear and rigorous case for Christian theism, addressing the most common questions and objections raised regarding Christianity.
Abstract This dissertation examines the strategies employed by Tertullian in the construction and articulation of Christian identity in the pluralistic Roman North African society. The focus will be the apologetic works of Tertullian, the Ad Martyras, the Ad Nationes and the Apologeticum written around 197 A.D. Popular biases against Christians, the Romanizing tendencies of local elites in North Africa, the marginalization of sub-elites, the influence of cultural and intellectual revolution known as the Second Sophistic Movement, and the political ideologies and propaganda of emperor Septimius Severus - all these influenced Tertullian's attempt to construct and articulate a Christian identity capable of engaging the ever changing socio-political landscape of North African at the dawn of the third century A.D. I shall examine select areas in antiquity where identities were explored, contested and projected namely, socio-cultural, religious, and political. I have identified four spheres which I refer to as "sites" of identity construction, namely paideia, the individual, community and "religion". Chapter One provides a brief survey of the various contexts of Tertullian's literary production. It includes a short description of the socio-political landscape during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus, a brief history of Christianity in Roman North Africa, an introduction to the person of Tertullian, and his place within the "apologetic" tradition. I shall, then, explain the methodologies that will be employed and the concept of "identity" as heuristic tool. Chapter Two discusses Tertullian's reappropriation of classical culture for the purpose of self-presentation. Christian rhetoric accommodates itself to contemporary social and political realities. The question of Tertullian's relationship with the Second Sophistic Movement will be revisited. Chapter Three explores the topic of individuality as an apologetic discourse. Aware of the popular philosophical currents of his time which emphasized "the self" or "selfhood," Tertullian presents the Christian individual as paradigm of individual virtue, especially for the Roman elite preoccupied with the cultivation of the self (souci de soi). In Chapter Four, contrary to contemporary scholarship, I shall argue that Tertullian took a less revisionist approach in his representation of Christian community's relationship with the Roman empire, both in its dynamics of community formation and its role in society. In chapter Five, I shall examine how Tertullian elaborates on his claim of Christianity as "vera religio." Two aspects of his discourse on "religion" will be examined: his argument for libertas religionis and what constitutes a holy man. I conclude that the layering and fusion of legal, philosophical, cultural, and theological topics in Tertullian's apologetic works underscore the complex processes of negotiation and articulation of Christian identity in a pluralistic society. Truth (veritas) serves as the stabilizing point of reference. Hence, harmony and tension characterize Tertullian's articulation of Christian identity for it is forged in the hearth of the social, cultural, and religious ferment of his time.
