Early Christian Literature: Christ and Culture in the Second and Third Centuries

ISBN-13: 9780415354875 / Angielski / Twarda / 2005 / 240 str.

Helen Rhee

Opis

Helen Rhee s outstanding work is the first book to bring together The Apologies and the semi-fictional Apocryphal Acts and Martyr Acts in a single study. Filling a significant gap in the scholarship, she looks at Christian self definition and self representation in the context of pagan-Christian conflict. Using an interdisciplinary approach; historical, literary, theological, sociological, and anthropological, Rhee studies the Christians in the formative period of their religion; from mid first to early third centuries. She examines how the forms of Greco-Roman society were adapted by the Christians to present the superiority of Christian monotheism, Christian sexual morality, and Christian (dis)loyalty to the Empire. Tackling broad topics, including theology, asceticism, sexuality and patriotism, this book explores issues of cultural identity and examines how these propagandist writings shaped the theological, moral and political trajectories of Christian faith and contributed largely to the definition of orthodoxy. This thorough study will benefit all students of early Christianity and Greco-Roman literary culture and civilization."

Spis treści

Abbreviations Introduction 1. Second Century Literature in Its Historical-Cultural Context Christianity in the mid-second and the early third centuries Christian interaction with Greco-Roman society Literature of the second century: the Apologies, Apocryphal Acts and Martyr Acts Triangular relationship 2. Superiority of Christian Monotheism Apologies: Christianity as true philosophy Apocryphal Acts: Christianity as true power Martyr Acts: Christianity as true piety Summary and Conclusion 3. Superiority of Christian Sexual Morality Asceticism in general: the controlling paradigm Asceticism: sexual chastity and renunciation Chastity, marriage and family in Greco-Roman society Marriage and celibacy in the New Testament Apologies: harmony with the established social order Tatian and enratism Apocryphal Acts: antithesis of the social ideal and resistance to the social order Martyr Acts: renunciation of social mores Summary and Conclusion 4. Christian Loyalty to the Empire Imperial cult: unity of religion and politics Apologies: Christian loyalty to the Empire Apocryphal Acts: Christian subversiveness to the Empire Martyr Acts: Christian resistance to the Empire Summary and Conclusion Conclusion Bibliography Index

O autorze

Rhee, Helen