Tension between unity and diversity plagues any attempt to recount the development of earliest Christianity. Explanations run the gamut from asserting the presence of a fully formed and accepted unity at the beginning of Christianity to the hypothesis that understands orthodox unity as a later imposition upon Christianity by Rome. In "Christian Theology and Its Institutions in the Early Roman Empire," Christoph Markschies seeks to unravel the complex problem of unity and diversity by carefully examining the institutional settings for the development of Christian theology. Specifically,...

This introduction to gnosis by Christoph Markschies combines clarity with a huge wealth of learning. Markschies defines the term gnosis and its relationship to 'Gnosticism', indicating why gnosis is preferable and sketches out the main problems. He then introduces sources, both those in the Church Fathers and the more recent Nag Hammadi finds. Next, Markschies provides an overview of the early forms of 'gnosis' in antiquity, Jewish and Christian (New Testament) and the early gnostics. This is followed with an outline of the main representatives and key figures of Gnosis, especially...

This introduction to gnosis by Christoph Markschies combines clarity with a huge wealth of learning. Markschies defines the term gnosis and its relationship to 'Gnosticism', indicating why gnosis is preferable and sketches out the main problems. He then introduces sources, both those in the Church Fathers and the more recent Nag Hammadi finds. Next, Markschies provides an overview of the early forms of 'gnosis' in antiquity, Jewish and Christian (New Testament) and the early gnostics. This is followed with an outline of the main representatives and key figures of Gnosis, especially...