Ismo Dunderberg
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284962
- eISBN:
- 9780191603785
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284962.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The relationship between the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Thomas has become a hotly debated issue, with several scholars arguing that John and Thomas are gospels in conflict. The first part of ...
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The relationship between the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Thomas has become a hotly debated issue, with several scholars arguing that John and Thomas are gospels in conflict. The first part of this book argues that the two gospels were written about the same time, but without knowledge of each other. Their authors drew upon similar Jewish and early Christian traditions independently from each other. The second part is devoted to the enigmatic ‘disciple Jesus loved’ in the Gospel of John, arguing that this disciple was created not only to authenticate this gospel, but also to replace the brothers of Jesus. Hence, this figure was developed in the context of a conflict, but that conflict was not related to Thomasine Christianity but to Jewish Christianity.Less
The relationship between the Gospel of John and the Gospel of Thomas has become a hotly debated issue, with several scholars arguing that John and Thomas are gospels in conflict. The first part of this book argues that the two gospels were written about the same time, but without knowledge of each other. Their authors drew upon similar Jewish and early Christian traditions independently from each other. The second part is devoted to the enigmatic ‘disciple Jesus loved’ in the Gospel of John, arguing that this disciple was created not only to authenticate this gospel, but also to replace the brothers of Jesus. Hence, this figure was developed in the context of a conflict, but that conflict was not related to Thomasine Christianity but to Jewish Christianity.
Matthew Grimley
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199270897
- eISBN:
- 9780191709494
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199270897.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Social History
This book traces the influence of Anglican writers on the political thought of inter-war Britain, and argues that religion continued to exert a powerful influence on political ideas and allegiances ...
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This book traces the influence of Anglican writers on the political thought of inter-war Britain, and argues that religion continued to exert a powerful influence on political ideas and allegiances in the 1920s and 1930s. It counters the prevailing assumption of historians that inter-war political thought was primarily secular in content, by showing how Anglicans like Archbishop William Temple made an active contribution to ideas of community and the welfare state (a term which Temple himself invented). Liberal Anglican ideas of citizenship, community, and the nation continued to be central to political thought and debate in the first half of the 20th century. The author traces how Temple and his colleagues developed and changed their ideas on community and the state in response to events like the First World War, the General Strike and the Great Depression. For Temple, and political philosophers like A. D. Lindsay and Ernest Barker, the priority was to find a rhetoric of community which could unite the nation against class consciousness, poverty, and the threat of Hitler. Their idea of a Christian national community was central to the articulation of ideas of ‘Englishness’ in inter-war Britain, but this Anglican contribution has been almost completely overlooked in recent debate on 20th-century national identity. The author also looks at rival Anglican political theories put forward by conservatives such as Bishop Hensley Henson and Ralph Inge, dean of St Paul's. Drawing extensively on Henson's private diaries, it uncovers the debates which went on within the Church at the time of the General Strike and the 1927–28 Prayer Book crisis. The book uncovers an important and neglected seam of popular political thought, and offers a new evaluation of the religious, political, and cultural identity of Britain before the Second World War.Less
This book traces the influence of Anglican writers on the political thought of inter-war Britain, and argues that religion continued to exert a powerful influence on political ideas and allegiances in the 1920s and 1930s. It counters the prevailing assumption of historians that inter-war political thought was primarily secular in content, by showing how Anglicans like Archbishop William Temple made an active contribution to ideas of community and the welfare state (a term which Temple himself invented). Liberal Anglican ideas of citizenship, community, and the nation continued to be central to political thought and debate in the first half of the 20th century. The author traces how Temple and his colleagues developed and changed their ideas on community and the state in response to events like the First World War, the General Strike and the Great Depression. For Temple, and political philosophers like A. D. Lindsay and Ernest Barker, the priority was to find a rhetoric of community which could unite the nation against class consciousness, poverty, and the threat of Hitler. Their idea of a Christian national community was central to the articulation of ideas of ‘Englishness’ in inter-war Britain, but this Anglican contribution has been almost completely overlooked in recent debate on 20th-century national identity. The author also looks at rival Anglican political theories put forward by conservatives such as Bishop Hensley Henson and Ralph Inge, dean of St Paul's. Drawing extensively on Henson's private diaries, it uncovers the debates which went on within the Church at the time of the General Strike and the 1927–28 Prayer Book crisis. The book uncovers an important and neglected seam of popular political thought, and offers a new evaluation of the religious, political, and cultural identity of Britain before the Second World War.
Jennifer Erin Beste
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195311099
- eISBN:
- 9780199871117
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195311099.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter explores the ethical implications resulting from this revised understanding of the self, freedom, and God's grace—implications that are relevant to trauma survivors and to Christian ...
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This chapter explores the ethical implications resulting from this revised understanding of the self, freedom, and God's grace—implications that are relevant to trauma survivors and to Christian communities as a whole. This chapter argues that this revised theology of freedom and grace intensifies our sense of collective responsibility for enabling one another's freedom before God. The chapter proceeds to examine how Christian communities can practically reach out to trauma survivors to facilitate healing and recovery from traumatic violence. There is hope that creative acts of neighbor‐love can mediate divine grace, fostering incest survivors' freedom to relate lovingly to God and neighbor.Less
This chapter explores the ethical implications resulting from this revised understanding of the self, freedom, and God's grace—implications that are relevant to trauma survivors and to Christian communities as a whole. This chapter argues that this revised theology of freedom and grace intensifies our sense of collective responsibility for enabling one another's freedom before God. The chapter proceeds to examine how Christian communities can practically reach out to trauma survivors to facilitate healing and recovery from traumatic violence. There is hope that creative acts of neighbor‐love can mediate divine grace, fostering incest survivors' freedom to relate lovingly to God and neighbor.
Stephen T. Davis
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284597
- eISBN:
- 9780191603778
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284598.003.0017
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Christians hold that God uniquely speaks to us in the Bible. The saying, “The Bible is true”, may mean submitting to the Bible, placing ourselves under its theological and religious authority. The ...
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Christians hold that God uniquely speaks to us in the Bible. The saying, “The Bible is true”, may mean submitting to the Bible, placing ourselves under its theological and religious authority. The theories of biblical authority of Nicholas Wolterstorff and Mark Wallace are discussed. Trusting or submitting to the Bible is not a random choice, but based on the conviction that the Bible is objectively trustworthy; this conviction is crucial for the Christian community.Less
Christians hold that God uniquely speaks to us in the Bible. The saying, “The Bible is true”, may mean submitting to the Bible, placing ourselves under its theological and religious authority. The theories of biblical authority of Nicholas Wolterstorff and Mark Wallace are discussed. Trusting or submitting to the Bible is not a random choice, but based on the conviction that the Bible is objectively trustworthy; this conviction is crucial for the Christian community.
Philip Jenkins
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195146165
- eISBN:
- 9780199834341
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195146166.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter presents an analysis of the growth of the new Southern Christianity in relation to population growth in Southern countries, which is expected to surge dramatically in the middle term ...
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This chapter presents an analysis of the growth of the new Southern Christianity in relation to population growth in Southern countries, which is expected to surge dramatically in the middle term (the next fifty years) before coming to resemble more those of the older industrial nations. This is contrasted with the situation in Europe (and Japan), where the population is declining. The impact of Southern population growth on the world’s religious structures is discussed in terms of the problems of quantifying and predicting church membership, and the possible future demographics of Christian communities are discussed, including those of the steadily growing and huge metropolitan complexes that are likely to exist in the South by 2050. The next three sections of the chapter look at declining religious identification (dechristianization) in Europe, and at what may happen when Southern peoples face continuing pressure to migrate North to Europe and North America (in particular the United States), bringing their religious and cultural patterns with them. The last section discusses Christian America, and the fact that the United States is home to a remarkable number of religious denominations, which, overwhelmingly, are traditions within the broader stream of Christianity.Less
This chapter presents an analysis of the growth of the new Southern Christianity in relation to population growth in Southern countries, which is expected to surge dramatically in the middle term (the next fifty years) before coming to resemble more those of the older industrial nations. This is contrasted with the situation in Europe (and Japan), where the population is declining. The impact of Southern population growth on the world’s religious structures is discussed in terms of the problems of quantifying and predicting church membership, and the possible future demographics of Christian communities are discussed, including those of the steadily growing and huge metropolitan complexes that are likely to exist in the South by 2050. The next three sections of the chapter look at declining religious identification (dechristianization) in Europe, and at what may happen when Southern peoples face continuing pressure to migrate North to Europe and North America (in particular the United States), bringing their religious and cultural patterns with them. The last section discusses Christian America, and the fact that the United States is home to a remarkable number of religious denominations, which, overwhelmingly, are traditions within the broader stream of Christianity.
Judith Lieu
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199262892
- eISBN:
- 9780191602818
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199262896.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The literary productivity of early Christianity invites the model of textual communities. This productivity includes the appropriation of the Jewish Scriptures and other writings and the claim to ...
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The literary productivity of early Christianity invites the model of textual communities. This productivity includes the appropriation of the Jewish Scriptures and other writings and the claim to their correct interpretation, as well as the creation of a range of new writings reflecting both continuities and discontinuities with contemporary conventions. The selection of particular texts as authoritative is part of a process of self-definition, which excludes other claimants. Approached independently of such processes allows the diversity of texts to challenge rigid categories of Christianity versus Judaism or of orthodoxy versus heresy.Less
The literary productivity of early Christianity invites the model of textual communities. This productivity includes the appropriation of the Jewish Scriptures and other writings and the claim to their correct interpretation, as well as the creation of a range of new writings reflecting both continuities and discontinuities with contemporary conventions. The selection of particular texts as authoritative is part of a process of self-definition, which excludes other claimants. Approached independently of such processes allows the diversity of texts to challenge rigid categories of Christianity versus Judaism or of orthodoxy versus heresy.
Ismo Dunderberg
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284962
- eISBN:
- 9780191603785
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284962.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter argues that the enigmatic ‘disciple Jesus loved’ in John cannot be identified, and that the evidence for his role as the founder and the leader of the Johannine group remains meagre. The ...
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This chapter argues that the enigmatic ‘disciple Jesus loved’ in John cannot be identified, and that the evidence for his role as the founder and the leader of the Johannine group remains meagre. The Beloved Disciple is no doubt an ideal figure in John, but he is not necessarily portrayed as a paradigm of true faith to the audience. Rather, his major function is to authenticate the contents of the Gospel of John. While he is often compared to the Paraclete in John, his figure is more closely connected with that of Jesus. He is one link in the chain of the transmission of divine revelation: the Father supplied the beloved Son with this revelation, and the Beloved Disciple was needed to transmit it to future generations.Less
This chapter argues that the enigmatic ‘disciple Jesus loved’ in John cannot be identified, and that the evidence for his role as the founder and the leader of the Johannine group remains meagre. The Beloved Disciple is no doubt an ideal figure in John, but he is not necessarily portrayed as a paradigm of true faith to the audience. Rather, his major function is to authenticate the contents of the Gospel of John. While he is often compared to the Paraclete in John, his figure is more closely connected with that of Jesus. He is one link in the chain of the transmission of divine revelation: the Father supplied the beloved Son with this revelation, and the Beloved Disciple was needed to transmit it to future generations.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter looks at the observation that a person who was actually learned in both his own religious tradition and in the Islamic tradition would never convert for anything other than ...
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This chapter looks at the observation that a person who was actually learned in both his own religious tradition and in the Islamic tradition would never convert for anything other than nontheological reasons. Most Christians and Muslims were not learned in their own religious tradition, much less in that of a rival religion, and will have been ill-equipped or simply unable to discuss and debate religious difference at the level of sophisticated theology in a proper and informed way. For this reason, if when speaking about Christian–Muslim relations, one's focus is on difference at the level of doctrinal theology, one will gain only a distorted understanding of seventh- and eighth-century realities. One will overlook the existence of a layering and continuum of knowledge in the Christian community and fail to take into account the reality that most conversions by Christians to Islam will have been conversions of simple Christians into simple Muslims.Less
This chapter looks at the observation that a person who was actually learned in both his own religious tradition and in the Islamic tradition would never convert for anything other than nontheological reasons. Most Christians and Muslims were not learned in their own religious tradition, much less in that of a rival religion, and will have been ill-equipped or simply unable to discuss and debate religious difference at the level of sophisticated theology in a proper and informed way. For this reason, if when speaking about Christian–Muslim relations, one's focus is on difference at the level of doctrinal theology, one will gain only a distorted understanding of seventh- and eighth-century realities. One will overlook the existence of a layering and continuum of knowledge in the Christian community and fail to take into account the reality that most conversions by Christians to Islam will have been conversions of simple Christians into simple Muslims.
Mark Humphries
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198269830
- eISBN:
- 9780191683824
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198269830.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter discusses the importance of archaeological records in tracing and interpreting the origin of Christianity in northern Italy. Archaeological records increase researchers' knowledge beyond ...
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This chapter discusses the importance of archaeological records in tracing and interpreting the origin of Christianity in northern Italy. Archaeological records increase researchers' knowledge beyond what can possibly be known from medieval sources and conciliar acta, and they also provide glimpses of various Christian communities set in the context of their immediate surroundings. By correlating archaeological records with other evidence, it appears that there were about twenty identifiable Christian communities scattered across the Po valley and in Venetia et Histria. The ‘scatter’ of these Christian communities was not uniform and their density varied from region to region, with the highest concentrations near the Adriatic Coast where they cluster along the main communication routes.Less
This chapter discusses the importance of archaeological records in tracing and interpreting the origin of Christianity in northern Italy. Archaeological records increase researchers' knowledge beyond what can possibly be known from medieval sources and conciliar acta, and they also provide glimpses of various Christian communities set in the context of their immediate surroundings. By correlating archaeological records with other evidence, it appears that there were about twenty identifiable Christian communities scattered across the Po valley and in Venetia et Histria. The ‘scatter’ of these Christian communities was not uniform and their density varied from region to region, with the highest concentrations near the Adriatic Coast where they cluster along the main communication routes.
Philip Clayton and Steven Knapp
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199695270
- eISBN:
- 9780191731945
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199695270.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion, Religion and Society
The foregoing chapters present a comprehensive case for what the authors call “Christian minimalism,” a position that affirms certain core claims of Christian theism (sometimes in a revised form) but ...
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The foregoing chapters present a comprehensive case for what the authors call “Christian minimalism,” a position that affirms certain core claims of Christian theism (sometimes in a revised form) but also acknowledges their controversial and uncertain status. The result is a form of Christian faith that combines abiding conviction with an attitude of humility and respect for non-Christian beliefs. This concluding chapter considers the implications of this position for Christian practice. It does so partly in light of current data on the dramatic decline of formal religious affiliation, especially among young people. Taken together, that trend and the authors’ conclusions point toward the emergence of Christian communities in which anxiety about consensus is set aside and belief in particular doctrines is subordinated to a shared commitment to Jesus’ example of self-surrendering obedience to the ultimate reality.Less
The foregoing chapters present a comprehensive case for what the authors call “Christian minimalism,” a position that affirms certain core claims of Christian theism (sometimes in a revised form) but also acknowledges their controversial and uncertain status. The result is a form of Christian faith that combines abiding conviction with an attitude of humility and respect for non-Christian beliefs. This concluding chapter considers the implications of this position for Christian practice. It does so partly in light of current data on the dramatic decline of formal religious affiliation, especially among young people. Taken together, that trend and the authors’ conclusions point toward the emergence of Christian communities in which anxiety about consensus is set aside and belief in particular doctrines is subordinated to a shared commitment to Jesus’ example of self-surrendering obedience to the ultimate reality.
J. Rebecca Lyman
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198267454
- eISBN:
- 9780191683275
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198267454.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This book offers a fresh interpretation of the relation between Greek thought and ancient Christian theology through an analysis of three foundational and controversial thinkers: Origen, Eusebius of ...
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This book offers a fresh interpretation of the relation between Greek thought and ancient Christian theology through an analysis of three foundational and controversial thinkers: Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, and Athanasius. Rather than opposing certain cagegories such as philosophy besides scripture, or orthodoxy besides heresy, the book examines how language about Christ and the world functions as a theological model. This allows the recovery of the theological and religious significance of certain ideas such as subordination or the obedience of Christ, which were rejected by later orthodoxy. As an urban teacher, civic apologist, and ascetic bishop, each of the three theologians discussed offered a distinctive Christian response to the religious and ecclesiastical ideas of the 3rd and 4th centuries. Each cosmology and Christology therefore reveals particular concerns about individual and social identity and salvation in the developing Christian community.Less
This book offers a fresh interpretation of the relation between Greek thought and ancient Christian theology through an analysis of three foundational and controversial thinkers: Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, and Athanasius. Rather than opposing certain cagegories such as philosophy besides scripture, or orthodoxy besides heresy, the book examines how language about Christ and the world functions as a theological model. This allows the recovery of the theological and religious significance of certain ideas such as subordination or the obedience of Christ, which were rejected by later orthodoxy. As an urban teacher, civic apologist, and ascetic bishop, each of the three theologians discussed offered a distinctive Christian response to the religious and ecclesiastical ideas of the 3rd and 4th centuries. Each cosmology and Christology therefore reveals particular concerns about individual and social identity and salvation in the developing Christian community.
Carey C. Newman
- Published in print:
- 1998
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269854
- eISBN:
- 9780191600517
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269854.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Christianity's break with Judaism—the mutual ‘parting of the ways’—still baffles those who study it. Was the rupture early and driven by a ‘high’ Christology or was the split late and to be explained ...
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Christianity's break with Judaism—the mutual ‘parting of the ways’—still baffles those who study it. Was the rupture early and driven by a ‘high’ Christology or was the split late and to be explained sociologically (e.g. differences over temple and law)? This paper makes a contribution to this large and vexing question by investigating the narrative, historical, and theological logic standing behind the NT's (New Testament) identification of Jesus as ‘Glory’.Part I of this study briefly outlines the different ways the Glory tradition signs the visible, movable divine presence within the Hebrew Bible. Part II plots how Glory came to define the age of eschatological blessing in (1) the prophets, (2) the writings of second temple Judaism, and (3) within Jesus’ own vision for the future. Part III isolates the resurrection as the narrative, historical, and theological trigger for the equation Jesus = Glory. Part IV sketches the profound sociological implications of such an equation.On the basis of this study, three major conclusions are reached. (1) Christians’ use of Glory language signals that the eschatological age of blessing—the events hoped for by prophets—had broken‐in upon this world in the resurrection of Jesus. (2) The NT's provocative use of Glory language clearly opened a theological breach in the wall of Jewish monotheism by scandalously identifying Jesus as the divine presence. (3) The sociological implications of (1) and (2) as stated above were twofold: Glory language created internal cohesiveness and growth within the Christian community and at the same time clearly marked the boundary lines between Christianity and Judaism. In short, the NT's use of Glory language as a sign of God's power and presence in the resurrection of Jesus indicates that the parting of ways between Christianity and Judaism occurred quite early and did so because of a high Christology.Less
Christianity's break with Judaism—the mutual ‘parting of the ways’—still baffles those who study it. Was the rupture early and driven by a ‘high’ Christology or was the split late and to be explained sociologically (e.g. differences over temple and law)? This paper makes a contribution to this large and vexing question by investigating the narrative, historical, and theological logic standing behind the NT's (New Testament) identification of Jesus as ‘Glory’.
Part I of this study briefly outlines the different ways the Glory tradition signs the visible, movable divine presence within the Hebrew Bible. Part II plots how Glory came to define the age of eschatological blessing in (1) the prophets, (2) the writings of second temple Judaism, and (3) within Jesus’ own vision for the future. Part III isolates the resurrection as the narrative, historical, and theological trigger for the equation Jesus = Glory. Part IV sketches the profound sociological implications of such an equation.
On the basis of this study, three major conclusions are reached. (1) Christians’ use of Glory language signals that the eschatological age of blessing—the events hoped for by prophets—had broken‐in upon this world in the resurrection of Jesus. (2) The NT's provocative use of Glory language clearly opened a theological breach in the wall of Jewish monotheism by scandalously identifying Jesus as the divine presence. (3) The sociological implications of (1) and (2) as stated above were twofold: Glory language created internal cohesiveness and growth within the Christian community and at the same time clearly marked the boundary lines between Christianity and Judaism. In short, the NT's use of Glory language as a sign of God's power and presence in the resurrection of Jesus indicates that the parting of ways between Christianity and Judaism occurred quite early and did so because of a high Christology.
J. M. Wallace‐Hadrill
- Published in print:
- 1983
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269069
- eISBN:
- 9780191600777
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269064.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Looks at the Gallo–Roman religious experience as a heritage for the Frankish (Germanic) Church. In the 5th century, the Gallo–Roman churches (rather than a Church) were separate Christian communities ...
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Looks at the Gallo–Roman religious experience as a heritage for the Frankish (Germanic) Church. In the 5th century, the Gallo–Roman churches (rather than a Church) were separate Christian communities in cities, each under a bishop, and closely related to the structure of the late‐imperial administration; some had ancient origins from the days of persecution. This century was also an age of barbarian invasion and settlement in Gaul, in which the bishops, by and large, stood firm as protectors in the Roman tradition, although not as secular administrators (as their Merovingian successors would become). The various aspects of the period discussed in the chapter include, the radical bishops (who were mostly ascetics), saints, the cults of asceticism (monks) and relics, miracles as proof of sanctity, Rogation days (devised as a city's confession of guilt, probably in the 460s a.d.), and roles of the bishops in administration (in the diocesan sense) and as controllers of an impressive literary tradition. The last part of the chapter examines the role of Caesarius (bishop and metropolitan of Arles from 503 to 543) in the identification of a secular with a Christian community.Less
Looks at the Gallo–Roman religious experience as a heritage for the Frankish (Germanic) Church. In the 5th century, the Gallo–Roman churches (rather than a Church) were separate Christian communities in cities, each under a bishop, and closely related to the structure of the late‐imperial administration; some had ancient origins from the days of persecution. This century was also an age of barbarian invasion and settlement in Gaul, in which the bishops, by and large, stood firm as protectors in the Roman tradition, although not as secular administrators (as their Merovingian successors would become). The various aspects of the period discussed in the chapter include, the radical bishops (who were mostly ascetics), saints, the cults of asceticism (monks) and relics, miracles as proof of sanctity, Rogation days (devised as a city's confession of guilt, probably in the 460s a.d.), and roles of the bishops in administration (in the diocesan sense) and as controllers of an impressive literary tradition. The last part of the chapter examines the role of Caesarius (bishop and metropolitan of Arles from 503 to 543) in the identification of a secular with a Christian community.
Jennifer Scheper Hughes
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195367065
- eISBN:
- 9780199867370
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367065.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
In the twentieth century traditional devotion to religious images, like the Cristo Aparecido was affected by the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and by the socially and politically ...
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In the twentieth century traditional devotion to religious images, like the Cristo Aparecido was affected by the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and by the socially and politically radical liberation theology movement. Liberation theology was initially suspicious of local celebrations of images of Jesus’ passion on the cross, worrying that these devotions inevitably led poor Catholics to resignation and political passivity. The revolutionary, liberationist bishop of Cuernavaca, Mexico, don Sergio Méndez Arceo, removed many of the traditional baroque saints’ images from his cathedral. However, he was an admirer of the Cristo Aparecido and a friend of the Cristo’s devotees in Totolapan, Morelos, who were among the most active members of the Christian base community movement in Mexico.Less
In the twentieth century traditional devotion to religious images, like the Cristo Aparecido was affected by the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council and by the socially and politically radical liberation theology movement. Liberation theology was initially suspicious of local celebrations of images of Jesus’ passion on the cross, worrying that these devotions inevitably led poor Catholics to resignation and political passivity. The revolutionary, liberationist bishop of Cuernavaca, Mexico, don Sergio Méndez Arceo, removed many of the traditional baroque saints’ images from his cathedral. However, he was an admirer of the Cristo Aparecido and a friend of the Cristo’s devotees in Totolapan, Morelos, who were among the most active members of the Christian base community movement in Mexico.
P. M. Fraser
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197264287
- eISBN:
- 9780191753978
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197264287.003.0013
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Literary Studies: Classical, Early, and Medieval
The most significant change that occurred with the growth and expansion of Roman power in the Greek world was the piecemeal introduction of Roman names towards the end of the Hellenistic age, and, in ...
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The most significant change that occurred with the growth and expansion of Roman power in the Greek world was the piecemeal introduction of Roman names towards the end of the Hellenistic age, and, in due course, with the bestowal of Roman citizenship, the very different onomastic formulae of which led to varieties in terminology, as the Greek-speaking population was increasingly affected by the system of nomenclature employed by the Romans, and bestowed in due course on them. This chapter focuses on the changes that occurred in the traditional Greek system of ethnic forms and usage. The discussion covers multiple civic ethnics and the establishment of Christian communities in and after the fourth century.Less
The most significant change that occurred with the growth and expansion of Roman power in the Greek world was the piecemeal introduction of Roman names towards the end of the Hellenistic age, and, in due course, with the bestowal of Roman citizenship, the very different onomastic formulae of which led to varieties in terminology, as the Greek-speaking population was increasingly affected by the system of nomenclature employed by the Romans, and bestowed in due course on them. This chapter focuses on the changes that occurred in the traditional Greek system of ethnic forms and usage. The discussion covers multiple civic ethnics and the establishment of Christian communities in and after the fourth century.
Rufus Black
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198270201
- eISBN:
- 9780191683947
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198270201.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter aims to explore narrative ethics and a Christian realist theory as complementary theories. It expresses Hauerwas's notion that ethics not only arises in the context of a narrative ...
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This chapter aims to explore narrative ethics and a Christian realist theory as complementary theories. It expresses Hauerwas's notion that ethics not only arises in the context of a narrative tradition but that it also belongs to a distinctive community. It explains that any adequate understanding of ethics must, therefore, take account of that community's practices as part of its narrative context. The chapter professes further that for a Christian community, the central narrative context is worship, especially as it expresses itself through liturgy. It notes that this theme of the integral relationship between the worship of the Christian community and Christian ethics is also one that echoes through the work of Grisez and O'Donovan.Less
This chapter aims to explore narrative ethics and a Christian realist theory as complementary theories. It expresses Hauerwas's notion that ethics not only arises in the context of a narrative tradition but that it also belongs to a distinctive community. It explains that any adequate understanding of ethics must, therefore, take account of that community's practices as part of its narrative context. The chapter professes further that for a Christian community, the central narrative context is worship, especially as it expresses itself through liturgy. It notes that this theme of the integral relationship between the worship of the Christian community and Christian ethics is also one that echoes through the work of Grisez and O'Donovan.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This chapter discusses theological speculation and theological literacy in late antique and medieval Middle East. In the period beginning with the controversy between Cyril and Nestorius in 428 and ...
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This chapter discusses theological speculation and theological literacy in late antique and medieval Middle East. In the period beginning with the controversy between Cyril and Nestorius in 428 and ending with the Third Council of Constantinople in 680–681, the Christian community of the Middle East splintered into separate and competing churches as a result of disagreements over theological speculation. There was chronic and irresolvable controversy as to how many natures, persons, energies, and wills there were in the Incarnate Christ. The variety of distinct and competing churches that developed include the Chalcedonians, the Miaphysites, and the Church of the East. The question of literacy complicates things further. An estimate of literacy among Christians in the first several centuries AD suggested that no more than 10 percent were able to “read, criticize, and interpret” Christian literature in this time.Less
This chapter discusses theological speculation and theological literacy in late antique and medieval Middle East. In the period beginning with the controversy between Cyril and Nestorius in 428 and ending with the Third Council of Constantinople in 680–681, the Christian community of the Middle East splintered into separate and competing churches as a result of disagreements over theological speculation. There was chronic and irresolvable controversy as to how many natures, persons, energies, and wills there were in the Incarnate Christ. The variety of distinct and competing churches that developed include the Chalcedonians, the Miaphysites, and the Church of the East. The question of literacy complicates things further. An estimate of literacy among Christians in the first several centuries AD suggested that no more than 10 percent were able to “read, criticize, and interpret” Christian literature in this time.
Carnley Peter
- Published in print:
- 1993
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198267560
- eISBN:
- 9780191683299
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198267560.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
This chapter discusses the transferring of the image of Christ within the Christian community by remembering and acknowledging His living presence. At its core is the faith and remembrance of Jesus ...
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This chapter discusses the transferring of the image of Christ within the Christian community by remembering and acknowledging His living presence. At its core is the faith and remembrance of Jesus not only as a memory, but as Christus praesens. In the chapter the concepts of remembering Jesus and knowing Christ are defined and distinguished. Although both refer to knowledge of Christ, the two are nonetheless different and distinct. The Jesus who is remembered is the Jesus as he was in the days of His flesh, from birth to death on the cross. This knowledge is a kind of knowledge by description rather than by acquaintance. Knowing Jesus, on the other hand, refers to the raised Christ, who is known by acquaintance in the present. It is the Spirit of Jesus in the here and now with which faith is identified and thus known.Less
This chapter discusses the transferring of the image of Christ within the Christian community by remembering and acknowledging His living presence. At its core is the faith and remembrance of Jesus not only as a memory, but as Christus praesens. In the chapter the concepts of remembering Jesus and knowing Christ are defined and distinguished. Although both refer to knowledge of Christ, the two are nonetheless different and distinct. The Jesus who is remembered is the Jesus as he was in the days of His flesh, from birth to death on the cross. This knowledge is a kind of knowledge by description rather than by acquaintance. Knowing Jesus, on the other hand, refers to the raised Christ, who is known by acquaintance in the present. It is the Spirit of Jesus in the here and now with which faith is identified and thus known.
Jack Tannous
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691179094
- eISBN:
- 9780691184166
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691179094.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
This introductory chapter provides a background of the religious history to the late antique and medieval Middle East. The great majority of Christians in the Middle East belonged to what church ...
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This introductory chapter provides a background of the religious history to the late antique and medieval Middle East. The great majority of Christians in the Middle East belonged to what church leaders referred to as “the simple.” They were overwhelmingly agrarian, mostly illiterate, and likely had little understanding of the theological complexities that split apart the Christian community in the region. As such, during this period, there was fierce competition for the loyalties of simple, everyday Christians among leaders of the various Christian movements in the Middle East. This competition helped fuel debates, the composition of polemics, the translation of texts, the creation of educational institutions, and the development of a Syriac-language syllabus of study in the seventh century. Ultimately, this book attempts to write a compelling and persuasive unified account that does equal justice to the religious landscape of the Middle East and to its changes under both Roman and Arab rule.Less
This introductory chapter provides a background of the religious history to the late antique and medieval Middle East. The great majority of Christians in the Middle East belonged to what church leaders referred to as “the simple.” They were overwhelmingly agrarian, mostly illiterate, and likely had little understanding of the theological complexities that split apart the Christian community in the region. As such, during this period, there was fierce competition for the loyalties of simple, everyday Christians among leaders of the various Christian movements in the Middle East. This competition helped fuel debates, the composition of polemics, the translation of texts, the creation of educational institutions, and the development of a Syriac-language syllabus of study in the seventh century. Ultimately, this book attempts to write a compelling and persuasive unified account that does equal justice to the religious landscape of the Middle East and to its changes under both Roman and Arab rule.
M. S. KEMPSHALL
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198207160
- eISBN:
- 9780191677526
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198207160.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History, History of Ideas
This introduction expresses the intent of the book to convey a critical study in the examination of the meaning of the term ‘common good’ in the thought of eight influential scholastic theologians ...
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This introduction expresses the intent of the book to convey a critical study in the examination of the meaning of the term ‘common good’ in the thought of eight influential scholastic theologians during the second half of the thirteenth century and the early years of the fourteenth, namely Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, Henry of Ghent, Godfrey of Fontaines, Giles of Rome, James of Viterbo, John of Paris, and Remigio dei Girolani. It aims to investigate the effect of the reintroduction of the Politics and the Nicomachean Ethics on the notion of the common good in terms of two key relationships — between the Chrisitian individual and the political community and between the political individual and the Christian community.Less
This introduction expresses the intent of the book to convey a critical study in the examination of the meaning of the term ‘common good’ in the thought of eight influential scholastic theologians during the second half of the thirteenth century and the early years of the fourteenth, namely Albertus Magnus, Thomas Aquinas, Henry of Ghent, Godfrey of Fontaines, Giles of Rome, James of Viterbo, John of Paris, and Remigio dei Girolani. It aims to investigate the effect of the reintroduction of the Politics and the Nicomachean Ethics on the notion of the common good in terms of two key relationships — between the Chrisitian individual and the political community and between the political individual and the Christian community.
