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.
Christopher Tuckett (ed.)
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199212132
- eISBN:
- 9780191705922
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199212132.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This book, which is the first in a series providing authoritative texts of key non-canonical gospel writings, comprises a critical edition, with full translations, of all the extant manuscripts of ...
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This book, which is the first in a series providing authoritative texts of key non-canonical gospel writings, comprises a critical edition, with full translations, of all the extant manuscripts of the Gospel of Mary. In addition, an extended Introduction discusses the key issues involved in the interpretation of the text, as well as locating it in its proper historical context, while a Commentary explicates points of detail. The gospel has been important in many recent discussions of non-canonical gospels, of early Christian Gnosticism, and of discussions of the figure of Mary Magdalene. This book should provoke future discussions of this important early Christian text.Less
This book, which is the first in a series providing authoritative texts of key non-canonical gospel writings, comprises a critical edition, with full translations, of all the extant manuscripts of the Gospel of Mary. In addition, an extended Introduction discusses the key issues involved in the interpretation of the text, as well as locating it in its proper historical context, while a Commentary explicates points of detail. The gospel has been important in many recent discussions of non-canonical gospels, of early Christian Gnosticism, and of discussions of the figure of Mary Magdalene. This book should provoke future discussions of this important early Christian text.
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- August 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199245789
- eISBN:
- 9780191601453
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199245789.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
De officiis, by Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397), is one of the most important texts of Latin Patristic literature, and a major work of early Christian ethics. Modelled on the De officiis ...
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De officiis, by Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397), is one of the most important texts of Latin Patristic literature, and a major work of early Christian ethics. Modelled on the De officiis of Cicero, it synthesizes Stoic assumptions on virtue and expediency with biblical patterns of humility, charity, and self–denial to present Ambrose's vision of conduct appropriate for representatives of the church of Milan in the late 380s. Ambrose aspires to demonstrate that Christian values not only match but also exceed the moral standards advocated by Cicero. His purpose is not to build bridges between Cicero and Christ, but to replace Cicero's work with a new Christian account of duties, designed to show the social triumph of the gospel in the world of the Roman Empire. This edition consists of Ambrose's Latin text and a new English translation, the first since the nineteenth century. The Introduction considers in detail such matters as the composition of the work, its intended purpose, and its combination of biblical teaching and Ciceronian Stoicism. The Commentary (Volume 2 of the set) concentrates on the structure of the work, its copious citations of Scripture and Cicero, and its historical and social context.Less
De officiis, by Ambrose of Milan (c. 339–397), is one of the most important texts of Latin Patristic literature, and a major work of early Christian ethics. Modelled on the De officiis of Cicero, it synthesizes Stoic assumptions on virtue and expediency with biblical patterns of humility, charity, and self–denial to present Ambrose's vision of conduct appropriate for representatives of the church of Milan in the late 380s. Ambrose aspires to demonstrate that Christian values not only match but also exceed the moral standards advocated by Cicero. His purpose is not to build bridges between Cicero and Christ, but to replace Cicero's work with a new Christian account of duties, designed to show the social triumph of the gospel in the world of the Roman Empire. This edition consists of Ambrose's Latin text and a new English translation, the first since the nineteenth century. The Introduction considers in detail such matters as the composition of the work, its intended purpose, and its combination of biblical teaching and Ciceronian Stoicism. The Commentary (Volume 2 of the set) concentrates on the structure of the work, its copious citations of Scripture and Cicero, and its historical and social context.
Catherine Playoust and Ellen Bradshaw Aitken
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195380040
- eISBN:
- 9780199869077
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195380040.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, World Religions
Christian literature of the first and second centuries CE contains few references to unborn children; where they are found, however, the unborn become an important rhetorical site for constructing ...
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Christian literature of the first and second centuries CE contains few references to unborn children; where they are found, however, the unborn become an important rhetorical site for constructing relationships between competing religious groups. The Gospel of Matthew’s genealogy for the unborn Jesus provides him with a rich and contended heritage that displays his destiny as well as his origin. In the Gospel of Luke, the narrative of the joyful recognition of the unborn Jesus in Mary’s womb by the unborn John the Baptist establishes not only the relationship between Jesus and John as adults but also the place of John’s disciples within the Christian movement. The second-century Protevangelium of James tells of Mary’s perception of “two peoples” in her womb, one lamenting and the other rejoicing; these “peoples” signify divergent social and religious responses to Jesus. The practices of joy and lamentation as projected onto the unborn provide a means for negotiating religious differences and shaping a genealogy of religious origins.Less
Christian literature of the first and second centuries CE contains few references to unborn children; where they are found, however, the unborn become an important rhetorical site for constructing relationships between competing religious groups. The Gospel of Matthew’s genealogy for the unborn Jesus provides him with a rich and contended heritage that displays his destiny as well as his origin. In the Gospel of Luke, the narrative of the joyful recognition of the unborn Jesus in Mary’s womb by the unborn John the Baptist establishes not only the relationship between Jesus and John as adults but also the place of John’s disciples within the Christian movement. The second-century Protevangelium of James tells of Mary’s perception of “two peoples” in her womb, one lamenting and the other rejoicing; these “peoples” signify divergent social and religious responses to Jesus. The practices of joy and lamentation as projected onto the unborn provide a means for negotiating religious differences and shaping a genealogy of religious origins.
Ismo Dunderberg
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199284962
- eISBN:
- 9780191603785
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199284962.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This chapter argues that it is not tenable to assume that Thomas is dependent on John, and that the theory that their affinities go back to a common sayings source also proves problematic. The most ...
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This chapter argues that it is not tenable to assume that Thomas is dependent on John, and that the theory that their affinities go back to a common sayings source also proves problematic. The most recent theory that John was written in response to the Gospel of Thomas or to Thomasine Christians is critically examined. Scholars arguing for this theory presuppose that the figure of Thomas in the Gospel of John represents a theological position opposed by the author of this gospel, but they show no agreement as regards what this theological position is. This already suggests that the figure of Thomas in John offers too narrow a basis for far-reaching conclusions about the theology he is supposed to stand for.Less
This chapter argues that it is not tenable to assume that Thomas is dependent on John, and that the theory that their affinities go back to a common sayings source also proves problematic. The most recent theory that John was written in response to the Gospel of Thomas or to Thomasine Christians is critically examined. Scholars arguing for this theory presuppose that the figure of Thomas in the Gospel of John represents a theological position opposed by the author of this gospel, but they show no agreement as regards what this theological position is. This already suggests that the figure of Thomas in John offers too narrow a basis for far-reaching conclusions about the theology he is supposed to stand for.
Adiel Schremer
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195383775
- eISBN:
- 9780199777280
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383775.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion in the Ancient World
This chapter analyses a block of halakhic rulings in the second chapter of Tractate Hullin in the Tosefta, which is devoted to minim. The chapter is devoted to a close examination of these rulings ...
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This chapter analyses a block of halakhic rulings in the second chapter of Tractate Hullin in the Tosefta, which is devoted to minim. The chapter is devoted to a close examination of these rulings and their rhetoric, and it argues that their function is to practically preclude social relations with minim, as thus to exclude them from the community. The question concerning the identity of the minim, against which these rulings were directed, is then raised, and the possibility that by the appellation “minim” classical rabbinic texts refer to Christians is closely examined, and rejected. Minim, in Tannaitic literature, are not specifically Christians.Less
This chapter analyses a block of halakhic rulings in the second chapter of Tractate Hullin in the Tosefta, which is devoted to minim. The chapter is devoted to a close examination of these rulings and their rhetoric, and it argues that their function is to practically preclude social relations with minim, as thus to exclude them from the community. The question concerning the identity of the minim, against which these rulings were directed, is then raised, and the possibility that by the appellation “minim” classical rabbinic texts refer to Christians is closely examined, and rejected. Minim, in Tannaitic literature, are not specifically Christians.
Adiel Schremer
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- May 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195383775
- eISBN:
- 9780199777280
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383775.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion in the Ancient World
This chapter is devoted to a close reading of the single Tannaitic text (Tosefta, tractate Hullin, 2:22-24), in which followers of Jesus are designated as minim. It is argued that the two stories in ...
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This chapter is devoted to a close reading of the single Tannaitic text (Tosefta, tractate Hullin, 2:22-24), in which followers of Jesus are designated as minim. It is argued that the two stories in that text construct the followers of Jesus as minim. In a literary fashion the stories maintain that one must be careful to distance oneself from Christians, precisely because the difference between them and otherwise “kosher” Jews is difficult to ascertain. The date of the text is discussed, and its meaning as a historical evidence for the process of the parting of the ways between rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity is discussed. From the perspective of classical rabbinic literature, it is argued, the early Christians were excluded from the community by means of their labeling as minim and constructing them as outsiders.Less
This chapter is devoted to a close reading of the single Tannaitic text (Tosefta, tractate Hullin, 2:22-24), in which followers of Jesus are designated as minim. It is argued that the two stories in that text construct the followers of Jesus as minim. In a literary fashion the stories maintain that one must be careful to distance oneself from Christians, precisely because the difference between them and otherwise “kosher” Jews is difficult to ascertain. The date of the text is discussed, and its meaning as a historical evidence for the process of the parting of the ways between rabbinic Judaism and early Christianity is discussed. From the perspective of classical rabbinic literature, it is argued, the early Christians were excluded from the community by means of their labeling as minim and constructing them as outsiders.
Stephen Andrew Cooper
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780198270270
- eISBN:
- 9780191603396
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198270275.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter traces the development of the first hundred years of Pauline iconography in all media (sarcophagi, catacomb frescos, church mosaics, small objets d ’art). Particular attention is paid to ...
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This chapter traces the development of the first hundred years of Pauline iconography in all media (sarcophagi, catacomb frescos, church mosaics, small objets d ’art). Particular attention is paid to the variety of ternary scenes featuring the apostles Peter and Paul flanking Christ. The various depictions of Christ (denominated Christus magister and traditio legis) in the scenes with his chief apostles are correlated to the verbal portraits of Paul, and his relation to Christ evident in the early commentaries on the Pauline epistles. Victorinus presents Paul as a direct recipient of Christ’s revelation, and thus as a prime authority in matter of both doctrine and morals; such an understanding of Paul is also suggested by the depictions of Christ with Paul which become common after the mid-point of the fourth century. The development of both Pauline iconography and commentary on the epistles in Rome are shown to be part of the popular piety arising around the various Roman sites claiming the relics of the chief apostles.Less
This chapter traces the development of the first hundred years of Pauline iconography in all media (sarcophagi, catacomb frescos, church mosaics, small objets d ’art). Particular attention is paid to the variety of ternary scenes featuring the apostles Peter and Paul flanking Christ. The various depictions of Christ (denominated Christus magister and traditio legis) in the scenes with his chief apostles are correlated to the verbal portraits of Paul, and his relation to Christ evident in the early commentaries on the Pauline epistles. Victorinus presents Paul as a direct recipient of Christ’s revelation, and thus as a prime authority in matter of both doctrine and morals; such an understanding of Paul is also suggested by the depictions of Christ with Paul which become common after the mid-point of the fourth century. The development of both Pauline iconography and commentary on the epistles in Rome are shown to be part of the popular piety arising around the various Roman sites claiming the relics of the chief apostles.
G. E. M. De Ste. Croix
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199278121
- eISBN:
- 9780191707872
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199278121.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter reprints a 1975 contribution to Studies in Church History, which had also appeared with minimal changes in Ste. Croix's Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World. Ste. Croix sets the ...
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This chapter reprints a 1975 contribution to Studies in Church History, which had also appeared with minimal changes in Ste. Croix's Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World. Ste. Croix sets the early Church in the context of the dominant Greek culture of the eastern Mediterranean, with particular reference to the cities which constituted the dominant form of social organization. Although Jesus came from rural Galilee and never seemed to have visited a proper Greek city, the strongest groups among the early Christians emerged in the Greek cities of the eastern Roman Empire so that the early Church had to reach an accommodation with current attitudes to property, and especially the difficult question of human property. Ste. Croix analyses how almost all early Christian writers managed to find Biblical support for the maintenance of slavery while arguing away the apparently radical messages of the Gospels.Less
This chapter reprints a 1975 contribution to Studies in Church History, which had also appeared with minimal changes in Ste. Croix's Class Struggle in the Ancient Greek World. Ste. Croix sets the early Church in the context of the dominant Greek culture of the eastern Mediterranean, with particular reference to the cities which constituted the dominant form of social organization. Although Jesus came from rural Galilee and never seemed to have visited a proper Greek city, the strongest groups among the early Christians emerged in the Greek cities of the eastern Roman Empire so that the early Church had to reach an accommodation with current attitudes to property, and especially the difficult question of human property. Ste. Croix analyses how almost all early Christian writers managed to find Biblical support for the maintenance of slavery while arguing away the apparently radical messages of the Gospels.
Michael Peppard
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780300213997
- eISBN:
- 9780300216516
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300213997.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
In 1932, at an ancient military outpost on the Euphrates, excavators unearthed a series of wall paintings. A procession of veiled women, a soldier with sword drawn, a woman at a well. The space was ...
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In 1932, at an ancient military outpost on the Euphrates, excavators unearthed a series of wall paintings. A procession of veiled women, a soldier with sword drawn, a woman at a well. The space was designed for religious rituals, but whose? As a crossroads for travelers, the city of Dura-Europos had buildings honoring gods of Greece, Rome, Persia, and Judea. These archaeologists soon realized, though, that they were looking at the earliest preserved Christian building—a “house church” from about the year 250. The World’s Oldest Church shines a flashlight once again on the murals of the earliest Christian building. Michael Peppard’s research at the nexus of Bible, art, and ritual shows that many familiar interpretations of the church require historical and theological reevaluation. While updating scholarship on all aspects of the building, he advances bold re-identifications of the female figures on the church’s walls. What if the veiled women were going not to a tomb, but to a wedding? What if the woman at a well was not a repentant sinner, but a spotless virgin—the Virgin Mary herself? Contrary to commonly held assumptions about early Christian initiation, Peppard contends that the rituals here did not primarily embody notions of death and resurrection. Rather, the central motifs were victory, healing, incarnation, and especially marriage. He attends to how the presence of ritual in a given space affects our interpretation of its art. In other words, the meaning of what appears on these walls may become clear only when we imagine what happened between them.Less
In 1932, at an ancient military outpost on the Euphrates, excavators unearthed a series of wall paintings. A procession of veiled women, a soldier with sword drawn, a woman at a well. The space was designed for religious rituals, but whose? As a crossroads for travelers, the city of Dura-Europos had buildings honoring gods of Greece, Rome, Persia, and Judea. These archaeologists soon realized, though, that they were looking at the earliest preserved Christian building—a “house church” from about the year 250. The World’s Oldest Church shines a flashlight once again on the murals of the earliest Christian building. Michael Peppard’s research at the nexus of Bible, art, and ritual shows that many familiar interpretations of the church require historical and theological reevaluation. While updating scholarship on all aspects of the building, he advances bold re-identifications of the female figures on the church’s walls. What if the veiled women were going not to a tomb, but to a wedding? What if the woman at a well was not a repentant sinner, but a spotless virgin—the Virgin Mary herself? Contrary to commonly held assumptions about early Christian initiation, Peppard contends that the rituals here did not primarily embody notions of death and resurrection. Rather, the central motifs were victory, healing, incarnation, and especially marriage. He attends to how the presence of ritual in a given space affects our interpretation of its art. In other words, the meaning of what appears on these walls may become clear only when we imagine what happened between them.
Henry Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 1984
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198266730
- eISBN:
- 9780191683077
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198266730.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The historian of Western culture cannot travel far without discovering that the roots of many 20th-century questions lie in the ancient dialogue between the early Christians and culture of the old ...
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The historian of Western culture cannot travel far without discovering that the roots of many 20th-century questions lie in the ancient dialogue between the early Christians and culture of the old Classical world. This book takes three Christian thinkers: Justin, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen, and shows what the debate looked like from the Christian side. It draws on the pagan critics of the Church to illustrate the case the Christians had to answer. The examination of the Christian synthesis illustrates the extent to which penetrating criticism of the Classical tradition was combined with a profound acceptance of its humanism.Less
The historian of Western culture cannot travel far without discovering that the roots of many 20th-century questions lie in the ancient dialogue between the early Christians and culture of the old Classical world. This book takes three Christian thinkers: Justin, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen, and shows what the debate looked like from the Christian side. It draws on the pagan critics of the Church to illustrate the case the Christians had to answer. The examination of the Christian synthesis illustrates the extent to which penetrating criticism of the Classical tradition was combined with a profound acceptance of its humanism.
Susan R. Holman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195383621
- eISBN:
- 9780199870479
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383621.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Church History
This chapter explores early Christian texts on poverty responses between the fourth and sixth centuries. It applies the book's three paradigms and a vision for practical social action to the ...
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This chapter explores early Christian texts on poverty responses between the fourth and sixth centuries. It applies the book's three paradigms and a vision for practical social action to the patristic writings and examples of the “Cappadocians”—Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, their sister Macrina, and their friend Gregory of Nazianzus—as well as Jacob of Sarug and John Chrysostom. Topics include poverty, hunger, injustice, disease, sermons on “the love of the poor,” and patristic ideals of social justice. This chapter draws on previous academic work on these texts to here apply scholarship to pastoral applications and challenges to contemporary social action in the modern world.Less
This chapter explores early Christian texts on poverty responses between the fourth and sixth centuries. It applies the book's three paradigms and a vision for practical social action to the patristic writings and examples of the “Cappadocians”—Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, their sister Macrina, and their friend Gregory of Nazianzus—as well as Jacob of Sarug and John Chrysostom. Topics include poverty, hunger, injustice, disease, sermons on “the love of the poor,” and patristic ideals of social justice. This chapter draws on previous academic work on these texts to here apply scholarship to pastoral applications and challenges to contemporary social action in the modern world.
Joseph Blenkinsopp
- Published in print:
- 1995
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198755036
- eISBN:
- 9780191695131
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198755036.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Judaism
This new edition has been considerably expanded to take in work on the legal and didactic material published since the 1980s. It gives more attention to the different literary genres used by Israel's ...
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This new edition has been considerably expanded to take in work on the legal and didactic material published since the 1980s. It gives more attention to the different literary genres used by Israel's sages, and to the social settings in which the material came into existence and circulated. References to relevant archaeological data have also been brought up to date. The main purpose of the book, however, remains the same – to trace the course of two related key streams of tradition, law, and wisdom throughout the history of Israel in the biblical period, and to demonstrate their essential lines of continuity with classical Jewish thought and early Christian theology.Less
This new edition has been considerably expanded to take in work on the legal and didactic material published since the 1980s. It gives more attention to the different literary genres used by Israel's sages, and to the social settings in which the material came into existence and circulated. References to relevant archaeological data have also been brought up to date. The main purpose of the book, however, remains the same – to trace the course of two related key streams of tradition, law, and wisdom throughout the history of Israel in the biblical period, and to demonstrate their essential lines of continuity with classical Jewish thought and early Christian theology.
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.
P. S. Alexander
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- April 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780198263913
- eISBN:
- 9780191601187
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198263910.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
This is the second of five chapters on the Old Testament and the reader, and presents an analysis of the Bible in Qumran (the site occupied by the early Jewish monastic community who lived near the ...
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This is the second of five chapters on the Old Testament and the reader, and presents an analysis of the Bible in Qumran (the site occupied by the early Jewish monastic community who lived near the shores of the Dead Sea) and early Judaism. The first part gives an account of the rediscovery of Midrash—a term initially borrowed from rabbinic literature, where it denotes the specifically rabbinic tradition of Bible exegesis—the commentary created in dialogue with the scared Scripture in early Judaism. The rediscovery of Midrash was prompted in particular by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1947–1956), and the finding of the Codex Neofiti 1 in the Vatican library in 1953; these and other examples of Midrash have given rise to numerous monographs and articles over the last thirty years of the twentieth century. The second part discusses the use of the Scripture and the Dead Sea sect of Qumran, and the third analyses the use of Scripture among other Jewish rabbinical groups in late antiquity. The last two sections look at the Scripture in the Alexandrian schools and among the early Christians, and at the emergence of Judaism and Christianity as ‘Religions of the Book’.Less
This is the second of five chapters on the Old Testament and the reader, and presents an analysis of the Bible in Qumran (the site occupied by the early Jewish monastic community who lived near the shores of the Dead Sea) and early Judaism. The first part gives an account of the rediscovery of Midrash—a term initially borrowed from rabbinic literature, where it denotes the specifically rabbinic tradition of Bible exegesis—the commentary created in dialogue with the scared Scripture in early Judaism. The rediscovery of Midrash was prompted in particular by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1947–1956), and the finding of the Codex Neofiti 1 in the Vatican library in 1953; these and other examples of Midrash have given rise to numerous monographs and articles over the last thirty years of the twentieth century. The second part discusses the use of the Scripture and the Dead Sea sect of Qumran, and the third analyses the use of Scripture among other Jewish rabbinical groups in late antiquity. The last two sections look at the Scripture in the Alexandrian schools and among the early Christians, and at the emergence of Judaism and Christianity as ‘Religions of the Book’.
Alan Scott
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198263616
- eISBN:
- 9780191682612
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198263616.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies, Philosophy of Religion
It was widely assumed by intellectuals from antiquity to the Middle Ages that the beauty and regularity of the heavens was a sign of their superior life. Through this belief the stars gained an ...
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It was widely assumed by intellectuals from antiquity to the Middle Ages that the beauty and regularity of the heavens was a sign of their superior life. Through this belief the stars gained an important position in Greek religion, and speculations on their nature figured prominently in discussions of human psychology and eschatology. In the 3rd century AD the influential Christian theologian Origen included Hellenistic theories on the life and nature of the stars in his cosmology. This marked an interesting episode in the history of the idea, but it also had important implications for early Christian theology. Although he was condemned as heretical for these (and other) speculations, he was successful in incorporating traditional philosophical theories about the stars into a biblical theology.Less
It was widely assumed by intellectuals from antiquity to the Middle Ages that the beauty and regularity of the heavens was a sign of their superior life. Through this belief the stars gained an important position in Greek religion, and speculations on their nature figured prominently in discussions of human psychology and eschatology. In the 3rd century AD the influential Christian theologian Origen included Hellenistic theories on the life and nature of the stars in his cosmology. This marked an interesting episode in the history of the idea, but it also had important implications for early Christian theology. Although he was condemned as heretical for these (and other) speculations, he was successful in incorporating traditional philosophical theories about the stars into a biblical theology.
Stephen Andrew Cooper
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- February 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780198270270
- eISBN:
- 9780191603396
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198270275.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter discusses Victorinus’ commentary on Galatians in terms of its exegetical techniques and genre. These aspect of his work on Galatians are compared with both Christian and non-Christian ...
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This chapter discusses Victorinus’ commentary on Galatians in terms of its exegetical techniques and genre. These aspect of his work on Galatians are compared with both Christian and non-Christian commentaries of the third and fourth centuries. His use of prefaces and exegetical techniques, such as paraphrase (including his appropriation of the apostle Paul’s first-person) are examined. Victorinus’ hermeneutical vocabulary provides a key for understanding what he intends by the manner of commentary he denominated commentatio simplex, which is can only somewhat misleadingly be called ‘literal’. Victorinus’ commentaries on Paul with their philosophical excurses have affinities with non-Christian philosophical eisagogic commentaries in their attempt to establish a basic platform as prerequisite for deeper philosophical or theological understanding.Less
This chapter discusses Victorinus’ commentary on Galatians in terms of its exegetical techniques and genre. These aspect of his work on Galatians are compared with both Christian and non-Christian commentaries of the third and fourth centuries. His use of prefaces and exegetical techniques, such as paraphrase (including his appropriation of the apostle Paul’s first-person) are examined. Victorinus’ hermeneutical vocabulary provides a key for understanding what he intends by the manner of commentary he denominated commentatio simplex, which is can only somewhat misleadingly be called ‘literal’. Victorinus’ commentaries on Paul with their philosophical excurses have affinities with non-Christian philosophical eisagogic commentaries in their attempt to establish a basic platform as prerequisite for deeper philosophical or theological understanding.
Susan R. Holman
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195383621
- eISBN:
- 9780199870479
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195383621.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Church History
This chapter explores the paradigm of “sharing the world” with a focus on modern models of giving, divestment, and hospitality. Those who live in the modern West are often faced with an ...
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This chapter explores the paradigm of “sharing the world” with a focus on modern models of giving, divestment, and hospitality. Those who live in the modern West are often faced with an overwhelming variety of charitable and philanthropic options and opportunities to engage in relief and religious responses to poverty and need. Without advising any one particular path of response, the chapter here explores the challenges that face those who desire to make lifestyle decisions that are appropriate to one's personal situations. Drawing from personal narrative, Catholic social thought on “the common good,” the modern ideology of human rights, and early Christian canons on how to treat the poor and needy, this chapter offers images for a refreshed view of sharing the world.Less
This chapter explores the paradigm of “sharing the world” with a focus on modern models of giving, divestment, and hospitality. Those who live in the modern West are often faced with an overwhelming variety of charitable and philanthropic options and opportunities to engage in relief and religious responses to poverty and need. Without advising any one particular path of response, the chapter here explores the challenges that face those who desire to make lifestyle decisions that are appropriate to one's personal situations. Drawing from personal narrative, Catholic social thought on “the common good,” the modern ideology of human rights, and early Christian canons on how to treat the poor and needy, this chapter offers images for a refreshed view of sharing the world.
Nicholas Hope
- Published in print:
- 1999
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269946
- eISBN:
- 9780191600647
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269943.003.0017
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Covers the partial rediscovery of the Lutheran sung liturgy, Reformation hymns and Bach's choral works, and experiments in ecclesiology and parish church architecture shaped by early Christian or ...
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Covers the partial rediscovery of the Lutheran sung liturgy, Reformation hymns and Bach's choral works, and experiments in ecclesiology and parish church architecture shaped by early Christian or high Gothic models. A new interest, antiquarian and historical, in Lutheran doctrine and worship, and ‘neo‐Lutheran’ churchscapes, begins a theme in the next chapter.Less
Covers the partial rediscovery of the Lutheran sung liturgy, Reformation hymns and Bach's choral works, and experiments in ecclesiology and parish church architecture shaped by early Christian or high Gothic models. A new interest, antiquarian and historical, in Lutheran doctrine and worship, and ‘neo‐Lutheran’ churchscapes, begins a theme in the next chapter.
Naomi Koltun-Fromm
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199736485
- eISBN:
- 9780199866427
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199736485.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Religion and Society
Hermeneutics of Holiness focuses on the historical, theological, and literary trajectories of the Hebrew biblical notions of holiness from the biblical context into the fourth-century Jewish and ...
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Hermeneutics of Holiness focuses on the historical, theological, and literary trajectories of the Hebrew biblical notions of holiness from the biblical context into the fourth-century Jewish and Christian interpretive traditions. This work is particularly interested in how holy communities are formed and in what ways these individuals or communities derive their notions of holiness from the biblical texts. Moreover, this book examines how and why these notions of holy-community often intersect with ideals of sexuality, sexual practice, and asceticism. The book first examines biblical constructs of holiness but then follows these ideas along their various interpretive developments through the Second Temple Literature (Ezra, Jubilees, Dead Sea Scrolls), early Christian literature (New Testament) and the early Syriac Christian tradition (Odes of Solomon, Acts of Judah Thomas, Aphrahat) on the one hand, and the Rabbinic literature on the other. This study ends with a comparative analysis between the Syriac Christian literature and early Rabbinic writings in order to better understand both the similarities between and the diversity of holiness and sexuality constructs, as well as biblical interpretive practices and traditions in these communities. In the end, this book argues that early Christian and Jewish notions of sexual production and sexual restraint derive from shared interpretive traditions of biblical holiness.Less
Hermeneutics of Holiness focuses on the historical, theological, and literary trajectories of the Hebrew biblical notions of holiness from the biblical context into the fourth-century Jewish and Christian interpretive traditions. This work is particularly interested in how holy communities are formed and in what ways these individuals or communities derive their notions of holiness from the biblical texts. Moreover, this book examines how and why these notions of holy-community often intersect with ideals of sexuality, sexual practice, and asceticism. The book first examines biblical constructs of holiness but then follows these ideas along their various interpretive developments through the Second Temple Literature (Ezra, Jubilees, Dead Sea Scrolls), early Christian literature (New Testament) and the early Syriac Christian tradition (Odes of Solomon, Acts of Judah Thomas, Aphrahat) on the one hand, and the Rabbinic literature on the other. This study ends with a comparative analysis between the Syriac Christian literature and early Rabbinic writings in order to better understand both the similarities between and the diversity of holiness and sexuality constructs, as well as biblical interpretive practices and traditions in these communities. In the end, this book argues that early Christian and Jewish notions of sexual production and sexual restraint derive from shared interpretive traditions of biblical holiness.
