Christine E. Hayes
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151206
- eISBN:
- 9780199834273
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151208.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
For more than a century, scholars of ancient Judaism and early Christianity have assumed that ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as ritually impure, and that this alleged principle of Gentile ritual ...
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For more than a century, scholars of ancient Judaism and early Christianity have assumed that ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as ritually impure, and that this alleged principle of Gentile ritual impurity was the basis for a strict and burdensome policy of separation between Jews and non‐Jews. The present volume corrects decades of erroneous scholarship on the question of Gentile ritual impurity and the history of Jewish perceptions of Gentiles in antiquity. Although purity and impurity were intimately connected with questions of identity and otherness in ancient Jewish culture, the terms “pure” and “impure” were employed in various ways by different groups of Jews to describe and inscribe sociocultural boundaries between Jews and Gentiles. Close analysis of biblical, Second Temple, New Testament, patristic, and rabbinic sources, shows that at least four distinct modes of impurity were associated with Gentiles by different groups – ritual impurity, moral impurity, genealogical impurity, and carnal impurity. This unexpected diversity of ancient Jewish views of Gentile impurity is tied to widely differing definitions of Jewish group identity and the access of Gentiles to that identity. Consequently, ancient Jews exhibited widely varying attitudes towards intermarriage and conversion – the two processes by which group boundaries might be penetrated. These diverse views of the permeability of the Jewish–Gentile boundary through intermarriage or conversion, deriving in turn from diverse conceptions of Gentile impurity and Jewish identity, contributed to the rise of sectarianism in Second Temple Judaism, and to the separation of the early church from what would later become rabbinic Judaism.Less
For more than a century, scholars of ancient Judaism and early Christianity have assumed that ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as ritually impure, and that this alleged principle of Gentile ritual impurity was the basis for a strict and burdensome policy of separation between Jews and non‐Jews. The present volume corrects decades of erroneous scholarship on the question of Gentile ritual impurity and the history of Jewish perceptions of Gentiles in antiquity. Although purity and impurity were intimately connected with questions of identity and otherness in ancient Jewish culture, the terms “pure” and “impure” were employed in various ways by different groups of Jews to describe and inscribe sociocultural boundaries between Jews and Gentiles. Close analysis of biblical, Second Temple, New Testament, patristic, and rabbinic sources, shows that at least four distinct modes of impurity were associated with Gentiles by different groups – ritual impurity, moral impurity, genealogical impurity, and carnal impurity. This unexpected diversity of ancient Jewish views of Gentile impurity is tied to widely differing definitions of Jewish group identity and the access of Gentiles to that identity. Consequently, ancient Jews exhibited widely varying attitudes towards intermarriage and conversion – the two processes by which group boundaries might be penetrated. These diverse views of the permeability of the Jewish–Gentile boundary through intermarriage or conversion, deriving in turn from diverse conceptions of Gentile impurity and Jewish identity, contributed to the rise of sectarianism in Second Temple Judaism, and to the separation of the early church from what would later become rabbinic Judaism.
Maria‐Zoe Petropoulou
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199218547
- eISBN:
- 9780191711503
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199218547.003.0005
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter introduces the world of Christians — who came from both the Greek religious environment (Gentile Christians) and Judaism (Jewish Christians) — but also from the group of pagans who were ...
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This chapter introduces the world of Christians — who came from both the Greek religious environment (Gentile Christians) and Judaism (Jewish Christians) — but also from the group of pagans who were ready to convert to Judaism (the so-called ‘God-fearers’). Emphasizing the multiplicity of backgrounds, the chapter aims at warning the reader that conclusions concerning early Christianity and its relation to animal sacrifice cannot be definite, especially as regards the Christians who lived in Jerusalem that is next to the Temple, before AD 70.Less
This chapter introduces the world of Christians — who came from both the Greek religious environment (Gentile Christians) and Judaism (Jewish Christians) — but also from the group of pagans who were ready to convert to Judaism (the so-called ‘God-fearers’). Emphasizing the multiplicity of backgrounds, the chapter aims at warning the reader that conclusions concerning early Christianity and its relation to animal sacrifice cannot be definite, especially as regards the Christians who lived in Jerusalem that is next to the Temple, before AD 70.
Caroline Johnson Hodge
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195182163
- eISBN:
- 9780199785612
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182163.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Pauline scholarship has typically downplayed Paul's ethnic language, masked it as something else, or juxtaposed ethnic particularity with a universal faith in Christ. This chapter offers an ...
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Pauline scholarship has typically downplayed Paul's ethnic language, masked it as something else, or juxtaposed ethnic particularity with a universal faith in Christ. This chapter offers an examination of Paul's “us/them” language and shows how ethnicity, far from being invisible or irrelevant in Paul's thinking, organizes his religious categories. Paul employs oppositional ethnic construction (a phrase borrowed from Jonathan Hall) to contrast the plight of the gentiles (before Christ) with the Jews. This juxtaposition highlights the primary problem he seeks to address: gentile alienation from the God of Israel. The chapter concludes with a survey of Paul's ethnic terminology, which is often presented in the form of oppositional pairs: Jew/gentile, Jew/Greek, circumcised/foreskinned, etc. These pairings highlight the “otherness” of non-Jews on Paul's ethnic map.Less
Pauline scholarship has typically downplayed Paul's ethnic language, masked it as something else, or juxtaposed ethnic particularity with a universal faith in Christ. This chapter offers an examination of Paul's “us/them” language and shows how ethnicity, far from being invisible or irrelevant in Paul's thinking, organizes his religious categories. Paul employs oppositional ethnic construction (a phrase borrowed from Jonathan Hall) to contrast the plight of the gentiles (before Christ) with the Jews. This juxtaposition highlights the primary problem he seeks to address: gentile alienation from the God of Israel. The chapter concludes with a survey of Paul's ethnic terminology, which is often presented in the form of oppositional pairs: Jew/gentile, Jew/Greek, circumcised/foreskinned, etc. These pairings highlight the “otherness” of non-Jews on Paul's ethnic map.
Caroline Johnson Hodge
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195182163
- eISBN:
- 9780199785612
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195182163.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Christianity is understood to be a “universal” religion that transcends the particularities of history and culture, including differences related to kinship and ethnicity. This portrait of ...
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Christianity is understood to be a “universal” religion that transcends the particularities of history and culture, including differences related to kinship and ethnicity. This portrait of Christianity has been maintained by an interpretive tradition that claims that Paul eliminates ethnicity or at least separates it from what is important about Christianity. This study challenges that perception. Through an examination of kinship and ethnic language in Paul's letters, this book demonstrates that notions of peoplehood and lineage are not rejected or downplayed by Paul; instead they are central to his gospel. Paul's chief concern is the status of the gentile peoples who are alienated from the God of Israel. Ethnicity defines this theological problem, just as it shapes his own evangelizing of the ethnic and religious “other”. According to Paul, God has responded to the gentile predicament through Christ. Using the logic of patrilineal descent, Paul constructs a myth of origins for gentiles: through baptism into Christ the gentiles become descendants of Abraham, adopted sons of God and coheirs with Christ. Although Jews and gentiles now share a common ancestor, Paul does not collapse them into one group. They are separate but related lineages of Abraham. Kinship and ethnicity work well in Paul's arguments, for at the same time that they present themselves as natural and fixed, they are also open to negotiation and reworking. This paradox renders them effective tools in organizing people and power, shaping self-understanding and defining membership. This analysis demonstrates that Paul's thinking is immersed in the story of a specific people and their God. He speaks not as a Christian theologian, but as a 1st-century Jewish teacher of gentiles responding to concrete situations in the communities he founded.Less
Christianity is understood to be a “universal” religion that transcends the particularities of history and culture, including differences related to kinship and ethnicity. This portrait of Christianity has been maintained by an interpretive tradition that claims that Paul eliminates ethnicity or at least separates it from what is important about Christianity. This study challenges that perception. Through an examination of kinship and ethnic language in Paul's letters, this book demonstrates that notions of peoplehood and lineage are not rejected or downplayed by Paul; instead they are central to his gospel. Paul's chief concern is the status of the gentile peoples who are alienated from the God of Israel. Ethnicity defines this theological problem, just as it shapes his own evangelizing of the ethnic and religious “other”. According to Paul, God has responded to the gentile predicament through Christ. Using the logic of patrilineal descent, Paul constructs a myth of origins for gentiles: through baptism into Christ the gentiles become descendants of Abraham, adopted sons of God and coheirs with Christ. Although Jews and gentiles now share a common ancestor, Paul does not collapse them into one group. They are separate but related lineages of Abraham. Kinship and ethnicity work well in Paul's arguments, for at the same time that they present themselves as natural and fixed, they are also open to negotiation and reworking. This paradox renders them effective tools in organizing people and power, shaping self-understanding and defining membership. This analysis demonstrates that Paul's thinking is immersed in the story of a specific people and their God. He speaks not as a Christian theologian, but as a 1st-century Jewish teacher of gentiles responding to concrete situations in the communities he founded.
John G. Gager
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195150858
- eISBN:
- 9780199849307
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195150858.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Throughout the Christian era, Paul has stood at the center of controversy, accused of being the father of Christian anti-Semitism. This book challenges this entrenched view of Paul, arguing ...
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Throughout the Christian era, Paul has stood at the center of controversy, accused of being the father of Christian anti-Semitism. This book challenges this entrenched view of Paul, arguing persuasively that Paul's words have been taken out of their original context, distorted, and generally misconstrued. Using Paul's own writings, the book sets forth a controversial interpretation of the apostle's teaching as he takes us in search of the “real” Paul. Through an analysis of Paul's letters to the Galatians and the Romans, he provides illuminating answers to the key questions: Did Paul repudiate the Law of Moses? Did he believe that Jews had been rejected by God and replaced as His chosen people by Gentiles? Did he consider circumcision to be necessary for salvation? And did he expect Jews to find salvation through Jesus? The book tells us that Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, not the Jews. His most vehement arguments were directed not against Judaism but against competing apostles in the Jesus movement who demanded that Gentiles be circumcised and conform to Jewish law in order to be saved. Moreover, Paul relied on rhetorical devices that were familiar to his intended audience but opaque to later readers of the letters. As a result, his message has been misunderstood by succeeding generations.Less
Throughout the Christian era, Paul has stood at the center of controversy, accused of being the father of Christian anti-Semitism. This book challenges this entrenched view of Paul, arguing persuasively that Paul's words have been taken out of their original context, distorted, and generally misconstrued. Using Paul's own writings, the book sets forth a controversial interpretation of the apostle's teaching as he takes us in search of the “real” Paul. Through an analysis of Paul's letters to the Galatians and the Romans, he provides illuminating answers to the key questions: Did Paul repudiate the Law of Moses? Did he believe that Jews had been rejected by God and replaced as His chosen people by Gentiles? Did he consider circumcision to be necessary for salvation? And did he expect Jews to find salvation through Jesus? The book tells us that Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, not the Jews. His most vehement arguments were directed not against Judaism but against competing apostles in the Jesus movement who demanded that Gentiles be circumcised and conform to Jewish law in order to be saved. Moreover, Paul relied on rhetorical devices that were familiar to his intended audience but opaque to later readers of the letters. As a result, his message has been misunderstood by succeeding generations.
Christine E. Hayes
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151206
- eISBN:
- 9780199834273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151208.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Rabbinic sources, tannaitic and amoraic, maintain that Gentiles are not subject to the laws of ritual impurity and do not convey ritual impurity to Jews according to Torah law. Passages adduced by ...
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Rabbinic sources, tannaitic and amoraic, maintain that Gentiles are not subject to the laws of ritual impurity and do not convey ritual impurity to Jews according to Torah law. Passages adduced by scholars as evidence of a rabbinic principle of Gentile ritual impurity (especially m. Pesahim 8:8) have been badly misinterpreted. The rabbis do assert, however, on their own authority that Gentiles should be deemed to convey ritual impurity like a gonnorheic (zav). This declaration of a limited ritual impurity for Gentiles is a legal novum of the tannaitic period, explicitly going beyond the prescriptions of the biblical text. The motivation for this decree is considered and the notion that the ritual impurity of Gentiles is grounded in the impurity of idols (as argued by Gedaliah Alon) is discounted.Less
Rabbinic sources, tannaitic and amoraic, maintain that Gentiles are not subject to the laws of ritual impurity and do not convey ritual impurity to Jews according to Torah law. Passages adduced by scholars as evidence of a rabbinic principle of Gentile ritual impurity (especially m. Pesahim 8:8) have been badly misinterpreted. The rabbis do assert, however, on their own authority that Gentiles should be deemed to convey ritual impurity like a gonnorheic (zav). This declaration of a limited ritual impurity for Gentiles is a legal novum of the tannaitic period, explicitly going beyond the prescriptions of the biblical text. The motivation for this decree is considered and the notion that the ritual impurity of Gentiles is grounded in the impurity of idols (as argued by Gedaliah Alon) is discounted.
Lamin O. Sanneh
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195189605
- eISBN:
- 9780199868582
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189605.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The book describes the Christian movement from New Testament times and the Gentile mission to developments in the Roman Empire. It expounds Christianity's eastward expansion and seminal interaction ...
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The book describes the Christian movement from New Testament times and the Gentile mission to developments in the Roman Empire. It expounds Christianity's eastward expansion and seminal interaction with Islam whose resistance encouraged Europe to embark on its maritime expansion to the East and the New World. Christianity followed Europe into the non‐Christian world, and became identified with the rising mercantilism and colonial empires. Missions gained—and lost—momentum by association with the slave trade and with related systems of native exploitation, acquiring range and imperial protection, for example, but also by provoking local resistance. Conversely, the first mass conversion of New World Africans provided impetus for the missionary drive into Africa and Asia, culminating in the 20th-century post‐Western awakening. Nineteenth-century colonial empires masked the true potential of Christianity's indigenous appeal, though the adoption of vernacular Bible translation appealed to reserves of local initiative and persisted vigorously into the post‐colonial phase. The book follows the theme to post‐Maoist China and in developments in the global Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. All these manifestations paint the picture of World Christianity as a critical dynamic force in the 21st century.Less
The book describes the Christian movement from New Testament times and the Gentile mission to developments in the Roman Empire. It expounds Christianity's eastward expansion and seminal interaction with Islam whose resistance encouraged Europe to embark on its maritime expansion to the East and the New World. Christianity followed Europe into the non‐Christian world, and became identified with the rising mercantilism and colonial empires. Missions gained—and lost—momentum by association with the slave trade and with related systems of native exploitation, acquiring range and imperial protection, for example, but also by provoking local resistance. Conversely, the first mass conversion of New World Africans provided impetus for the missionary drive into Africa and Asia, culminating in the 20th-century post‐Western awakening. Nineteenth-century colonial empires masked the true potential of Christianity's indigenous appeal, though the adoption of vernacular Bible translation appealed to reserves of local initiative and persisted vigorously into the post‐colonial phase. The book follows the theme to post‐Maoist China and in developments in the global Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. All these manifestations paint the picture of World Christianity as a critical dynamic force in the 21st century.
Lamin Sanneh
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195189605
- eISBN:
- 9780199868582
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189605.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter explores the New Testament Gentile church, and examines the roles of Peter and Paul in the religion's transformation into its Greek‐speaking phase. Given the dual Jewish‐Gentile heritage ...
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This chapter explores the New Testament Gentile church, and examines the roles of Peter and Paul in the religion's transformation into its Greek‐speaking phase. Given the dual Jewish‐Gentile heritage of Christianity, the foundation was laid for the religion's intercultural world errand. The chapter considers the implications of the disciples abandoning Jerusalem and embracing centers of Greek life, thus freeing the Gospel from the constraints of a founding culture. Diverse peoples and cultures embraced Christianity, adapting it to reflect local priorities. The chapter argues that the Jewish background of Christianity, in particular, the Jewish monotheist message and its ethical system, survived into the Gentile phase, and resulted in uniting exotic and disparate religious materials into a thriving religious movement.Less
This chapter explores the New Testament Gentile church, and examines the roles of Peter and Paul in the religion's transformation into its Greek‐speaking phase. Given the dual Jewish‐Gentile heritage of Christianity, the foundation was laid for the religion's intercultural world errand. The chapter considers the implications of the disciples abandoning Jerusalem and embracing centers of Greek life, thus freeing the Gospel from the constraints of a founding culture. Diverse peoples and cultures embraced Christianity, adapting it to reflect local priorities. The chapter argues that the Jewish background of Christianity, in particular, the Jewish monotheist message and its ethical system, survived into the Gentile phase, and resulted in uniting exotic and disparate religious materials into a thriving religious movement.
Lamin Sanneh
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195189605
- eISBN:
- 9780199868582
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189605.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Synopsis: This chapter examines Roman imperial pressure and the persecution that triggered wide‐ranging dispersion and movement in Christianity. Persecution induced habits of vigilance, and ascetic ...
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Synopsis: This chapter examines Roman imperial pressure and the persecution that triggered wide‐ranging dispersion and movement in Christianity. Persecution induced habits of vigilance, and ascetic witness against wealth and power. Tertullian (d c.240) describes the refining effects of persecution and repression on Christian spiritual life and new forms of Christian social organization. Christians pioneered voluntary and philanthropic ethics, and promoted mutual support and encouragement. As a vernacular movement Christianity spread to Scotland, northern England, and Iceland. Semi‐urban Arabs of the trade routes converted, though Christianity failed to take root in the Arab heartland proper. Augustine assessed the historical challenge facing Christianity after the fall of the empire, and his achievement, the chapter argues, transformed classical historiography from its deterministic pessimism into a choice‐driven, morally‐transparent enterprise. The chapter contends that a corresponding Augustinian revolution in thought would help place the searchlight on provincial diversity and cultural variety of rising World Christianity.Less
Synopsis: This chapter examines Roman imperial pressure and the persecution that triggered wide‐ranging dispersion and movement in Christianity. Persecution induced habits of vigilance, and ascetic witness against wealth and power. Tertullian (d c.240) describes the refining effects of persecution and repression on Christian spiritual life and new forms of Christian social organization. Christians pioneered voluntary and philanthropic ethics, and promoted mutual support and encouragement. As a vernacular movement Christianity spread to Scotland, northern England, and Iceland. Semi‐urban Arabs of the trade routes converted, though Christianity failed to take root in the Arab heartland proper. Augustine assessed the historical challenge facing Christianity after the fall of the empire, and his achievement, the chapter argues, transformed classical historiography from its deterministic pessimism into a choice‐driven, morally‐transparent enterprise. The chapter contends that a corresponding Augustinian revolution in thought would help place the searchlight on provincial diversity and cultural variety of rising World Christianity.
Lamin Sanneh
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195189605
- eISBN:
- 9780199868582
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195189605.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Synopsis: The chapter examines Christianity's formative Western assimilation as a prelude to its overseas post‐Western development. The chapter turns to Roland Allen and the stirrings in China to ...
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Synopsis: The chapter examines Christianity's formative Western assimilation as a prelude to its overseas post‐Western development. The chapter turns to Roland Allen and the stirrings in China to disentangle Western civilization from Christian civilization, and to show how cultural assimilation falls short of radical conversion. The material, technical infrastructure of mission hindered access in hinterland regions, and impeded the training of local leaders. The chapter recalls the Gentile basis of affirming non‐Western cultures and values. The chapter shifts to Vincent Donovan and the Catholic response to Allen. Donovan agrees with Allen, and calls for changes in Catholic missionary practice, restating the missionary mandate by redefining creed and church. The chapter presents outlines of the Maasai African Creed as an example of the indigenous discovery of the Gospel, showing how that results in Christianity being rediscovered. That is the background of the worldwide resurgence.Less
Synopsis: The chapter examines Christianity's formative Western assimilation as a prelude to its overseas post‐Western development. The chapter turns to Roland Allen and the stirrings in China to disentangle Western civilization from Christian civilization, and to show how cultural assimilation falls short of radical conversion. The material, technical infrastructure of mission hindered access in hinterland regions, and impeded the training of local leaders. The chapter recalls the Gentile basis of affirming non‐Western cultures and values. The chapter shifts to Vincent Donovan and the Catholic response to Allen. Donovan agrees with Allen, and calls for changes in Catholic missionary practice, restating the missionary mandate by redefining creed and church. The chapter presents outlines of the Maasai African Creed as an example of the indigenous discovery of the Gospel, showing how that results in Christianity being rediscovered. That is the background of the worldwide resurgence.
Peter Schäfer
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691153902
- eISBN:
- 9781400842285
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691153902.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This chapter addresses a problem that must have plagued the rabbis a great deal: the undeniable fact that the Hebrew Bible uses various names for God, most prominent among them Elohim and the ...
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This chapter addresses a problem that must have plagued the rabbis a great deal: the undeniable fact that the Hebrew Bible uses various names for God, most prominent among them Elohim and the tetragrammaton YHWH. Both names attracted the attention and curiosity of Gentiles, the latter because of the mystery surrounding it—it was originally used only by the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies of the Temple, and its proper pronunciation was deemed lost—and the former because it is grammatically a plural and hence could easily give rise to the idea that the Jews worshiped not just one God but several gods. The “heretics” apparently knew enough Hebrew to seize the opportunity and insinuate that the Jews were no different in this regard than the pagans and indeed accepted the notion of a pantheon of various gods.Less
This chapter addresses a problem that must have plagued the rabbis a great deal: the undeniable fact that the Hebrew Bible uses various names for God, most prominent among them Elohim and the tetragrammaton YHWH. Both names attracted the attention and curiosity of Gentiles, the latter because of the mystery surrounding it—it was originally used only by the High Priest entering the Holy of Holies of the Temple, and its proper pronunciation was deemed lost—and the former because it is grammatically a plural and hence could easily give rise to the idea that the Jews worshiped not just one God but several gods. The “heretics” apparently knew enough Hebrew to seize the opportunity and insinuate that the Jews were no different in this regard than the pagans and indeed accepted the notion of a pantheon of various gods.
C. Kavin Rowe
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195377873
- eISBN:
- 9780199869459
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195377873.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter situates the book's argument within a wider intellectual horizon—the relation between knowledge and concrete patterns of life—and within the history of scholarly interpretation of the ...
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This chapter situates the book's argument within a wider intellectual horizon—the relation between knowledge and concrete patterns of life—and within the history of scholarly interpretation of the book of Acts. The claim is that the dominant view of Acts' political vision has failed to deal with more basic theological ingredients of the text that determine what politics means in Acts, and that attending to the practical theology of Acts requires a radical reassessment of the political contour of this ancient text. Chapter 1 also explains the argumentative sequence of the book as the unfolding of a profound tension that animates the whole of Acts: the Christians spell cultural collapse (Chapter 2), but claim to be innocent of sedition/treason (Chapter 3); this political posture is particular to the Christians and arises from core practices that constitute a different way of reading reality (Chapter 4).Less
This chapter situates the book's argument within a wider intellectual horizon—the relation between knowledge and concrete patterns of life—and within the history of scholarly interpretation of the book of Acts. The claim is that the dominant view of Acts' political vision has failed to deal with more basic theological ingredients of the text that determine what politics means in Acts, and that attending to the practical theology of Acts requires a radical reassessment of the political contour of this ancient text. Chapter 1 also explains the argumentative sequence of the book as the unfolding of a profound tension that animates the whole of Acts: the Christians spell cultural collapse (Chapter 2), but claim to be innocent of sedition/treason (Chapter 3); this political posture is particular to the Christians and arises from core practices that constitute a different way of reading reality (Chapter 4).
Maria‐Zoe Petropoulou
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199218547
- eISBN:
- 9780191711503
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199218547.003.0004
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, European History: BCE to 500CE
The chapter discusses animal sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple based on sources from the late Second Temple period, that is Philo and Josephus, and of the Mishnah. Animal sacrifice shaped Philo's ...
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The chapter discusses animal sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple based on sources from the late Second Temple period, that is Philo and Josephus, and of the Mishnah. Animal sacrifice shaped Philo's intellectual system to a great extent, while his work — full of sacrificial allegories — might echo Diaspora Jews (of an unknown proportion) who respected the practical aspect of Jewish animal sacrifice without feeling at odds with an allegorical interpretation of it. On the basis of the work of Josephus and the mishnaic rules, one can acquire glances at issues like the ritual rhythm at the Temple, its relation to the Romans, the blurred boundaries between secular and religious slaughter, the variety of non-Biblical rules about modes of slaughter, and the co-existence with Gentiles, but also the aspirations after AD 70.Less
The chapter discusses animal sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple based on sources from the late Second Temple period, that is Philo and Josephus, and of the Mishnah. Animal sacrifice shaped Philo's intellectual system to a great extent, while his work — full of sacrificial allegories — might echo Diaspora Jews (of an unknown proportion) who respected the practical aspect of Jewish animal sacrifice without feeling at odds with an allegorical interpretation of it. On the basis of the work of Josephus and the mishnaic rules, one can acquire glances at issues like the ritual rhythm at the Temple, its relation to the Romans, the blurred boundaries between secular and religious slaughter, the variety of non-Biblical rules about modes of slaughter, and the co-existence with Gentiles, but also the aspirations after AD 70.
Cheryl B. Anderson
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195305500
- eISBN:
- 9780199867028
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305500.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies, Theology
Christians commonly believe that the New Testament “does away with” the laws of the Hebrew Bible, but Jesus and Paul are seen instead to embrace the continuing relevance of the laws while rejecting ...
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Christians commonly believe that the New Testament “does away with” the laws of the Hebrew Bible, but Jesus and Paul are seen instead to embrace the continuing relevance of the laws while rejecting interpretations that exclude or burden the marginalized. In their own re‐interpretations of the laws, Jesus and Paul grounded their understandings in biblical texts and traditions, considered the impact of their readings on marginalized groups (the poor, the less educated, women, slaves, the gentiles), and identified as an interpretive norm God's absolute requirement to love one's neighbor. The interpretive norm of “love” is sometimes suspect today, and in Christian history, the “love” of the (white, affluent, male, heterosexual) dominant interpreters for the “Other” is characterized by control and condescension. However, this chapter argues that a love grounded in a willingness to be silent and listen may yet promise the development of genuinely inclusive interpretive communities.Less
Christians commonly believe that the New Testament “does away with” the laws of the Hebrew Bible, but Jesus and Paul are seen instead to embrace the continuing relevance of the laws while rejecting interpretations that exclude or burden the marginalized. In their own re‐interpretations of the laws, Jesus and Paul grounded their understandings in biblical texts and traditions, considered the impact of their readings on marginalized groups (the poor, the less educated, women, slaves, the gentiles), and identified as an interpretive norm God's absolute requirement to love one's neighbor. The interpretive norm of “love” is sometimes suspect today, and in Christian history, the “love” of the (white, affluent, male, heterosexual) dominant interpreters for the “Other” is characterized by control and condescension. However, this chapter argues that a love grounded in a willingness to be silent and listen may yet promise the development of genuinely inclusive interpretive communities.
Christine E. Hayes
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151206
- eISBN:
- 9780199834273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151208.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The ethnic identity of ancient Israelites was constructed in opposition to Gentile, or alien, “others” and was expressed in terms of purity and impurity. Different constructions of Jewish identity ...
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The ethnic identity of ancient Israelites was constructed in opposition to Gentile, or alien, “others” and was expressed in terms of purity and impurity. Different constructions of Jewish identity entailed different characterizations of aliens and different views on the degree to which Gentiles might acquire Israelite identity. Previous scholarship, which assumes that all ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as ritually impure and thus off‐limits, is reviewed and critiqued. There are, in fact, several distinct modes of impurity (ritual impurity, moral impurity, genealogical impurity) employed by various groups of ancient Jews, and the boundary between pure Israelite and impure alien was more or less permeable depending on the mode of impurity attributed to the alien. These different assessments of the permeability of the boundary between Jews and Gentiles are connected with widely different attitudes to the postexilic phenomena of conversion and intermarriage, and contributed to the sectarianism that characterized Second Temple Judaism as well as the eventual separation of Christianity from rabbinic Judaism.Less
The ethnic identity of ancient Israelites was constructed in opposition to Gentile, or alien, “others” and was expressed in terms of purity and impurity. Different constructions of Jewish identity entailed different characterizations of aliens and different views on the degree to which Gentiles might acquire Israelite identity. Previous scholarship, which assumes that all ancient Jews viewed Gentiles as ritually impure and thus off‐limits, is reviewed and critiqued. There are, in fact, several distinct modes of impurity (ritual impurity, moral impurity, genealogical impurity) employed by various groups of ancient Jews, and the boundary between pure Israelite and impure alien was more or less permeable depending on the mode of impurity attributed to the alien. These different assessments of the permeability of the boundary between Jews and Gentiles are connected with widely different attitudes to the postexilic phenomena of conversion and intermarriage, and contributed to the sectarianism that characterized Second Temple Judaism as well as the eventual separation of Christianity from rabbinic Judaism.
Christine E. Hayes
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151206
- eISBN:
- 9780199834273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151208.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
In a wide range of Jewish texts representing diverse groups in the Second Temple period, Gentiles are consistently portrayed as susceptible to moral rather than ritual impurity – in keeping with ...
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In a wide range of Jewish texts representing diverse groups in the Second Temple period, Gentiles are consistently portrayed as susceptible to moral rather than ritual impurity – in keeping with Pentatuechal precedent. Texts diverge, however, on the question of genealogical purity. For Philo, Josephus, and other writers who reject the Ezran democratization of holiness and extension of genealogical purity requirements to lay Israelites, conversion and marriage between Jews and converted Gentiles are permitted, while those who adopt the Ezran line view conversion as anathema, and intermarriage as a profanation of the holy seed of Israel. The different approaches to genealogical purity are illuminated by a discussion of Second Temple debates surrounding Gentile access to the sanctuary. Finally, the evidence for a principle of Gentile ritual impurity at Qumran is considered.Less
In a wide range of Jewish texts representing diverse groups in the Second Temple period, Gentiles are consistently portrayed as susceptible to moral rather than ritual impurity – in keeping with Pentatuechal precedent. Texts diverge, however, on the question of genealogical purity. For Philo, Josephus, and other writers who reject the Ezran democratization of holiness and extension of genealogical purity requirements to lay Israelites, conversion and marriage between Jews and converted Gentiles are permitted, while those who adopt the Ezran line view conversion as anathema, and intermarriage as a profanation of the holy seed of Israel. The different approaches to genealogical purity are illuminated by a discussion of Second Temple debates surrounding Gentile access to the sanctuary. Finally, the evidence for a principle of Gentile ritual impurity at Qumran is considered.
Christine E. Hayes
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151206
- eISBN:
- 9780199834273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151208.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
The rabbinic approach to intermarriage differs considerably from that of the Second Temple sources examined in Ch. 4. The rabbis reject the holy‐seed thinking of Ezra and related sources and – in ...
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The rabbinic approach to intermarriage differs considerably from that of the Second Temple sources examined in Ch. 4. The rabbis reject the holy‐seed thinking of Ezra and related sources and – in contrast to Jubilees and related texts – they deny that a universal ban on all interethnic sexual unions can be located in the biblical text. For the rabbis, conversion is possible, marriage with converted Gentiles is permitted, and the rationale for the rabbinic prohibition against marriage with unconverted Gentiles is moral–religious rather than genealogical. Nor does the fear of ritual impurity motivate rabbinic prohibitions of sexual unions with unconverted Gentiles. Indeed, the rather limited rabbinic decree of Gentile ritual impurity is best understood as a resistance to competing (and extreme) characterizations of Gentiles and intergroup unions as generating a dangerous carnal impurity or indelible genealogical impurity.Less
The rabbinic approach to intermarriage differs considerably from that of the Second Temple sources examined in Ch. 4. The rabbis reject the holy‐seed thinking of Ezra and related sources and – in contrast to Jubilees and related texts – they deny that a universal ban on all interethnic sexual unions can be located in the biblical text. For the rabbis, conversion is possible, marriage with converted Gentiles is permitted, and the rationale for the rabbinic prohibition against marriage with unconverted Gentiles is moral–religious rather than genealogical. Nor does the fear of ritual impurity motivate rabbinic prohibitions of sexual unions with unconverted Gentiles. Indeed, the rather limited rabbinic decree of Gentile ritual impurity is best understood as a resistance to competing (and extreme) characterizations of Gentiles and intergroup unions as generating a dangerous carnal impurity or indelible genealogical impurity.
Christine E. Hayes
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195151206
- eISBN:
- 9780199834273
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195151208.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Different notions of Jewish identity and Gentile impurity contributed to the rise of Jewish sectarianism in the Second Temple period and the separation of early Christianity from rabbinic Judaism in ...
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Different notions of Jewish identity and Gentile impurity contributed to the rise of Jewish sectarianism in the Second Temple period and the separation of early Christianity from rabbinic Judaism in the first centuries of the Common Era.Less
Different notions of Jewish identity and Gentile impurity contributed to the rise of Jewish sectarianism in the Second Temple period and the separation of early Christianity from rabbinic Judaism in the first centuries of the Common Era.
Jerome Murphy-O'Connor
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- November 2004
- ISBN:
- 9780199266531
- eISBN:
- 9780191601583
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199266530.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Biblical Studies
Before moving to his maintenance base at Ephesus, Paul reported to Antioch, where he became embroiled in a controversy regarding the conditions on which Gentiles could become Christians. A meeting in ...
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Before moving to his maintenance base at Ephesus, Paul reported to Antioch, where he became embroiled in a controversy regarding the conditions on which Gentiles could become Christians. A meeting in Jerusalem voted in Paul’s favour because of James’ appreciation of the politics of anti-semitism. Peter’s defection in Antioch forced Paul to rethink his position on (1) the authority of his mission, and (2) the place of the Law in Christian communities. He became radically antinomian, and this had a significant impact on his moral teaching.Less
Before moving to his maintenance base at Ephesus, Paul reported to Antioch, where he became embroiled in a controversy regarding the conditions on which Gentiles could become Christians. A meeting in Jerusalem voted in Paul’s favour because of James’ appreciation of the politics of anti-semitism. Peter’s defection in Antioch forced Paul to rethink his position on (1) the authority of his mission, and (2) the place of the Law in Christian communities. He became radically antinomian, and this had a significant impact on his moral teaching.
Judith Lieu
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- July 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780199262892
- eISBN:
- 9780191602818
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199262896.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Common to nearly all constructions of identity is that of ‘the [stereotyped] other’, the ‘not-us’, often defined negatively, in opposition to, and in order to sustain, a self-understanding. In ...
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Common to nearly all constructions of identity is that of ‘the [stereotyped] other’, the ‘not-us’, often defined negatively, in opposition to, and in order to sustain, a self-understanding. In Graeco-Roman thought, this is represented by the idea of ‘the barbarian’, and in Jewish thought by ‘the Gentiles’. In early Christian writings, we can explore the function and construction of ‘the Gentiles’, ‘the Greeks, and ‘the Jews’. In addition, the language of otherness is applied to an undifferentiated ‘world’ as well as to those who hold other views, the construction of heresy. Yet, as in modern debate, other models of a relationship with the Other than the hostile are possible and leave their traces.Less
Common to nearly all constructions of identity is that of ‘the [stereotyped] other’, the ‘not-us’, often defined negatively, in opposition to, and in order to sustain, a self-understanding. In Graeco-Roman thought, this is represented by the idea of ‘the barbarian’, and in Jewish thought by ‘the Gentiles’. In early Christian writings, we can explore the function and construction of ‘the Gentiles’, ‘the Greeks, and ‘the Jews’. In addition, the language of otherness is applied to an undifferentiated ‘world’ as well as to those who hold other views, the construction of heresy. Yet, as in modern debate, other models of a relationship with the Other than the hostile are possible and leave their traces.
