Roman Domestic Art and Early House Churches

Roman Domestic Art and Early House Churches PDF Author: David L. Balch
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161493836
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 344

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Book Description
Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Rome have yielded hundreds of wall paintings from domestic buildings. Greek myths and tragedies, especial by Euripides were visually represented. Balch presents an interdisciplinary study inquiring what earliest Jews and Christian in such houses might have been seeing as they read and interpreted scripture and performed core rituals, especially the Eucharist. This recent study of Roman domestic architecture suggests new perspectives on the social history of early Christianity.--Publisher.

Roman Domestic Art and Early House Churches

Roman Domestic Art and Early House Churches PDF Author: David L. Balch
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161493836
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 344

Get Book Here

Book Description
Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Rome have yielded hundreds of wall paintings from domestic buildings. Greek myths and tragedies, especial by Euripides were visually represented. Balch presents an interdisciplinary study inquiring what earliest Jews and Christian in such houses might have been seeing as they read and interpreted scripture and performed core rituals, especially the Eucharist. This recent study of Roman domestic architecture suggests new perspectives on the social history of early Christianity.--Publisher.

The World's Oldest Church

The World's Oldest Church PDF Author: Michael Peppard
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300216513
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 343

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Book Description
Michael Peppard provides a historical and theological reassessment of the oldest Christian building ever discovered, the third-century house-church at Dura-Europos. Contrary to commonly held assumptions about Christian initiation, Peppard contends that rituals here did not primarily embody notions of death and resurrection. Rather, he portrays the motifs of the church’s wall paintings as those of empowerment, healing, marriage, and incarnation, while boldly reidentifying the figure of a woman formerly believed to be a repentant sinner as the Virgin Mary. This richly illustrated volume is a breakthrough work that enhances our understanding of early Christianity at the nexus of Bible, art, and ritual.

Roman Pilgrimage

Roman Pilgrimage PDF Author: George Weigel
Publisher: Constellation
ISBN: 0465027695
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 466

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Book Description
The annual Lenten pilgrimage to dozens of Rome’s most striking churches is a sacred tradition dating back almost two millennia, to the earliest days of Christianity. Along this historic spiritual pathway, today’s pilgrims confront the mysteries of the Christian faith through a program of biblical and early Christian readings amplified by some of the greatest art and architecture of western civilization. In Roman Pilgrimage, bestselling theologian and papal biographer George Weigel, art historian Elizabeth Lev, and photographer Stephen Weigel lead readers through this unique religious and aesthetic journey with magnificent photographs and revealing commentaries on the pilgrimage’s liturgies, art, and architecture. Through reflections on each day’s readings about faith and doubt, heroism and weakness, self-examination and conversion, sin and grace, Rome’s familiar sites take on a new resonance. And along that same historical path, typically unexplored treasures—artifacts of ancient history and hidden artistic wonders—appear in their original luster, revealing new dimensions of one of the world’s most intriguing and multi-layered cities. A compelling guide to the Eternal City, the Lenten Season, and the itinerary of conversion that is Christian life throughout the year, Roman Pilgrimage reminds readers that the imitation of Christ through faith, hope, and love is the template of all true discipleship, as the exquisite beauty of the Roman station churches invites reflection on the deepest truths of Christianity.

The Eucharist in the New Testament

The Eucharist in the New Testament PDF Author: Jerome Kodell
Publisher: Liturgical Press
ISBN: 9780814656631
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 148

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Book Description
"This short study of the eucharist in the New Testament has two parts. The first seeks to uncover the origins of the Eucharist and to trace developments in the earliest Eucharistic practice and understanding. The second part investigates the Eucharistic theology of the individual New Testament writers." (from back cover)

The Earliest Christian Meeting Places

The Earliest Christian Meeting Places PDF Author: Edward Adams
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0567157326
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 278

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Book Description
Edward Adams challenges a strong consensus in New Testament and Early Christian studies: that the early Christians met 'almost exclusively' in houses. This assumption has been foundational for research on the social formation of the early churches, the origins and early development of church architecture, and early Christian worship. Recent years have witnessed increased scholarly interest in the early 'house church'. Adams re-examines the New Testament and other literary data, as well as archaeological and comparative evidence, showing that explicit evidence for assembling in houses is not nearly as extensive as is usually thought. He also shows that there is literary and archaeological evidence for meeting in non-house settings. Adams makes the case that during the first two centuries, the alleged period of the 'house church', it is plausible to imagine the early Christians gathering in a range of venues rather than almost entirely in private houses. His thesis has wide-ranging implications.

Picturing Paul in Empire

Picturing Paul in Empire PDF Author: Harry O. Maier
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 0567192709
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
Pauline Christianity sprang to life in a world of imperial imagery. In the streets and at the thoroughfares, in the market places and on its public buildings and monuments, and especially on its coins the Roman Empire's imperial iconographers displayed imagery that aimed to persuade the Empire's diverse and mostly illiterate inhabitants that Rome had a divinely appointed right to rule the world and to be honoured and celebrated for its dominion. Harry O. Maier places the later, often contested, letters and theology associated with Paul in the social and political context of the Roman Empire's visual culture of politics and persuasion to show how followers of the apostle visualized the reign of Christ in ways consistent with central themes of imperial iconography. They drew on the Empire's picture language to celebrate the dominion and victory of the divine Son, Jesus, to persuade their audiences to honour his dominion with praise and thanksgiving. Key to this imperial embrace were Colossians, Ephesians, and the Pastoral Epistles. Yet these letters remain neglected territory in consideration of engagement with and reflection of imperial political ideals and goals amongst Paul and his followers. This book fills a gap in scholarly work on Paul and Empire by taking up each contested letter in turn to investigate how several of its main themes reflect motifs found in imperial images.

Contested Ethnicities and Images

Contested Ethnicities and Images PDF Author: David L. Balch
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161523366
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 520

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Book Description
"Ethnic values changed as Imperial Rome expanded, challenging ethnocentric values in Rome itself, as well as in Greece and Judea. Rhetorically, Roman, Greek, and Judean writers who eulogized their cities all claimed they would receive foreigners. Further, Greco-Roman narratives of urban tensions between rich and poor, proud and humble, promoted reconciliation and fellowship between social classes. Luke wrote Acts in this ethnic, economic, political context, narrating Jesus as a founder who changed laws to encourage receiving foreigners, which promoted civic, missionary growth and legitimated interests of the poor and humble. David L. Balch relates Roman art to early Christianity and introduces famous, pre-Roman Corinthian artists. He shows women visually represented as priests, compares Dionysian and Corinthian charismatic speech and argues that larger assemblies of the earliest, Pauline believers “sat” (1 Cor 14.30) in taverns. Also, the author demonstrates that the image of a pregnant woman in Revelation 12 subverts imperial claims to the divine origin of the emperor, before finally suggesting that visual representations by Roman domestic artists of “a category of women who upset expected forms of conduct” (Bergmann) encouraged early Christian women like Thecla, Perpetua and Felicitas to move beyond gender stereotypes of being victims. Balch concludes with two book reviews, one of Nicolas Wiater's book on the Greek biographer and historian Dionysius, who was a model for both Josephus and Luke-Acts, the second of a book by Frederick Brenk on Hellenistic philosophy and mystery religion in relation to earliest Christianity."--

Acts of God in History

Acts of God in History PDF Author: Roland Deines
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161521812
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 546

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Book Description
10 of 11 contributions were published previously (4 in German, 6 in English).

Gnostic Morality Revisited

Gnostic Morality Revisited PDF Author: Ismo Dunderberg
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161525674
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 276

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Book Description
While the early Christian texts discussed in this book are often treated as "gnostic" ones, they are here approached as witnesses to the views of educated Christians engaged in dialogue with philosophical traditions. Following the idea that ancient philosophical schools provided their adherents with ways of life, Ismo Dunderberg explores issues related to morality and lifestyle in non-canonical gospels and among groups that were gradually denounced as heretical in the church. He deals with the soul's progress from material concerns to a life dominated by spirit, the control of emotions, the avoidance of luxury, the ideal "perfect human" as a tool in moral instruction, classifications of humankind into distinct groups based on their moral advancement, and Christian debates about the value of martyrdom. In addition, he offers a critical review of some recent trends and attitudes in New Testament scholarship.

Christ as the Telos of Life

Christ as the Telos of Life PDF Author: Bradley Arnold
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
ISBN: 9783161533266
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
Bradley Arnold examines Paul's argument in his letter to the Philippians. He looks particularly at how this argument is structured similarly to the pattern of thinking in ancient moral philosophy, utilizes athletic imagery within this argumentative framework, and employs a rhetorical practice known as vivid description.