Books and Readers in the Early Church

Books and Readers in the Early Church PDF Author: Harry Y. Gamble
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300069181
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
This fascinating and lively book provides the first comprehensive discussion of the production, circulation, and use of books in early Christianity. It explores the extent of literacy in early Christian communities; the relation in the early church between oral tradition and written materials; the physical form of early Christian books; how books were produced, transcribed, published, duplicated, and disseminated; how Christian libraries were formed; who read the books, in what circumstances, and to what purposes. Harry Y. Gamble interweaves practical and technological dimensions of the production and use of early Christian books with the social and institutional history of the period. Drawing on evidence from papyrology, codicology, textual criticism, and early church history, as well as on knowledge about the bibliographical practices that characterized Jewish and Greco-Roman culture, he offers a new perspective on the role of books in the first five centuries of the early church.

Books and Readers in the Early Church

Books and Readers in the Early Church PDF Author: Harry Y. Gamble
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 9780300069181
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
This fascinating and lively book provides the first comprehensive discussion of the production, circulation, and use of books in early Christianity. It explores the extent of literacy in early Christian communities; the relation in the early church between oral tradition and written materials; the physical form of early Christian books; how books were produced, transcribed, published, duplicated, and disseminated; how Christian libraries were formed; who read the books, in what circumstances, and to what purposes. Harry Y. Gamble interweaves practical and technological dimensions of the production and use of early Christian books with the social and institutional history of the period. Drawing on evidence from papyrology, codicology, textual criticism, and early church history, as well as on knowledge about the bibliographical practices that characterized Jewish and Greco-Roman culture, he offers a new perspective on the role of books in the first five centuries of the early church.

Early Christian Reader

Early Christian Reader PDF Author: Steve Mason
Publisher: Baker Academic
ISBN: 9780801046995
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The ideal basic textbook for introductory courses in early Christianity For studying early Christianity in its historical context, standard editions of the New Testament fail to provide the best resources. They present the earliest Christian writings out of chronological order and omit writings similar in age and historical importance to the books of the New Testament. In Early Christian Reader, these texts are arranged in a more historically meaningful order. The books of the New Testament are presented in the NRSV, the most widely accepted version in university classrooms today. Also included are translations of the Gospel of Thomas, the Didache, the Letter of Barnabas, 1 Clement, and the letters of Ignatius. Each work's introduction discusses the date and place of composition, authorship, audience, basic themes, literary features, the Jewish and Hellenistic contexts, and suggestions for further readings in the secondary literature. Generous notes illuminate specific historical, lexical, and interpretive issues. Broader issues affecting the treatment of these texts are introduced in seven lead articles. Each section opens with discussions of pseudonomous authorship, church tradition, synoptic sources, epistles as documents, conflicting doctrines, and originating events. This approach allows Early Christian Reader to offer an objective, informed entrée into the complex world of the earliest Christian literature. Informative appendixes, maps, and charts make this an ideal text for the university or college classroom. Early Christian Reader includes the following texts, indexes, and maps: The Letters of Paul • 1 Thessalonians • 1 Corinthians • Philippians • Philemon • 2 Corinthians • Galatians • Romans Letters Attributed to Paul • Colossians • Ephesians • 2 Thessalonians • Titus • 1 Timothy • 2 Timothy Letters Associated with Peter • 1 Peter • Jude • 2 Peter Biography, Anecdote, and History • Mark • Matthew • Luke • Acts • Gospel of Thomas Writings Attributed to John • John • 1 John • 2 John • 3 John • Revelation Other Early Writings • James • Didache • Barnabas • Hebrews • 1 Clement • Ignatius, Romans • Ignatius, Ephesians • Ignatius, Magnesians • Ignatius, Trallians • Ignatius, Philadelphians • Ignatius, Smyrnaeans • Ignatius, Polycarp Appendixes • Coins and Money • Major Figures in the Herodian Family • The Jewish Civil Year • Early Christian Use of the Jewish Bible • The Lost Sayings of Source: "Q" • Dating the Early Christian Texts • The Literary Context of the Early Christians Maps • The Land of Israel/Palestine in the First Century of the Common Era • The Roman Empire • Jerusalem in the Second Temple Period Introductions and notes in the Early Christian Reader were written and edited by Steve Mason and Tom Robinson with contributions from Michael W. Holmes, Robert A. Kraft and Jay C. Treat, and Stephen J. Patterson.

Early Christian Writings

Early Christian Writings PDF Author:
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141915307
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
The writings in this volume cast a glimmer of light upon the emerging traditions and organization of the infant church, during an otherwise little-known period of its development. A selection of letters and small-scale theological treatises from a group known as the Apostolic Fathers, several of whom were probably disciples of the Apostles, they provide a first-hand account of the early Church and outline a form of early Christianity still drawing on the theology and traditions of its parent religion, Judaism. Included here are the first Epistle of Bishop Clement of Rome, an impassioned plea for harmony; The Epistle of Polycarp; The Epistle of Barnabas; The Didache; and the Seven Epistles written by Ignatius of Antioch - among them his moving appeal to the Romans that they grant him a martyr's death.

Life and Practice in the Early Church

Life and Practice in the Early Church PDF Author: Steve McKinion
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 0814756492
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 199

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Book Description
A collection of primary texts revealing how early Christians practiced their faith Life and Practice in the Early Church brings together a range of primary texts from the church's first five centuries to demonstrate how early Christians practiced their faith. Rather than focusing on theology, these original documents shed light on how early believers "did church," addressing such practical questions as, how did the church administer baptism? How were sermons delivered? How did the early church carry out its missions endeavors? Early Christian writings reveal a great deal about the tradition, as well as the wider culture in which it developed. Far from being monolithic, the documents which present the voices of the early church fathers in their own words demonstrate variation and diversity regarding how faith was worked out during the patristic period. The texts illuminate who was eligible for baptism, what was expected of worshippers, how the Eucharist was celebrated, and how church offices and their functions were organized. Contextual introductions explain practices and their development for those with little prior knowledge of Christian history or tradition. The pieces included here, all in accessible English translation, represent such sources as Justin Martyr, Tertullian, the Cappadocians, Cyril of Jerusalem, John Chrysostom, and Augustine.

Early Christian Reader

Early Christian Reader PDF Author: Steve Mason
Publisher: Peabody, Mass. : Hendrickson Publishers
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 796

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Book Description
The Early Christian Reader prepares the earliest Christian writings in a historically meaningful order and includes writings similar in age and historical importance to the books of the New Testament.

The New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings

The New Testament and Other Early Christian Writings PDF Author: Bart D. Ehrman
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description
The twenty-seven books of the New Testament were not the only writings produced by early Christians. Nor were they the only ones to be accepted, at one time or another, as sacred Scripture. Unfortunately, nearly all the other early Christian writings have been lost or destroyed. But approximately twenty-five books written at about the same time as the New Testament have survived--books that reveal the rich diversity of early Christian views about God, Jesus, the world, salvation, ethics, and ritual practice. This reader presents, for the first time in one volume, every Christian writing known to have been produced during the first hundred years of the church (30-130 C.E.). In addition to the New Testament itself, it includes other, noncanonical Gospels, Acts, Epistles, and Apocalypses, as well as additional important writings, such as those of the Apostolic Fathers. Each text is provided in an up-to-date and readable translation (including the NRSV for the New Testament), and introduced with a succinct and incisive discussion of its author, date of composition, and overarching themes. This second edition adds The Martyrdom of Polycarp, an important text that will enhance the collection's utility in the classroom. It also features Ehrman's new, accessible translations of many of the noncanonical works and provides updated introductions that incorporate the most recent scholarship. With an opening overview that shows how the canon of the New Testament came to be formulated--the process by which some Christian books came to be regarded as sacred Scripture whereas others came to be excluded--this accessible reader will meet the needs of students, scholars, and general readers alike. An ideal primary text for courses in the New Testament, Christian Origins, and Early Church History, it can be used in conjunction with its companion volume, the author's The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings, 3/e (OUP, 2003).

The Christianity Reader

The Christianity Reader PDF Author: Mary Gerhart
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226289591
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 882

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Book Description
Christianity is the world’s most populous religion, with some two billion adherents. As a world religion, Christianity has flourished because it is capable of taking on new forms in new contexts. To understand both the religion’s history and its present state, Mary Gerhart and Fabian Udoh gather original texts—from early Christian writings to contemporary documents on church-related issues—in The Christianity Reader. The most comprehensive anthology of Christian texts ever in English, this is a landmark sourcebook for the study of Christianity’s historical diversity. With newly edited, annotated, and translated primary texts, along with supplemental analytical essays, the volume allows Christianity, at long last, to speak in its many voices. Focusing on Christianity as a religion, Gerhart and Udoh select texts that illuminate issues such as theology, mysticism, and ritual, while also articulating the stories of previously marginalized groups, as well as those in new and growing epicenters of the religion. With nearly three hundred selections, the texts encompass the entire history of Christian writings excluding the New Testament, from Justin Martyr and Tertullian to Fabien Eboussi Boulaga and Teresa of Calcutta. Eight thematic sections cover biblical traditions and interpretations; early influences; nascent forms; patterns of worship; structures of community; philosophy, theology, and mysticism; twentieth-century issues and challenges; and the contemporary relationship between Christianity and other world religions. The Reader’s contents are arranged chronologically and are supported with introductions and source notes that explain the rationale for their inclusion and their context. Providing a far richer selection than ever before available in a single volume, The Christianity Reader will be welcomed as both a classroom resource and a work of reference for decades to come.

Medicine and Health Care in Early Christianity

Medicine and Health Care in Early Christianity PDF Author: Gary B. Ferngren
Publisher: JHU Press
ISBN: 1421420066
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
Drawing on New Testament studies and recent scholarship on the expansion of the Christian church, Gary B. Ferngren presents a comprehensive historical account of medicine and medical philanthropy in the first five centuries of the Christian era. Ferngren first describes how early Christians understood disease. He examines the relationship of early Christian medicine to the natural and supernatural modes of healing found in the Bible. Despite biblical accounts of demonic possession and miraculous healing, Ferngren argues that early Christians generally accepted naturalistic assumptions about disease and cared for the sick with medical knowledge gleaned from the Greeks and Romans. Ferngren also explores the origins of medical philanthropy in the early Christian church. Rather than viewing illness as punishment for sins, early Christians believed that the sick deserved both medical assistance and compassion. Even as they were being persecuted, Christians cared for the sick within and outside of their community. Their long experience in medical charity led to the creation of the first hospitals, a singular Christian contribution to health care. "A succinct, thoughtful, well-written, and carefully argued assessment of Christian involvement with medical matters in the first five centuries of the common era . . . It is to Ferngren's credit that he has opened questions and explored them so astutely. This fine work looks forward as well as backward; it invites fuller reflection of the many senses in which medicine and religion intersect and merits wide readership."—Journal of the American Medical Association "In this superb work of historical and conceptual scholarship, Ferngren unfolds for the reader a cultural milieu of healing practices during the early centuries of Christianity."—Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith "Readable and widely researched . . . an important book for mission studies and American Catholic movements, the book posits the question of what can take its place in today's challenging religious culture."—Missiology: An International Review Gary B. Ferngren is a professor of history at Oregon State University and a professor of the history of medicine at First Moscow State Medical University. He is the author of Medicine and Religion: A Historical Introduction and the editor of Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction.

The Early Christian World

The Early Christian World PDF Author: Philip F. Esler
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134549199
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 1369

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Book Description
Early Christian World presents an exhaustive, erudite and lavishly illustrated treatment of how the small movement which formed around Jesus in Galilee became the pre-eminent religion of the ancient world. The work begins by firmly situating early Christianity within its Mediterranean social, political and religious contexts, before charting the history of the first Christian centuries. The creation and perpetuation of Christian communities through various means, including mission and monasticism, is explored, as is the everyday experience of early Christians, through discussion of gender and sexuality, religious practice, communication and social structures. The intellectual (particularly theological) and artistic heritage of the period is fully considered, and a vivid picture painted of the internal and external challenges faced by early Christianity. The book concludes with profiles of the most notable figures of the age. Comprehensive and accessible, Early Christian World provides up-to-date coverage of the most important topics in the study of early Christianity, together with an invaluable collection of visual material. It will be an indispensable resource for anyone studying this period

The Christian Theology Reader

The Christian Theology Reader PDF Author: Alister E. McGrath
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1118874366
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 632

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Book Description
Regarded as the leading text in Christian theology for the last 25 years, Alister E. McGrath’s The Christian Theology Reader is now available in a new 5th edition featuring completely revised and updated content. Brings together more than 350 readings from over 200 sources that chart 2,000 years of Christian history Situates each reading within the appropriate historical and theological context with its own introduction, commentary, and study questions Includes new readings on world Christianity and feminist, liberation, and postcolonial theologies, as well as more selections by female theologians and theologians from the developing world Contains additional pedagogical features, such as new discussion questions and case studies, and a robust website with new videos by the author to aid student learning Designed to function as a stand-alone volume, or as a companion to Christian Theology: An Introduction, 6th edition, for a complete overview of the subject