Conclusions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia D. Myers
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The Core ◽  
Gendered Identities ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Gender Hierarchies ◽  
Gender Constructions ◽  
Ideal Womanhood

This chapter summarizes the findings of the previous chapters, arguing that acknowledging the gender hierarchies and physiological constructions at the core of maternal imagery in the New Testament serves at least two purposes. First, it enables readers of the New Testament and early Christian literatures to understand better the imagery and theologies within these writings. Second, it exposes the fluidity and contested nature of gender constructions in developing Christianity, particularly in discussions of soteriology. Rather than consistently enforcing or prohibiting a maternal telos on women, these writings emphasize a need to be oriented toward life, the source and continuance of which is located in God alone. This reframing of ideal womanhood simultaneously reframes masculinity as well, even though it perpetuates the equation of perfection and masculinity. Noting the constructed nature of these gendered identities, however, can encourage contemporary readers to move beyond ancient gender hierarchies to better appreciate all life.

The Formation of the Canon and the Creation of the “New Testament”

2021 ◽  
pp. 65-101
Author(s):  
Donald Senior
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Parallel Process ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Entire Process ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
The Core ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Key Factor

A key factor in considering the various writings of the New Testament as sacred and normative was their eventual inclusion into the “canon.” This chapter traces the evolution of the canon, the process by which it was formed, and the apparent norms for judging which books should be included. The entire process is a subject of much debate and hypothesis. An assumption on the part of early Christianity, similar to a parallel process occurring in Judaism, was that certain books were divinely inspired and ultimately originated in divine authority. Key factors in judging which books should be “canonical” were such criteria as connection with figures of the early apostolic church, harmony with the fundamental convictions of Christian faith, and the “reception” or widespread use of certain books by early Christian communities. While the core books of the canon were accepted early, such as the Letters of Paul and the Gospels, other writings were subject to some dispute before being accepted.

Blessed Among Women?

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alicia Myers
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Gospel Of Luke ◽  
Social Constructions ◽  
Gender Expectations ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Maternal Language ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Gender Constructions ◽  
Women Disciples ◽  
Female Bodies

Mothers appear throughout the New Testament. Called “blessed among women” by Elizabeth in the Gospel of Luke, Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the most obvious example. But Mary is joined by Elizabeth, a chorus of unnamed mothers seeking healing or promotions for their children, as well as male mothers, including Paul (Gal 4:19–20) and Jesus. Although interpreters of the New Testament have explored these maternal characters and metaphors, many have only recently begun to take seriously their theological aspects. This book builds on previous studies by arguing maternal language is not only theological but also indebted to ancient gender constructions and their reshaping by early Christians. Especially significant are the physiological, anatomical, and social constructions of female bodies that permeate the ancient world where early Christianity was birthed. This book examines ancient generative theories, physiological understandings of breastmilk and breastfeeding, and presentations of prominent mothers in literature and art to analyze the use of these themes in the New Testament and several, additional early Christian writings. In a context that aligned perfection with “masculinity,” motherhood was the ideal goal for women—a justification for deficient, female existence. Proclaiming a new age ushered in by God’s Christ, however, ancient Christians debated the place of women, mothers, and motherhood as a part of their reframing of gender expectations. Rather than a homogenous approval of literal motherhood, ancient Christian writings depict a spectrum of ideals for women disciples even as they retain the assumption of masculine superiority.

The Missing Rhetorical History Between Quintilian and Augustine

2015 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-376
Author(s):  
Mike Duncan
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Early Christianity ◽  
Classical Rhetoric ◽  
Rhetorical History ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Christian Thought ◽  
Rhetorical Force ◽  
Apostolic Church

Current histories of rhetoric neglect the early Christian period (ca. 30–430 CE) in several crucial ways–Augustine is overemphasized and made to serve as a summary of Christian thought rather than an endpoint, the texts of church fathers before 300 CE are neglected or lumped together, and the texts of the New Testament are left unexamined. An alternative outline of early Christian rhetoric is offered, explored through the angles of political self-invention, doctrinal ghostwriting, apologetics, and fractured sermonization. Early Christianity was not a monolithic religion that eventually made peace with classical rhetoric, but as a rhetorical force in its own right, and comprised of more factions early on than just the apostolic church.

The Origins of Christian Hell

Numen ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 56 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 282-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitris Kyrtatas
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Original Meaning ◽  
The New Testament

The paper re-examines the evidence concerning the early Christian conceptions of punishment of sinners in the afterlife. It commences with the New Testament and the ideas attributed to Jesus and moves on to the apocryphal Apocalypse of Peter , composed about a generation later, which enjoyed great popularity among several early Christian circles and was seriously considered for inclusion in the New Testament canon. It is claimed that as it now reads, Apoc. Pet. advances ideas about hell that sharply contrast those presented in the New Testament. To solve this riddle, it is proposed that the Apoc. Pet. , as it has been preserved, was reorganized at a much later stage to meet the needs of the developing Church. Its original meaning was consequently twisted almost beyond recognition. In its earliest layers, the apocryphal document appears to have been mostly concerned, just like the New Testament, with salvation rather than everlasting chastisement.

Kann man die neutestamentlichen Briefe der Gattung „Apostelbrief“ zuordnen?

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-250
Author(s):  
Bärbel Bosenius
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
The New Testament

During the last 40 years New Testament scholarship did not apply the term “apostolic letter” consistently. All early Christian letters and only the New Testament or Pauline respectively Deutero-Pauline letters were called “apostolic letters” by New Testament scholars. Since the term from the sources ἀπόστολος in the undisputed Pauline letters refers to Paul’s function as founder of early Christian communities but not to his function as their leader, New Testament scholars should avoid the misleading term “apostolic letter.” Within the corpus of New Testament letters one should rather differentiate between “kerygmatic letters,” “pseudepigraphic Pauline letters” and “early Christian Diaspora letters.”

scholarly journals Salvific Dissolution: The Mystery of the Betrayal between the New Testament and theGospel of Judas

2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-124
Author(s):  
Jonathan Cahana
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Gospel Of Judas

The recently discoveredGospel of Judashas created much controversy among scholars. While it is clear that Judas is liable for Jesus' crucifixion in this text, it is much debated whether his actions should be understood positively or negatively. This article suggests that focusing on how theGospel of Judasevaluates the salvific meaning of Jesus' crucifixion alongside the New Testament gospels and other early Christian writings may provide a key for solving this problem. In this way, theGospel of Judascan be seen as a rare attempt to unravel what Irenaeus aptly termed ‘the mystery of the betrayal’.

Commentary on Morgan-Miller's “An Exploratory Study of Different Types of Violence Presented in Early Christian and Islamic Historical Documents”

2002 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 571-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walter R. Schumm
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Historical Documents ◽  
Short Supply ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Moral Transformation ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The New Testament

Oversights are observed in Morgan-Miller's previous 2002 report on themes of violence in the New Testament and the Qur'an. While both the New Testament and the Qur'an seem to suggest some type of moral transformation in the life of Jesus, it is not clear to what extent such a transformation remains normative in the lives of ordinary believers or even continues to be expected. However, Jesus seemed to expect that his followers would forsake violence against their enemies, a lesson that seems in short supply throughout the contemporary world.

scholarly journals The transfiguration at Shivta. Retracing early Byzantine iconography

Zograf ◽  
2017 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Maayan-Fanar
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Negev Desert ◽  
Missing Link ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Christian Iconography ◽  
Iconoclastic Controversy ◽  
Early Byzantine

The Transfiguration constitutes one of the most important events in the New Testament. Yet, only few pre-iconoclastic examples of the Transfiguration scene have survived: S. Apollinaire in Classe, Ravenna, St. Catherine Monastery, Sinai and Porec in Istria, each has its unique iconography. Therefore, scholars have concluded that the Transfiguration scene became widespread only after the iconoclastic controversy. We aim to show, that Transfiguration scene in Shivta, an early Byzantine settlement in the Negev desert, allows a glimpse into the early Christian iconography of the well-known scene, providing a missing link to its development in the post-iconoclastic period.

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