scholarly journals The Making of a Canon: Impact of the Old Testament Scriptures in the Christian Canon Development

2018 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 7-21
Author(s):  
Kwaku Boamah
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Linear Process ◽  
Church Of Christ ◽  
Christian Identity ◽  
Christian Formation ◽  
The Third ◽  
Jewish Scriptures ◽  
Modern Era ◽  
The Church

The formation of the Christian canon was not a one day venture. Some scholars maintain it spanned from the first up to about the fourth centuries. This paper has three main parts: the first draws a linear process of canon generation, beginning from text to scripture and possibly becoming canonical. The second focuses on the creation of the Christian canon by exploring the stages and the implications of naming the canon as `Testaments`. At the heart of the study is a consideration of the use and inclusion or exclusion of the Jewish scripture by Christians as discussed by a heretic (Marcion) and three Anti-heretics (Justin Martyr, Irenaeus and Tertullian) in the 2nd and/or 3rd centuries of the Roman Empire. The third part takes an example of a modern church (Church of Christ) whose reception to the Old Testament is one of skepticism. Furthermore, the level of usage of the Old Testament by the Church of Christ is key for the thesis of this paper. It is, therefore, important to assess a possible relationship between Marcion and the Church of Christ. Historical, theological and an interview are employed to explore these developments. The paper concludes that by the naming of the Christian canon and inclusion of the Jewish scriptures, the Christian identity can be described as Judeo-Christian. This description has impacted Christian formation and development a great deal from antiquity to the modern era. Marcion and his followers did not take this lightly in the first four centuries of the Christian history. On the other hand, in the nineteenth century the Church of Christ seemingly follows this example in antiquity on including the Old Testament as part of the Christian canon.

Puritan Asceticism and the Type of Sacrifice

1985 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
pp. 285-297
Author(s):  
Susan Hardman
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Fourth Generation ◽  
Priesthood Of All Believers ◽  
The Third ◽  
Ascetic Ideal ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
Common Prayer ◽  
The Church

The sacrificial rites of the Old Testament are ‘neither dark nor dumb, but mystical and significant, and fit to stir up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of his duty before God.’ So preached a nonconformist, Samuel Mather, in the 1660s, recalling with a deliberate or unconscious twist a phrase used in the Book of Common Prayer to defend contemporary rites of which he disapproved. The Reformation that set aside the ascetic ideal of monasticism also saw a revaluation of the place of sacrifice in the life of the Church. While its role in Protestant activity was diminished by the rejection of the Mass as a propitiatory act, teaching about the priesthood of all believers prepared for a new emphasis on the devotion and duty of Christians as ‘spiritual sacrifice’; an emphasis informed in puritanism by lessons from the types of the Old Testament. Much is known about puritan religious practice; and of puritan interest in typology, stimulated by Calvin’s conviction of the unity of the Old and New Testaments – the same covenant present in each, accommodated to the capacity of a ‘Church under age’ in Israel. But familiar themes combined can give fresh perspectives: here their combination illustrates one of the ways in which the ascetic ideal was being reformulated among protestants of the third and fourth generation in seventeenth-century England. Sacrifice was not often a dominant theme in their description of the Christian life, and yet, despite an untidiness of evidence, it is clear that certain allusions to Israelite sacrifice were conventional, part of a common rhetoric, a common and powerful imagery. Some representative examples of the conventions follow, organised around simple questions. What were ‘spiritual sacrifices’ and what practical exercises of devotion and discipline were associated with them? By what means and in what manner should they be offered?

‘Race’, ‘Nation’, ‘People’: Ethnic Identity-Construction in 1 Peter 2.9

2011 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
David G. Horrell
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Identity ◽  
Identity Construction ◽  
Christian Identity ◽  
Jewish Literature ◽  
Racial Identities ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
1 Peter ◽  
Jewish Scriptures ◽  
Christian Literature ◽  
The Church

1 Peter 2.4–10 is a significant passage within the letter, rich in material from the Jewish scriptures. Verse 9 is particularly significant for the construction of Christian group-identity in that it uniquely applies three words from the vocabulary of ethnic identity to the Church: γένος, ἔθνος, and λαός, widely translated as ‘race’, ‘nation’, and ‘people’. A survey of these words in pre-Christian Jewish literature (especially the LXX), in the NT, and in other early Christian literature, reveals how crucial this text in 1 Peter is to the process by which Christian identity came to be conceived in ethnoracial terms. Drawing on modern definitions of ethnic identity, and ancient evidence concerning the fluidity of ethnic identities, it becomes clear that ‘ethnic’ and ‘racial’ identities are constructed, believed, and sustained through discourse. 1 Peter, with both aggregative and oppositional modes of ethnic reasoning, makes a crucial contribution to the construction of an ethnic form of Christian identity.

scholarly journals Podstawy i elementy formacji chrześcijańskiej według Leona Wielkiego

Vox Patrum ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 525-534
Author(s):  
Marta Ziółkowska
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Detailed Analysis ◽  
Spiritual Formation ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Spiritual Direction ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Christian Formation ◽  
Political Events ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Catholic Church

The pontificate of Leo the Great (440-461) was one of the longest in the histo­ry of the Church. Since his days as Pope were difficult and complicated, Leo’s part in the civil and political events of the Roman Empire was significant. That time was also characterized by continuous christological debates and controversies in which Leo’s voice as that of the head of the Catholic Church was decisive. He considered it his fundamental duty to strengthen Christian faith through formation and spiritual direction of the faithful. It also involved the formation of Christian character. His Sermons clearly testify to St. Leo’s fundamental role as a spiritual guide who strives for the salvation of the souls of those who are called to perceive their earthly lives in the proper manner. This paper offers a detailed analysis of Sermons delivered on various occa­sions, including Advent, Lent or Ember days which were for Pope Leo an occa­sion for a systematic exercise of his responsibilities. The first part of the paper deals with Leo’s conception of the basis and goals of spiritual formation in the 5th c. The second part sets forth the main elements of the formation programme. Consequently, the ancient concept of Christian formation has been presented here with its practical adaptations as implemented in daily striving for holiness.

scholarly journals Radość Sydoniusza Apolinarego z tego, że filozofia służy teologii

Vox Patrum ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 315-324
Author(s):  
Józef Grzywaczewski
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Ancient Philosophy ◽  
Church Of Christ ◽  
Common Elements ◽  
Spiritual Power ◽  
The Holy Spirit ◽  
The Church ◽  
Sidonius Apollinaris

The article shows Sidonius Apollinaris’ admiration for all intellectual acti­vities. For example he congratulated Faustus of Riez after reading his book „On the Holy Spirit”. In all the Sydonius’ writings one can see that he has always had a lot of respect for poets and writers as Lampridius or to scholars as Phoebus. In the context of the fall of the Roman Empire Sidonius really appreciated those who reach for the teachings of ancient philosophy, rhetoric, astronomy and music in the proclamation of the Gospel. So Claudianus Mamertus, author of the book „De sta­tu animae” did. According to Sidonius he was a great master of the three cultures: Roman, Greek and Christian. In the works of Sidonius we can see a gradual transi­tion from the vision of the Empire as a political power to the vision of the Church as a spiritual power. In this context, he gladly stated that the Plato’s Academy was working for the Church of Christ. For this reason, he appreciated each quotation from pagan’s works in Christian works. Polish reader can see common elements in Sidonius and Sienkiewicz: both writers were living in a difficult political situa­tion, the home of the two was ruled by foreign rulers: both writers set themselves the same goal – to write to encourage hearts with glorification of excellent people. Both writers wanted to help people get out of the crisis and to lay the foundations for a better future.

scholarly journals Our Common Breath: ‘Conspiration’ from the Stoics to the Church Fathers

2021 ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Phillip Sidney Horky
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Second Century ◽  
Early Church ◽  
Third Century ◽  
Church Fathers ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The Third ◽  
History Of ◽  
Christian Thought ◽  
The Church

AbstractThis essay tracks a brief history of the concept of ‘co-breathing’ or ‘conspiration’ (συμπνοία), from its initial conception in Stoic cosmology in the third century BCE to its appropriation in Christian thought at the end of the second century CE. This study focuses on two related strands: first, how the term gets associated anachronistically with two paradigmatic philosopher-physicians, Hippocrates and Pythagoras, by intellectuals in the Early Roman Empire; and second, how the same term provides the early Church Fathers with a means to synthesize and explain discrete notions of ‘breath’ (πνεῦμα) through a repurposing of the pagan concept. Sources discussed include figures associated with Stoic, Pythagorean, and early Christian cosmologies.

scholarly journals Grundtvig som fortolker af Det Gamle Testamente

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-80
Author(s):  
Jesper Høgenhaven
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Precise Description ◽  
Critical Position ◽  
Historical Criticism ◽  
Jewish Scriptures ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Biblical Texts ◽  
The Church ◽  
Canonical Status

Grundtvig som fortolker af Det Gamle Testamente[Grundtvig 's reception of the Old Testament]By Jesper HøgenhavenThis article analyses aspects of Grundtvig’s reception of the Old Testament. In his historical works from 1812, 1814, and 1833, Grundtvig makes a number of important remarks on the role and significance of the Old Testament. His position has sometimes been characterised as “fundamentalist”, but as is shown in a discussion with recent contributions (Ole Vind, Kim Ame Pedersen), this is hardly a precise description. While Grundtvig repeatedly defends the Old Testament texts as historically reliable - and as authentic prophecies related to the coming of Christ - and makes polemic remarks against historical criticism, he nevertheless demonstrates a critical position regarding the canonical status of Old Testament books, and in his later works, he explicitly renounces the doctrine of verbal inspiration and directs polemical remarks at both rationalists and orthodox adherents of verbal inspiration. The Jewish scriptures are not the foundation upon which the church is built, as the orthodox theologians would have it. This does not mean that the Old Testament loses its importance for Grundtvig. His work amply demonstrates the centrality of biblical texts and motifs. In his sermons he makes extensive use of Old Testament quotations, interpreting them according to the classic patterns as prophecies directly relevant for the church, or as typological models for Christians. What is interesting, however, is that whereas explicit quotations are found less frequently in Grundtvig’s later sermons, his sermons are permeated with biblical motifs and imagery from the Old Testament. In his hymns, he achieves the creation of a universe which is biblical in a comprehensive sense.

3. The making of the Bible

2021 ◽  
pp. 25-41
Author(s):  
John Riches
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Old Testament ◽  
Hebrew Bible ◽  
Religious Communities ◽  
Greek Version ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
The Bible ◽  
Jewish Scriptures ◽  
The Church

‘The making of the Bible’ discusses the process whereby different books came to be included in the various Bibles (a term first used by the Churches) which are now accepted as authoritative (canonical) by various religious communities, Jewish and Christian. This process is often referred to as the canonization of scripture. It is important to look first at the formation of the Hebrew Bible and its Greek version, the Septuagint. While the Septuagint started life as a translation for Jews living in the Diaspora, it was subsequently taken up by the Christian community as the medium through which the Old Testament was known in the Church. The language of the Septuagint also influenced many of the writers of the Christian New Testament. The authoritative writings of the Christian Church were in the first instance largely identical with the Jewish scriptures. It is valuable to consider the process whereby Christian writings, principally letters and gospels, were collected and recognized as authoritative alongside other Jewish writings.

scholarly journals Discipleship in the Context of Judaism in Jesus’ Time

Kairos ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-222
Author(s):  
Martina Gracin ◽  
Ervin Budiselić
Keyword(s):  
Old Testament ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Educational System ◽  
Evangelical Christians ◽  
Jewish Culture ◽  
The Third ◽  
Close Relationship ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The Church

The usage of the terms “disciple” and “discipleship” are very common among evangelical Christians and meanings of these terms seem self-evident. However, although these circles adopted such language, it was already present in the Jewish culture of Jesus’ time. The purpose and the goal of this article is to analyze the concept of discipleship in its original context and see how much the meaning of this term is removed from the meaning that this term has today. This topic we will address in two parts. In the first chapter, we will study the Old Testament (OT) roots of discipleship, and in the second chapter, the Jewish educational system in Jesus’ time. In the third chapter, we will analyze whether Jesus himself, and in what measure, passed through that Jewish educational system, and how and in what ways he used this model in the discipleship process of his disciples. In the second part of the article, we will address the practice of discipleship in the first Church, and after that offer some guidelines on how to apply Jesus’ concept of discipleship in the Church today. The key focus of this article is the problematic of applying principles of discipleship that were present in the context of Jewish culture, on the Church today, since our analysis reveals that understanding of discipleship today does not correspond entirely to the understanding of that concept in Jesus’ time. Although discipleship then and now contained passing on information, more importantly was to follow the rabbi and learn from him in a close relationship. It is concluded that a possible solution for this challenge must be sought first and foremost in the change of thinking about what discipleship truly is (change of focus), and then in the practice through mentoring or working in small groups purposefully expose both sides (both “teachers” and “students”) to the experience of teaching through example.

Eucharistic Practices

2018 ◽  
pp. 537-553
Author(s):  
Lizette Larson-Miller
Keyword(s):  
Christian Identity ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
The Third ◽  
Ordained Ministry ◽  
Cultural Shifts ◽  
The Church

The rapidly changing circumstances of Christianity between the third and fifth centuries are mirrored in the ritual changes of the church’s celebration of the Eucharist. The juxtaposition of continuity of theological expression in an act of thanksgiving, remembrance, and sacrifice with the multiple ecclesial political and cultural shifts throughout the church is reflected in changing interpretations, texts, and patterns. This chapter reviews the extant texts both about and from the liturgy in the three centuries in question before turning to three ritual and theological issues that exemplify the pressures of expressing and creating new ways of believing what is accomplished in the liturgical event. First is the development in understanding eucharistic participation as a ritual of Christian identity, and second, the embodiment of early Christian eucharistic participation in eating and drinking as well as the non-participation of fasting, which both contribute to the importance of cultic leadership in the development of ordained ministry.

scholarly journals Critical Entitlement Theory on post-missionary paternalism in the Church of Christ in Zimbabwe

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gift Masengwe ◽  
Bekithemba Dube
Keyword(s):  
White Privilege ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Church Of Christ ◽  
Local Churches ◽  
The Third ◽  
Entitlement Theory ◽  
Third Millennium ◽  
Local Congregations ◽  
The Church ◽  
Interdisciplinary Thinking

The dynamic of power troubles are the doing and thinking and that knowledge is always contingent, standing above the abyss, as stated by Prof. J. Jansen in 2009. The issue of entitlement affected the Church of Christ in Zimbabwe (COCZ) at the onset of the third millennium. Leadership vacuum at the departure of missionaries led individuals to assume identities and hierarchies believed to have been interwoven into the polity and governing ideology of the COCZ. This connoted towards power, privilege and position for someone to benefit on church investments. The article suggests use of the critical Entitlement Theory (CET) to assess how contemporary situations at mission stations affect local churches and communities. Black elites who took over have created tensions and contradictions in churches by hiring persons who do not question their actions and words and persons who do not have an appreciation of the production and implementation of the church’s governing laws. Critical Entitlement Theory assumes that ‘the privileged ownership and administration theses’ that date back to white privilege in the colonial church created this problem. This ethnographic study discloses how a new interdisciplinary thinking on equity and justice to local Christians can rise to own and manage mission stations in their local congregations.

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