The Origin of Monasticism in Mesopotamia

1951 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 27-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur Vööbus
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Human Life ◽  
History Of Education ◽  
Eastern Asia ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
Literary Life ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
History Of

A student of the history of Oriental Christianity is particularly fascinated by the role Syrian monasticism has played, not only in the religious, ecclesiastical, spiritual, literary, and cultural life of the Christian Syrians, but also far outside the confines of the territory of Aramean Christianity. To be sure, Syrian monasticism has been exaggeratedly ascetic. But paradoxically, the same psyche which has passionately longed for mortification and relentless chastisement has showed a remarkable flexibility. It has released energies to direct them towards various tasks which serve the Christian community, proving its sympathetic and even warm participation in the multifarious responsibilities of human life. Its missionary activities, zeal and enthusiasm to reach faraway countries are well-known. Its achievements, particularly in Eastern Asia, are admirable. What the bilingual monument of Si-nganfu has immortalized is only one luminary among other achievements which probably have not been carved in stone so explicitly. Other aspects are no less important. In one study I have already sketched the profile of Syrian monasticism in the light of philanthropic activities in Mesopotamia and Persia. I have also had the opportunity to show its share in the history of education and schools, learning and literary life, and even in the history of the New Testament text. The traces which have been left behind are not traces in sand, but have been carved in human hearts. These traces are still visible to anyone who studies the history, literature and mythology of the nations in Middle and Eastern Asia. These are only the most important aspects amongst others, which depict peculiar features in the physiognomy of Syrian monasticism.

scholarly journals ON COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF “ALANIAN DOSSIER” OF PATRIARCH NICHOLAS MYSTICUS AND APOSTLE PAUL’S EPISTLES

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Д.К. АСРАТЯН
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
North Caucasus ◽  
Apostle Paul ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
Cultural Traditions ◽  
Main Research ◽  
The North ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
History Of

Письма патриарха Константинопольского Николая Мистика архиепископу Аланскому Петру – основной документальный источник по истории христианства на Северном Кавказе в X в. Изучение «Аланского досье» патриарха Николая сохраняет актуальность в связи с ростом интереса к духовной истории народов Кавказа, находившихся на стыке цивилизаций, религий и культур и сформировавших под их влиянием собственные самобытные национально-культурные традиции. Основным методом исследования стало сопоставление лексических и семантических средств, используемых апостолом Павлом и патриархом Николаем в двух различных, но соотносимых исторических и религиозных контекстах. Цель исследования – выявление жанровых и литературных связей писем патриарха с книгами Нового Завета. Научная новизна заключается в обосновании лингвистических, семантических и богословских параллелей между письмами Николая и посланиями апостола Павла, особенно пастырскими (1-2 Тим и Тит). Хотя сравниваемые тексты хронологически разделены почти тысячелетием, отмечается типологическое сходство исторических контекстов, в которых они были написаны (духовный наставник – ученик в епископском сане – молодая христианская община из «варваров», нуждающихся в просвещении). В интерпретации Николая миссия – это именно тяжкий труд, но совершаемый по прямому повелению Бога и ради награды свыше, и в этом смысле патриарх вполне укоренен в новозаветной традиции. Как показали результаты исследования, риторическая и богословская насыщенность писем Николая Мистика не снижает их историческую ценность, однако для корректной интерпретации необходимо учитывать их литературный характер. Letters of Nicholas Mysticus, Patriarch of Constantinople, to Peter, Archbishop of Alania, remain the chief documentary source for the history of Christianity in the North Caucasus in the 10th century. The study of the "Alan Dossier" of Patriarch Nicholas remains relevant due to the growing interest in the spiritual history of the peoples of the Caucasus, who lived at the crossroads of civilizations, religions and cultures and formed their own distinctive national and cultural traditions under such diverse influence. The main research method was the comparison of lexical and semantic means used by the Apostle Paul and Patriarch Nicholas in two different, but correlated historical and religious contexts. The purpose of the study is to identify genre and literary connections between the letters of the Patriarch and the books of the New Testament. Scientific novelty lies in the substantiation of the linguistic, semantic and theological parallels between the letters of Nicholas and the letters of the Apostle Paul, especially the pastoral ones (1-2 Tim and Titus). Although the compared texts are chronologically separated by almost a millennium, there is a typological similarity in the historical contexts in which they were written (a spiritual mentor - a bishop student - a newly formed Christian community of “barbarians” in need of education). In the interpretation of Nicholas, mission is a hard work, but it is done at the direct command of the God and is rewarded from above, and in this sense, the Patriarch is completely rooted in the New Testament tradition. As the results of the study have shown, the rhetorical and theological richness of the letters of Nikolas the Mysticus does not diminish their historical value, yet for correct interpretation it is necessary to take into account their literary character.

Biblical Challenges to a Theology of Love

2003 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 640-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Werner Jeanrond
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
The Body ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Hebrew Scriptures ◽  
The Bible ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Human Desire ◽  
Critical Theology

AbstractA contemporary systematic theological reflection upon love requires a cross-disciplinary attention to the plurality of approaches to love within the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament. This article explores the retrieval and development of Jewish love traditions within three New Testament traditions, namely the Synoptic Gospels, the Johannine texts, and Paul. These approaches agree on the divine origin and gift-character of love, but differ in their assessment of both the horizon of love and the significance of love for the Christian community. John stresses the community's need to be united in love against a hostile environment; Paul recommends the praxis of love as means of dealing with difference, otherness and conflict within the community; and Luke considers the universal scope of neighbourly love. Thus, acknowledging God as the author of love and reflecting upon God's nature as love does not necessarily lead to the same theological convictions or praxis of love in church and world. Moreover, the rich and ambiguous history of biblical love includes a shifting emphasis on human desire, the erotic, and the body. A critical theology of love would need to pay close attention to both the possibilities and ambiguities of the plurality of approaches to love in the Bible.

Philosophers, Scribes, Rhetors … and Paul? The Educational Background of the New Testament

2005 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 30-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Riley Estep
Keyword(s):  
Christian Education ◽  
New Testament ◽  
Educational Background ◽  
First Century ◽  
Christian Community ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
Greco Roman ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Roman Culture ◽  
History Of

Of increasing interest to New Testament scholars is the educational background of Paul and the early Christians. As evangelical educators, such studies also engage our understanding of the Biblical and historical basis of Christian education. This article endeavors to ascertain the early Christian community's, and particularly Paul's, assessment of education in first-century A.D. Greco-Roman culture as one dimension of the interactions between the early Christian community and its culture. It will (1) provide a brief review of passages in the New Testament that reflect or interact with the educational community of the first-century A.D., (2) Conjecture Paul's assessment of education in Greco-Roman culture, with which early Christians interacted, (3) Itemize implications of Paul's opinion on Greco-Roman education for our understanding on the formation and history of Christian education, and finally (4) Address the need for further study of the subject.

Archaeology of the Gospels

2019 ◽  
pp. 29-45
Author(s):  
James F. Strange
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
New Testament ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Human Life ◽  
The Social ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Stratigraphic Position ◽  
History Of ◽  
Material History ◽  
Archaeological Reconstruction

This chapter discusses the archaeology of the New Testament as applied to Jesus and the gospels. The aim is to create a reliable social, economic, and material history of the origins and dissemination of the New Testament text. In the nineteenth century, certain New Testament and classical scholars studied the material culture of Roman-period Galilee as the context of the gospel traditions. The discipline moved from comparative analysis of inscriptions and other ancient texts to excavation of Jewish synagogues, Roman temples, houses, and domestic ritual baths. The discipline developed sophisticated methods to excavate artifacts, pottery, glass, coins, and stone vessels and to determine their distribution and stratigraphic position at a given site. This chapter reviews the archaeology of specific sites mentioned in the New Testament and several not mentioned to provide an archaeological reconstruction of the social, economic, political, and religious patterns of human life in Galilee and Judea.

Die messiaanse interpretasie van die psalms in enkele Antiocheense en Oos- Siriese psalmkommentare

2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (2/3) ◽  
Author(s):  
H.F. Van Rooy
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Supplementary Data ◽  
Theodore Of Mopsuestia ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
Psalm 110 ◽  
History Of ◽  
Psalm 22 ◽  
Allegorical Interpretation

The messianic interpretation of the psalms in a number of Antiochene and East Syriac psalm commentariesThe Antiochene exegetes interpreted the psalms against the backdrop of the history of Israel. They reconstructed a historical setting for each psalm. They reacted against the allegorical interpretation of the Alexandrian School that frequently interpreted the psalms from the context of the New Testament. This article investigates the messianic interpretation of Psalms 2 and 110, as well as the interpretation of Psalm 22, frequently regarded as messianic in non-Antiochene circles. The interpretation of these psalms in the commentaries of Diodore of Tarsus, Theodore of Mopsuestia and Išô`dâdh of Merv will be discussed, as well as the commentary of Denha-Gregorius, an abbreviated Syriac version of the commentary of Theodore. The commentaries of Diodore and Theodore on Psalm 110 are not available. The interpretation of this psalm in the Syriac commentary discussed by Vandenhoff and the commentary of Išô`dâdh of Merv, both following Antiochene exegesis, will be used for this psalm. The historical setting of the psalms is used as hermeneutical key for the interpretation of all these psalms. All the detail in a psalm is interpreted against this background, whether messianic or not. Theodore followed Diodore and expanded on him. Denha-Gregorius is an abbreviated version of Theodore, supplemented with data from the Syriac. Išô`dâdh of Merv used Theodore as his primary source, but with the same kind of supplementary data from the Syriac.

scholarly journals RESENSI BUKU : A NEW APPROACH TO TEXTUAL CRITICISM : AN INTRODUCTION TO THE COHERENCE-BASED GENEALOGICAL METHOD

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
STEFANUS KRISTIANTO
Keyword(s):  
New Testament ◽  
Textual Criticism ◽  
New Approach ◽  
The New Testament ◽  
History Of

Secara garis besar, buku ini terdiri atas enam bab utama. Bab pertama merupakan bagian pengantar yang menyentuh tiga aspek penting. Pertama, bab ini memberi pengenalan awal tentang apa itu CBGM. Secara ringkas, Wasserman dan Gurry mendefinisikan CBGM sebagai “a method that (1) uses a set of cumputer tools (2) based in a new way of relating manuscript texts that is (3) designed to help us understand the origin and history of the New Testament text.” (hal. 3). Jadi, seperti harapan Epp, metode ini mengkombinasikan penggunaan komputer dan pendekatan kuantitatif di beberapa bagian. Wasserman dan Gurry kemudian menggaris bawahi bahwa hal baru yang ditawarkan CBGM ialah bagaimana cara metode ini menghubungkan teks antar naskah. Pendekatan ini menggunakan prinsip dasar bahwa teks antar naskah bisa saling dihubungkan dengan menggunakan hubungan antar variannya. Kedua, bab ini juga menjelaskan secara singkat lima perubahan yang dibawa CBGM. Selain perubahan teks kritikal Yunani di beberapa tempat, CBGM juga menyebabkan munculnya ketidakpastian mengenai teks awal (initial text) di beberapa tempat. Bukan hanya itu, CBGM ternyata juga mendorong penolakan terhadap kategori tipe teks (atau kluster teks menurut Epp), meningkatnya apresiasi terhadap teks Byzantine, dan berubahnya tujuan utama Kritik Teks (meski sangat tipis). Bab ini kemudian ditutup dengan pembahasan aspek ketiga, yakni alasan mengapa buku ini ditulis. Sederhananya, buku ini ditulis untuk mereka yang optimis terhadap potensi CBGM (tetapi tidak mengerti bagaimana menggunakannya) dan juga mereka yang cenderung negatif terhadap CBGM. Buku ini diharapkan menjadi penolong kedua kelompk tersebut memahami CBGM lebih baik.

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