scholarly journals On teaching Christian history in the postmodern world

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Philippe Denis
Keyword(s):  
Geographical Location ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Degree Of Approximation ◽  
Human Condition ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
Transient Nature ◽  
History Of ◽  
Christian History

Is there truth in history? Historians are commonly expected to produce ‘facts’ and to be ‘objective’. If they teach the history of Christianity, their audience sees in them the depositors of the ‘truth’ on the history of church. Showing the contradictions of the church’s discourse in the past and highlighting the essentially transient nature of church doctrine are perceived as a threat. Yet, our knowledge of the Christian past is provisional and limited. It depends on the quality of the historical sources at our disposal. Consciously or not, it is always the result of a process of knowledge construction. The aim of this article is to explore the triple challenge – pedagogical, pastoral and intellectual – that researchers in history of Christianity face in the exercise of their profession. Historians trained in the tradition of historical criticism consider that an historical narrative can claim a certain degree of approximation of the truth if the documents on which it is based pass the test of authenticity, reliability and validity. Without necessarily denying that truth exists somehow and somewhere, postmodern historians – and this also applies to Christian history – insist that any form of historical knowledge is constructed and that all approaches to truth are situated in terms of period, geographical location, social environment, class, gender, age and race. The study of history of Christianity brings discomfort. But in the end, one gains from confronting the critical challenges of the discipline. Faith will come out stronger if it faces the reality of the human condition.

Parafia unicka w Rachaniach do 1811 roku/ The Uniate Parish in Rachanie until 1811

2012 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Janusz Adam Frykowski
Keyword(s):  
Hierarchical Structure ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Holy Communion ◽  
The Hierarchical Structure ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Church ◽  
Ancillary Equipment

AbstractThe following paper depicts the history of Saint Simeon Stylites Uniate Parish in Rachanie since it became known in historical sources until 1811- that is the time it ceased to be an independent church unit. The introduction of the article contains the geographical location of the parish, its size and the position within the hierarchical structure of the Church. Having analysed post-visit inspection protocols left by Chelm Bishops, the appearance as well as fittings and ancillary equipment of the church in Rachanie in that particular period are reported. Moreover, the list of 4 local clergymen is recreated and their benefice is determined. As far as possible, both the number of worshipers and the number of Holy Communion receivers is determined.

Rīgas humānistu motīvs Roalda Dobrovenska romānā „Magnus, dāņu princis”

2021 ◽  
pp. 172-180
Author(s):  
Ausma Cimdiņa
Keyword(s):  
Life Story ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Human Society ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
Nation States ◽  
Russian State ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historical Role

The novel “Magnus, the Danish Prince” by the Russian diaspora in Latvia writer Roald Dobrovensky is seen as a specific example of a biographical and historical genre, which embodies the historical experience of different eras and nations in the confrontation of globalisation and national self-determination. At the heart of the novel are the Livonian War and the historical role and human destiny of Magnus (1540–1683) – the Danish prince of the Oldenburg dynasty, the first and the only king of Livonia. The motif of Riga’s humanists is seen both as one of the main ideological driving forces of the novel and as a marginal reflection in Magnus’s life story. Acknowledged historical sources have been used in the creation of the novel: Baltazar Rusov’s “Livonian Chronicle”; Nikolai Karamzin’s “History of the Russian State”; Alexander Janov’s “Russia: 1462–1584. The Beginning of the Tragedy. Notes of the Nature and Formation of Russian Statehood” etc. In connection with the concept of Riga humanists, another fictitious document created by the writer Dobrovensky himself is especially important, namely, the diary of Johann Birke – Magnus’s interpreter, a person with a double identity, “half-Latvian”, “half-German”. It is a message of an alternative to the well-known historical documents, which allows to turn the Livonian historical narrative in the direction of “letocentrism” and raises the issue of the ethnic identity of Riga’s humanists. Along with the deconstruction of the historically documented image of Livonian King Magnus, the thematic structure of the novel is dominated by identity aspects related to the Livonian historical narrative. Dobrovensky, with his novel, raises an important question – what does the medieval Livonia, Europe’s common intellectual heritage, mean for contemporary Latvia and the human society at large? Dobrovensky’s work is also a significant challenge in strengthening emotional ties with Livonia (which were weakened in the early stages of national historiography due to conflicts over the founding of nation-states).

The Idea of the Church in Christian History

1952 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 191-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wilhelm Pauck
Keyword(s):  
Social Context ◽  
Special Kind ◽  
Church History ◽  
Christian Faith ◽  
Special Importance ◽  
Christian Life ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Church ◽  
Christian History

It is customary to describe and interpret the history of Christianity as church history. To be sure, most church historians do not emphasize the special importance of the “church” in the Christian life they study and analyse; indeed, they deal with the idea of the church, with ecclesiological doctrines and with ecclesiastical practices as if they represented special phases of the Christian life. But, nevertheless, the fact that all aspects of Christian history are subsumed under the name and title of the “church” indicates that the character of Christianity is held to be inseparable from that of the “church”; the very custom of regarding Christian history as church history indicates that the Christian mind is marked by a special kind of self-consciousness induced by the awareness that the Christian faith is not fully actualized unless it is expressed in the special social context suggested by the term “church.”

Conflit et utopie au sein des Églises. La perspective socio-historique de Jean Séguy

2012 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 482-500
Author(s):  
Carlo Prandi
Keyword(s):  
Max Weber ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
The Reformation ◽  
History Of ◽  
Ernst Troeltsch ◽  
Christian History

Jean Seguy’s (1925–2007) research followed two intertwined paths. The principal path was that of methodology: his research on the history of Christianity was conducted within the framework of the sociology of Max Weber and Ernst Troeltsch. The French social historian was also interested in apocalyptic and utopian phenomena, both on the Catholic and on the Reformation side, with the intention of grasping the similarities between them, if not their common roots. The result is an innovative reading of Christian history, with an original methodology in the French context. Séguy’s work continues to question the historiography of Christianity in both its cognitive and methodological contributions, and as a result our understanding of the classics of modern sociology.

The Spirit and the Bride Revisited: Pentecostalism, Renewal, and the Sense of History

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 298-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale M. Coulter
Keyword(s):  
Historical Narrative ◽  
Christian Tradition ◽  
Divine Presence ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
Full Gospel ◽  
History Of ◽  
Identity Markers ◽  
The Church ◽  
The Way

Early Pentecostalism embraced a historical narrative of restorationism that provided an apologetic for Pentecostal revivals by trumpeting the discontinuity with much of Christian tradition. As a counter to this restorationist historical narrative, I argue that early Pentecostalism transmitted a catholic spirituality, which explains not only how it fostered ecclesial renewal in other Christian traditions, but also offers a narrative of continuity with the history of Christianity. This catholic spirituality can be found in the way early Pentecostals fused together eschatological notions of the church as the bride with bridal mysticism to forge a theology of encounter that also offered an implicit renewal understanding of history. This fusion drew upon an eschatology of divine presence in which to encounter God was to live proleptically in the end. Restorationism, consequently, need not be tied to the narrative of discontinuity given in the latter rain, full gospel, and apostolic faith identity markers.

Leaving Providence Behind

2011 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 366-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Porterfield
Keyword(s):  
Social Stress ◽  
Church History ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Primary Documents ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
History Of ◽  
American Society ◽  
Christian History

The first issue of the journal Church History appeared in 1932—seventy-nine years ago—the year William Warren Sweet was president of the American Society of Church History. It was a time of considerable pain and social stress in many parts of the world. Perhaps in response to this turmoil, the inaugural issue conveyed a deep-seated optimism about the future. A bracing faith in the providential course of history characterized the three essays in that first issue and the authors conveyed that faith with erudition, narrative flair, and sweeping knowledge of Christian history. Few authors today exert such broad command of events in the larger history of Christianity, or display such facility with a wide range of primary documents, and few write with such ebullience. Such may be the price of leaving behind a world where providence is clearly in sight.

scholarly journals Dalit Theology and Indian Christian History in Dialogue: Constructive and Practical Possibilities

Religions ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 180
Author(s):  
Andrew Ronnevik
Keyword(s):  
History Of Christianity ◽  
History Of ◽  
Foundational Work ◽  
Christian History

In this article, I consider how an integration of Dalit theology and Indian Christian history could help Dalit theologians in their efforts to connect more deeply with the lived realities of today’s Dalit Christians. Drawing from the foundational work of such scholars as James Massey and John C. B. Webster, I argue for and begin a deeper and more comprehensive Dalit reading and theological analysis of the history of Christianity and mission in India. My explorations—touching on India’s Thomas/Syrian, Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal traditions—reveal the persistence and complexity of caste oppression throughout Christian history in India, and they simultaneously draw attention to over-looked, empowering, and liberative resources that are bound to Dalit Christians lives, both past and present. More broadly, I suggest that historians and theologians in a variety of contexts—not just in India—can benefit from blurring the lines between their disciplines.

scholarly journals Historiographical issues related to the writing of contemporary history of Christianity

2007 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-149
Author(s):  
G A Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Kingdom Of God ◽  
Church History ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Contemporary History ◽  
Historical Sources ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Subject

Contemporary history is a fluid concept. Its writing implies commitment and self awareness.  The former canons of objectivity, subjectivity and progress as they have traditionally been understood are anachro-nistic. Some of our most valued historical sources were, in their own time, products of contemporary history. Consequently, it may be argued that all history is interpretation and that conclusions reached are, at best, provisional. They are determined by the context, vision and values of the historian which can locate him in terms of the subject under research. Sources are also subject to bias. Church History is goal oriented towards the kingdom of God. The material and outcome of Church History and secular history are the same. 

Melania

2016 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Early Christianity ◽  
Family Members ◽  
The Political ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
Travel Patterns ◽  
History Of Christianity ◽  
Early Christian ◽  
History Of ◽  
Political Economic ◽  
Christian History

The lives of Melania the Elder and Melania the Younger span one of the most important periods of Christian history, reaching from the reign of Constantine through the reign of Theodosius II. They and their family members were well known to some of the most influential political and cultural figures of the period; their patronage promoted the work of major Christian thinkers from both before their time and during it. Their property and travels connected the political, economic, and religious worlds of the late antique Mediterranean. This volume examines the history of early Christianity as it was created and imagined through the lives of the two Melanias. The volume overlays the history of Christianity with a set of narratives that explore themes in the lives of the Melanias, such as constructions of gender, asceticism, orthodoxy and heresy, family and wealth, travel, patterns of memory, worship and hagiography. The resulting collaborative portrait of this family, its influence, and its interests offers a new window on to early Christian history, not by portraying Christianity as a timeless entity unfolding over centuries, but by considering in more complex ways the lives, representations, and later reception of two late ancient persons who attempted to be Christian.

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