Orthodoxy and Heresy in Early Christian Contexts

Reconsidering the Bauer Thesis

Häftad, Engelska, 2015

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Beskrivning

Eighty years ago, Walter Bauer promulgated a bold and provocative thesis about early Christianity. He argued that many forms of Christianity started the race, but one competitor pushed aside the others, until this powerful 'orthodox' version won the day. The victors rewrote history, marginalizing all other perspectives and silencing their voices, even though the alternatives possessed equal right to the title of normative Christianity. Bauer's influence still casts a long shadow on early Christian scholarship. Were heretical movements the original forms of Christianity? Did the heretics outnumber the orthodox? Did orthodox heresiologists accurately portray their opponents? And more fundamentally, how can one make any objective distinction between 'heresy' and 'orthodoxy'? Is such labeling merely the product of socially situated power? Did numerous, valid forms of Christianity exist without any validating norms of Christianity? This collection of essays, each written by a relevant authority, tackles such questions with scholarly acumen and careful attention to historical, cultural-geographical, and socio-rhetorical detail. Although recognizing the importance of Bauer's critical insights, innovative methodologies, and fruitful suggestions, the contributors expose numerous claims of the Bauer thesis (in both original and recent manifestations) that fall short of the historical evidence.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2015-08-27
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:286
Förlag:Boydell & Brewer Ltd
ISBN:9780227175392

Utforska kategorier

Religion: allmänt inom Filosofi och religion
Kristendom inom Filosofi och religion

Mer om författaren

Paul Anthony Hartog (PhD, Loyola University Chicago) is a Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Studies at Faith Baptist Seminary. He is the author of Polycarp and the New Testament (2002) and Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians and the Martyrdom of Polycarp (2013), and he is the editor of The Contemporary Church and the Early Church: Case Studies in Ressourcement (Pickwick, 2010).

Recensioner i media

"This would a useful book for advanced undergraduates (especially at bible colleges), seminarians, and scholars looking for a concise introduction to, and healthy criticism of, Baur's work."-Sean Otto, Theological Book Review, Vol. 27 No.1, 2016

Innehållsförteckning

Preface List of Contributors Introduction Paul A. Hartog1 The Bauer Thesis: An Overview Rodney J. Decker2 Walter Bauer and the Apostolic Fathers Paul A. Hartog3 Post-Bauer Scholarship on Gnosticism(s): The Current State of Our 'Knowledge'Carl B. Smith4 Baur to Bauer and Beyond: Early Jewish Christianity and Modern Scholarship William Varner5 'Orthodoxy', 'Heresy', and Complexity: Montanism as a Case StudyRex D. Butler6 Apostolic Tradition and the Rule of Faith in Light of the Bauer ThesisBryan M. Litfin7 Bauer's Forgotten Region: North African Christianity David C. Alexander and Edward L. Smither8 Patristic Heresiology: The Difficulties of Reliability and Legitimacy W. Brian Shelton9 Bauer's Early Christian Rome and the Development of 'Orthodoxy'Glen L. Thompson10 From Völker to this Volume: A Trajectory of Critiques and a Final Reflection Paul A. HartogBibliography