Roman Garrison – författare

In the light of the New Testament's conviction that Jesus Christ died for sins, and that the Cross is a 'once for all' act that makes the Temple cult unnecessary, this challenging work probes the reasons for the emerging doctrine of redemptive almsgiving in early Christianity. Do the New Testament writers themselves (even Jesus!) implicitly endorse the view that a 'supplementary' or alternative means of atonement is necessary? What is the background of this theme in Graeco-Roman sources and in the Hebrew Bible? What are the principal texts in early Christian literature that advocate almsgiving as a 'ransom' for sin? These questions firmly govern this investigation of the social and theological forces that gave legitimacy to a doctrine that at first appears to contradict the primary New Testament soteriology, namely that the death of Jesus Christ is the exclusive means of redemption from sin.

This book is about the theme of innocent suffering in the ancient world. After an introduction to the topic, and an overview of the Greek, Roman and biblical traditions, successive chapters deal with the Iliad (Sarpedon and Hector); Heracles/Hercules; Socrates, the (Roman) Stoics; the Wisdom of Solomon and finally Early Christianity, with a concluding reflection. A rare comparative treatment of a universal theological, philosophical and dramatic problem in the ancient world no less than the modern.