The Early Christian World
Philip F. Esler (ed), London: Routledge, 2017
Description
Since its publication in 2000, The Early Christian World has come to be regarded by scholars, students and the general reader as one of the most informative and accessible works in English on the origins, development, character and major figures of early Christianity. In this new edition, the strengths of the first edition are retained. These include the book’s attractive architecture that initially takes a reader through the context and historical development of early Christianity; the essays in critical areas such as community formation, everyday experience, the intellectual and artistic heritage, and external and internal challenges; and the profiles on the most influential early Christian figures. The book also preserves its strong stress on the social reality of early Christianity and continues its distinctive use of hundreds of illustrations and maps to bring that world to life. Yet the years that have passed since the first edition was published have seen great advances made in our understanding of early Christianity in its world. This new edition fully reflects these developments and provides the reader with authoritative, lively and up-to-date access to the early Christian world. A quarter of the text is entirely new and the remaining essays have all been carefully revised and updated by their authors. Some of the new material relates to Christian culture (including book culture, canonical and non-canonical scriptures, saints and hagiography, and translation across cultures). But there are also new essays on: Jewish and Christian interaction in the early centuries; ritual; the New Testament in Roman Britain; Manichaeism; Pachomius the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. This new edition will serve its readers for many years to come.
(Text from the publisher)
Table of contents
Dedication
List of Illustrations
Preface
List of Abbreviations
I THE CONTEXT
1.The Mediterranean Context of Early Christianity – Philip F. Esler
2.Emperors, Armies and Bureaucrats 68-430 CE – Jill Harries
3.Greek and Roman Philosophy and Religion – Luther Martin
4.Jewish Tradition and Culture – James Aitken
II CHRISTIAN ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT
5.Jesus in His World – Douglas Oakman
6.Early Jewish Christianity – Edwin Broadhead
7.Paul and the Development of Gentile Christianity – Todd Klutz
8.The Jesus Tradition: The Gospel Writers’ Strategies of Persuasion – Richard Rohrbaugh
9.The Second and Third Centuries – Jeffrey S. Siker
10.From Constantine to Theodosius and Beyond – Bill Leadbetter
11.Jewish and Christian Interaction from the First to the Fifth Centuries – Anders Runesson
III COMMUNITY FORMATION AND MAINTENANCE
12.Mission and Expansion – Thomas Finn
13.The Development of Office in the Early Church – Mark Edwards
14.Christian Regional Diversity – David Taylor
15.Monasticism – Columba Stewart
IV EVERYDAY CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE
16.Reading the New Testament in Roman Britain – Richard Cleaves
17.Sex and Sexual Renunciation I – Teresa Shaw
18.Sex and Sexual Renunciation II: Developments in Research since 2000 – Elizabeth Castelli
19.Women, Children and House Churches – Mona LaFosse
20.Worship, Practice and Belief – Max Johnson
21.Ritual and the Rise of the Early Christian Movement – Risto Uro
22.Communication and Travel – Blake Leyerle
V CHRISTIAN CULTURE
23.Christian Realia: Books, Papyri and Artefacts – Giovanni Bazzana
24.Scriptures in Early Christianity – Outi Lehtipuu and Hanne von Weissenberg
25.Saints and Hagiography – Mark Humphries
26.Translation and Communication across Languages – Malcolm Choat
VI THE INTELLECTUAL HERITAGE
27.The Apostolic Fathers – Carolyn Osiek
28.The Apologists – Anders-Christian Jacobsen
29.Early Theologians – Gerald Bray
30.Later Theologians of the Greek East – Andrew Louth
31.Later Theologians of the West – Ivor Davidson
32.Creeds, Councils and Doctrinal Development – Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski
33.Biblical Interpretation – Oskar Skarsaune
VII THE ARTISTIC HERITAGE
34.Early Christian Architecture: The First Five Centures – L. Michael White
35. Art – Robin Jensen
36.Music – John Arthur Smith
37.Imaginative Literature – Richard Bauckham
VIII EXTERNAL CHALLENGES
38. Political Oppression and Martyrdom – Candida R. Moss
39. Graeco-Roman Philosophical Opposition – Michael Simmons
40. Popular Graeco-Roman Responses to Christianity – Craig de Vos
IX INTERNAL CHALLENGES
41.Internal Renewal and Dissent in the Early Christian World – Sheila McGinn
42.Gnosticism – Alistair Logan
43.Montanism – Christine Trevett
44.Donatism – Jakob Engberg
45.Arianism – David Rankin
46.Manichaeism – Jason BeDuhn
X PROFILES
47.Origen – Thomas Scheck
48.Tertullian – Geoffrey D. Dunn
49.Perpetua and Felicitas – Shira L. Lander and Ross S. Kraemer
50.Constantine – Bill Leadbetter
51.Antony the Great – Columba Stewart
52.Pachomius the Great – James E. Goehring
53.Athanasius – David Gwynn
54.John Chrysostom – Wendy Mayer and Pauline Allen
55.Gregory of Nyssa – Elena Ene D-Vasilescu
56.Jerome – Dennis Brown
57.Ambrose – Ivor Davidson
58.Augustine – Carol Harrison
59.Ephrem the Syrian – Kathleen McVey
60.Julian the Apostate – Michael Bland Simmons
Link
https://www.routledge.com/The-Early-Christian-World/Esler/p/book/9781032199344
