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Late antiquity is increasingly recognised as a period of important cultural transformation. One of its crucial aspects is the emergence of a new awareness of human individuality. In this book an interdisciplinary and international group of scholars documents and analyses this development. Authors assess the influence of seminal thinkers, including the Gnostics, Plotinus, and Augustine, but also of cultural and religious practices such as astrology and monasticism, as well as, more generally, the role played by intellectual disciplines such as grammar and Christian theology. Broad in both theme and scope, the volume serves as a comprehensive introduction to late antique understandings of human individuality.
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This collection of essays by colleagues, former students, and friends illustrates something of the breadth and depth of subjects that have engaged the life and thought of the Reverend Doctor John Westerdale Bowker. His clerical and academic appointments in Cambridge, Lancaster, London, and North America further illustrate the integrative nature of his spiritual and intellectual way of being and acting.
This book argues that, within the Priestly tradition, human creation marks the replacement of God's divine community, signifying the moment when God takes control over that community, separates himself, and institutes monotheism.
The existence of evil in the world represents one of the most complex problems for those who believe in God. Here, a range of Jewish and Christian contributors examine the issue of evil in the Bible and its impact on Judaism and Christianity from a variety of perspectives. For example, how has Jewish mysticism explained evil, and what were Luther's thoughts on the topic? The dialogue between specialists from different fields allows a broad overview of this problematic issue.
Josua und Salomo puts forward the thesis that the literary figure of the successor was created by circles who strongly relied on the book of Deuteronomy. In order to construct the ideal of a successor they used the characters of Joshua and Solomon and implemented the results of their theological reflection which were unleashed by the complete destruction of the pre-exilic political, social and religious organization of the nation. The figure of Joshua combines all the treats of their theological conception of an ideal political leader, whereas the figure of Solomon demonstrates the dangers which are implied in monarchical succession. From the theological perspective of deuteronomism “Solomon” and “Joshua” are opposite characters. The deuteronomic concepts of God and authority play a central role for the reflection on both characters.
The first three hundred years of the common era witnessed critical developments that would become foundational for Christianity itself, as well as for the societies and later history that emerged thereafter. The concept of 'ancient Christianity,' however, along with the content that the category represents, has raised much debate. This is, in part, because within this category lie multiple forms of devotion to Jesus Christ, multiple phenomena, and multiple permutations in the formative period of Christian history. Within those multiples lie numerous contests, as varieties of Christian identity laid claim to authority and authenticity in different ways. The Cambridge History of Ancient Christianity addresses these contested areas with both nuance and clarity by reviewing, synthesizing, and critically engaging recent scholarly developments. The 27 thematic chapters, specially commissioned for this volume from an international team of scholars, also offer constructive ways forward for future research.
This book includes historical and literary studies arising from a seminar on Biblical History in the Near Eastern Setting sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The seminar director, William W. Hallo of Yale University, has contributed the introductory essay on the comparative method. Other essays address biblical topics in the patriarchal narratives, prophetic literature, historical literature, and apocalyptic. The topics are investigated against the background of Near Eastern itineraries, chronicles, mythological texts, prophecies, and other relevant contextual literature.