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Early Christianity varied in appearance as much as the geography and terrain of the ancient Middle East. Often "variety" became pitted against "orthodoxy." Montanism, or the New Prophecy, was founded by a Phrygian named Montanus along with two ecstatic prophetesses, Maximilla and Priscilla. Even the North African Church Father Tertullian was a supporter of the New Prophecy movement. The Montanist variety of Christianity, however, soon fell into disfavor by those later deemed "orthodox", also because women played an influential role in this movement. Today we know about Montanism only partially and that mainly from the writings of its Christian rivals. One tenet of Montanism was the belief th...
Before the great councils of Christendom and before there were centers of ecclesiastical authority that spoke on behalf of the widely scattered churches found throughout the Roman Empire, how was one to determine what teachings were true and which prophets and prophetesses were authentic? Montanism is named for its first proponent, a certain Montanus from Phrygia in Asia Minor in what is today Turkey who began his "spirit-filled movement" within the area sometime around 165 CE. He was shortly joined by two women, Priscilla and Maximilla. All proclaimed that they were filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied about the return of Jesus Christ as immanent and that the New Jerusalem would be es...
"Fake Prophecy and Polluted Sacraments" is an insightful case-study of the opposition to Montanism, an early-Christian prophetic movement, by Church and State both before and after 'catholic' Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
This major work draws on current archaeological and textual research to trace the spread of Christianity in the first millennium. William Tabbernee, an internationally renowned scholar of the history of Christianity, has assembled a team of expert historians to survey the diverse forms of early Christianity as it spread across centuries, cultures, and continents. Organized according to geographical areas of the late antique world, this book examines what various regions looked like before and after the introduction of Christianity. How and when was Christianity (or a new form or expression of it) introduced into the region? How were Christian life and thought shaped by the particularities of the local setting? And how did Christianity in turn influence or reshape the local culture? The book's careful attention to local realities adds depth and concreteness to students' understanding of early Christianity, while its broad sweep introduces them to first-millennium precursors of today's variegated, globalized religion. Numerous photographs, sidebars, and maps are included.
This collection presents unique perspectives on a variety of theological themes, intellectual reflections, and cultural analyses surrounding ecumenical activities and relations with people of other living faiths. Twelve members or former members of the Phillips Theological Seminary faculty honor long-time president William Tabbernee through these essays, giving a wide breadth of interdisciplinary exploration of issues around Christian unity. Written in such a way as to invite readers into further conversations on the topic of Christian unity, this collection of essays includes authors from a variety of disciplines, religious backgrounds, vocational experiences, and research interests. Contributors include: Joseph A. Bessler, Duane R. Bidwell, Ellen Blue, Mady Fraser, Harold Hatt, John M. Imbler, Sandra Costen Kunz, Richard H. Lowery, Gary E. Peluso-Verdend, Don A. Pittman, Nancy Claire Pittman, Elizabeth Box Price, and Dennis E. Smith.
This book serves two purposes: first, it celebrates the career of the late Maureen Tilley; second, it provides a "state of the field" look at some of the latest scholarship on Christian North Africa in late antiquity. The chapters, written by both senior scholars and the next generation of North African researchers, fills gaps in some of our understandings of the colorful people, places, and disputes that arose in the unique environment of Christian North Africa. The book centers around Augustine, Donatist studies, and North African biblical interpretation, representing Tilley's major areas of interest, while also ensuring coverage of Tertullian (a major figure in the North African church an...
How might late second/early third century readings of Paul illuminate our understanding of the first century texts? A close comparison of Tertullian and Paul reveals the former to be both a dubious and a profoundly insightful interpreter of the latter. With growing interest in the field of patristic exegesis, there is a need for examination of Tertullian's readings of Paul. Tertullian, the first among the significant Latin writers, shaped generations of Christians by providing both a vocabulary for and an exposition of elemental Christian doctrines, wherein he relied heavily on Pauline texts and appropriated them for his own use. This new collection of essays presents a collaborative attempt to understand, critique, and appreciate one of the earliest and most influential interpreters of Paul, and thereby better understand and appreciate both the dynamic event of early patristic exegesis and the Pauline texts themselves. Each chapter takes a two pronged approach, beginning with a patristic scholar considering the topic at hand, before a New Testament response. This results in a fast paced and illuminating interdisciplinary volume.
Challenges the consensus view of the urban character of early Christianity Demonstrates that almost every scenario in reconstructing early Christian growth is mathematically improbable and in many case impossible unless a rural dimension of the Christian movement is factored in Points to the likelihood that the marginal and the rustic made up a larger part of its membership than is generally recognized.
Peter Lampe's work has covered a wide range of fields, the common denominator being his interest in contextualizing belief systems. Mirroring his multifaced work, the authors pursue his interest from different interdisciplinary angles, addressing the interdependence between religious expressions and their situations or contexts. The application of theoretical models to texts examples flanks the inspiring theoretical – epistemological and methodological – reflections. Studies in socio-economic and political history adjoin archaeological, epigraphic, papyrological and iconographic investigations. (Social-)psychological interpretations of texts complement rhetorical analyses. The hermeneutical reception of biblical materials in, for example, the Koran and Christian Chinese or Orthodox contexts, as well as in religious education and homiletics, rounds off the volumes.