Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima

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Publisher : Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN 13 : 1554586704
Total Pages : 410 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (545 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima by : Terence L. Donaldson

Download or read book Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima written by Terence L. Donaldson and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2000-05-11 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: We know how the story of the Roman Empire ended with the "triumph" of Christianity and the eventual Christianization of the Roman Mediterranean. But how would religious life have appeared to an observer at a time when the conversion of the emperor was only a Christian pipe dream? And how would it have appeared in one particular city, rather than in the Roman Empire as a whole? This volume takes a detailed look at the religious dimension of life in one particular Roman city Caesarea Maritima, on the Mediterranean coast of Judea. Caesarea was marked by a complex religious identity from the outset. Over time, other religious groups, including Christianity, Mithraism and Samaritanism, found a home in the city, where they jostled with each other, and with those already present, for position, influence and the means of survival. Written by a team of seasoned scholars and promising newcomers, this book brings a new perspective to the study of religion in antiquity. Along with the deliberate goal to understand religion as an urban phenomenon, Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima studies religious groups as part of the dynamic process of social interaction, spanning a spectrum from coexistence, through competition and rivalry, to open conflict. The cumulative result is a fresh and fascinating look at one of antiquity’s most interesting cities.

Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Sardis and Smyrna

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Publisher : Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN 13 : 0889209243
Total Pages : 376 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (892 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Sardis and Smyrna by : Richard S. Ascough

Download or read book Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Sardis and Smyrna written by Richard S. Ascough and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume, one in a series of books examining religious rivalries, focuses in detail on the religious dimension of life in two particular Roman cities: Sardis and Smyrna. The essays explore the relationships and rivalries among Jews, Christians, and various Greco-Roman religious groups from the second century bce to the fourth century ce. The thirteen contributors, including seasoned scholars and promising newcomers, bring fresh perspectives on religious life in antiquity. They draw upon a wide range of archaeological, epigraphic, and literary data to investigate the complex web of relationships that existed among the religious groups of these two cities—from coexistence and cooperation to competition and conflict. To the extent that the essays investigate how religious groups are shaped by their urban settings, the book also offers insights into the material urban realities of the Roman Empire. Investigating two cities together in one volume highlights similarities and differences in the interaction of religious groups in each location. The specific focus on Sardis and Smyrna is broadened through an investigation of methodological issues involved in the study of the interaction of urban-based religious groups in antiquity. The volume will be of particular interest to scholars and advanced students in Biblical Studies, Classical Studies, and Archaeology.

Religious Rivalries in the Early Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity

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Publisher : Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN 13 : 155458809X
Total Pages : 344 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (545 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Rivalries in the Early Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity by : Leif E. Vaage

Download or read book Religious Rivalries in the Early Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity written by Leif E. Vaage and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2010-10-30 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religious Rivalries in the Early Roman Empire and the Rise of Christianity discusses the diverse cultural destinies of early Christianity, early Judaism, and other ancient religious groups as a question of social rivalry. The book is divided into three main sections. The first section debates the degree to which the category of rivalry adequately names the issue(s) that must be addressed when comparing and contrasting the social “success” of different religious groups in antiquity. The second is a critical assessment of the common modern category of “mission” to describe the inner dynamic of such a process; it discusses the early Christian apostle Paul, the early Jewish historian Josephus, and ancient Mithraism. The third section of the book is devoted to “the rise of Christianity,” primarily in response to the similarly titled work of the American sociologist of religion Rodney Stark. While it is not clear that any of these groups imagined its own success necessarily entailing the elimination of others, it does seem that early Christianity had certain habits, both of speech and practice, which made it particularly apt to succeed (in) the Roman Empire.

An Exemplary Man

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Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
ISBN 13 : 163087602X
Total Pages : 206 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (38 download)

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Book Synopsis An Exemplary Man by : Bonnie J. Flessen

Download or read book An Exemplary Man written by Bonnie J. Flessen and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-09-08 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While most scholars focus on the character of Cornelius as a model Gentile, Bonnie Flessen argues that Cornelius is also a model male figure for Luke's audience. When analyzed closely, the characterization of Cornelius reveals a multifaceted rhetorical strategy regarding both gender and empire. This strategy lifts up a rather surprising portrait of an exemplary man who represents the Roman Empire and yet nevertheless manifests the virtues of submission, piety, and generosity. Flessen also proposes a hermeneutic of masculinity as a means to exegete Acts and other New Testament texts. This critical lens provides interpreters with a way of thinking about gender when female characters are absent or sparse. Although constructs of gender are embedded in texts, interpreters can use recent scholarship on masculinity along with extrabiblical evidence as tools to excavate the contours of the male figure in antiquity.

The Roman Army and the Expansion of the Gospel

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Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
ISBN 13 : 3110347261
Total Pages : 238 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis The Roman Army and the Expansion of the Gospel by : Alexander Kyrychenko

Download or read book The Roman Army and the Expansion of the Gospel written by Alexander Kyrychenko and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2014-01-31 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although Roman centurions appear at crucial stages in the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, the significance of the centurion’s office for the development of Luke’s story has not been adequately researched. To fill in that void, this study engages the relevant Greco-Roman and Jewish sources that reflect on the image of the Roman military and applies the findings to the analysis of the role of the Roman centurion in the narrative of Luke-Acts. It argues that contemporary evidence reveals a common perception of the Roman centurion as a principal representative of the Roman imperial power, and that Luke-Acts employs centurions in the role of prototypical Gentile believers in anticipation of the Christian mission to the Empire. Chapter 1 outlines the current state of the question. Chapter 2 surveys the background data, including the place of the centurion in the Roman military organization, the role of the Roman army as the basis of the ruling power, the army’s function in the life of the civilian community, Luke’s military terminology, and the Roman military regiments in Luke-Acts. Chapter 3 reviews Greco-Roman writings, including Polybius, Julius Caesar, Sallust, Livy, Velleius Paterculus, Tacitus, Appian, Cornelius Nepos, Plutarch, Suetonius, Plautus, Cicero, Virgil, Horace, Petronius, Quintilian, Epictetus, Juvenal, Fronto, Apuleius, as well as non-literary evidence. Chapter 4 engages the Jewish witnesses, including 1 Maccabees, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Jewish pseudepigrapha, Philo, Josephus, Talmudic sources, and non-literary sources. Chapter 5 examines the relevant accounts of Luke-Acts, focusing on Luke 7:1–10 and Acts 10:1–11:18. The Conclusion reviews the findings of the study and summarizes the results.

The Myth of a Gentile Galilee

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139434659
Total Pages : 247 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (394 download)

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Book Synopsis The Myth of a Gentile Galilee by : Mark A. Chancey

Download or read book The Myth of a Gentile Galilee written by Mark A. Chancey and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2002-05-23 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Myth of a Gentile Galilee is the most thorough synthesis to date of archaeological and literary evidence relating to the population of Galilee in the first-century CE. The book demonstrates that, contrary to the perceptions of many New Testament scholars, the overwhelming majority of first-century Galileans were Jews. Utilizing the gospels, the writings of Josephus, and published archaeological excavation reports, Mark A. Chancey traces the historical development of the region's population and examines in detail specific cities and villages, finding ample indications of Jewish inhabitants and virtually none for gentiles. He argues that any New Testament scholarship that attempts to contextualize the Historical Jesus or the Jesus movement in Galilee must acknowledge and pay due attention to the region's predominantly Jewish milieu. This accessible book will be of interest to New Testament scholars as well as scholars of Judaica, Syro-Palestinian archaeology, and the Roman Near East.

Building on the Ruins of the Temple

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Publisher : Mohr Siebeck
ISBN 13 : 9783161543227
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (432 download)

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Book Synopsis Building on the Ruins of the Temple by : Adam Gregerman

Download or read book Building on the Ruins of the Temple written by Adam Gregerman and published by Mohr Siebeck. This book was released on 2016-06-28 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the immediate centuries after the Romans' destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple in 70 CE, Jews and Christians offered contrasting religious explanations for the razing of the locus of God's presence on earth. Adam Gregerman analyzes the views found in three early Christian texts (Justin's Dialogue with Trypho, Origen's Contra Celsum, and Eusebius' Proof of the Gospel) and one rabbinic text (the Midrash on Lamentations), all of which emerged in the same place--the land of Israel--and around the same time--the first few centuries after 70. The author explores the ways they interpret the destruction in order to prove (in the case of Christians), or make it impossible to disprove (in the case of the Jews) that their community is the people of God. He demonstrates the apologetic and polemical functions of selected explanations, for claims to the covenant made by one community excluded those made by the other.

Religious Conflict from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam

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Publisher : Walter de Gruyter
ISBN 13 : 3110291940
Total Pages : 268 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (12 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Conflict from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam by : Wendy Mayer

Download or read book Religious Conflict from Early Christianity to the Rise of Islam written by Wendy Mayer and published by Walter de Gruyter. This book was released on 2013-08-29 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conflict has been an inescapable facet of religion from its very beginnings. This volume offers insight into the mechanisms at play in the centuries from the Jesus-movement’s first attempts to define itself over and against Judaism to the beginnings of Islam. Profiling research by scholars of the Centre for Early Christian Studies at Australian Catholic University, the essays document inter- and intra-religious conflict from a variety of angles. Topics relevant to the early centuries range from religious conflict between different parts of the Christian canon, types of conflict, the origins of conflict, strategies for winning, for conflict resolution, and the emergence of a language of conflict. For the fourth to seventh centuries case studies from Asia Minor, Syria, Constantinople, Gaul, Arabia and Egypt are presented. The volume closes with examinations of the Christian and Jewish response to Islam, and of Islam’s response to Christianity. Given the political and religious tensions in the world today, this volume is well positioned to find relevance and meaning in societies still grappling with the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Judaism for Gentiles

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Publisher : Mohr Siebeck
ISBN 13 : 3161593286
Total Pages : 404 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (615 download)

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Book Synopsis Judaism for Gentiles by : Anders Runesson

Download or read book Judaism for Gentiles written by Anders Runesson and published by Mohr Siebeck. This book was released on 2022-11-21 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Herod

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351670913
Total Pages : 458 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (516 download)

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Book Synopsis Herod by : Peter Richardson

Download or read book Herod written by Peter Richardson and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-08-22 with total page 458 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans examines the life, work, and influence of this controversial figure, who remains the most highly visible of the Roman client kings under Augustus. Herod’s rule shaped the world in which Christianity arose and his influence can still be seen today. In this expanded second edition, additions to the original text include discussion of the archaeological evidence of Herod’s activity, his building program, numismatic evidence, and consideration of the roles and activities of other client kings in relation to Herod. This volume includes new maps and numerous photographs, and these coupled with the new additions to the text make this a valuable tool for those interested in the wider Roman world of the late first century BCE at both under- and postgraduate levels. Herod remains the definitive study of the life and activities of the king known traditionally as Herod the Great.

Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods

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Publisher : Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
ISBN 13 : 3647522155
Total Pages : 433 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (475 download)

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Book Synopsis Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods by : Lutz Doering

Download or read book Synagogues in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods written by Lutz Doering and published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. This book was released on 2020-12-14 with total page 433 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The study of ancient Judaism has enjoyed a steep rise in interest and publications in recent decades, although the focus has often been on the ideas and beliefs represented in ancient Jewish texts rather than on the daily lives and the material culture of Jews/Judaeans and their communities. The nascent institution of the synagogue formed an increasingly important venue for communal gathering and daily or weekly practice. This collection of essays brings together a broad spectrum of new archaeological and textual data with various emergent theories and interpretative methods in order to address the need to understand the place of the synagogue in the daily and weekly procedures, community frameworks, and theological structures in which Judaeans, Galileans, and Jewish people in the Diaspora lived and gathered. The interdisciplinary studies will be of great significance for anyone studying ancient Jewish belief, practice, and community formation.

Lord, Giver of Life

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Publisher : Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN 13 : 1554580692
Total Pages : 180 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (545 download)

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Book Synopsis Lord, Giver of Life by : Jane Barter Moulaison

Download or read book Lord, Giver of Life written by Jane Barter Moulaison and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2006-12-19 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: George Lindbeck once characterized postliberalism, which received its initial structure from his book The Nature of Doctrine, as an attempt to recover pre-modern scriptural interpretation in contemporary form. In Lord, Giver of Life: Toward a Pneumatological Complement to George Lindbeck’s Theory of Doctrine, Jane Barter Moulaison explores the success of that effort through a close examination of Lindbeck’s own theological contributions. Taking seriously the ecumenical promises of Lindbeck’s writing (he was instrumental in advancing Lutheran and Roman Catholic dialogue throughout the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s), this book brings Lindbeck’s famous cultural-linguistic model of religion into dialogue with Christianity’s theological forbearers: specifically, the Eastern progenitors of orthodox confession. This constellation of theological voices—Lindbeck, his supporters and detractors, along with patristic theologians—is meant not only to test the viability of a religious model but, more importantly, to advance Lindbeck’s project in ways that have not yet been pursued. Among the critical questions engaged are: to what degree can the excesses of modern theology be overcome by a return to premodern sources? What are the implications of a constructive pneumatology to the cultural-linguistic model? Does this complement address the critiques of postliberalism, particularly those that consider the role of human agency, rationality, and autonomy? While Lindbeck recovers significant and forgotten elements of pre-modern biblical interpretation, the very formalism of his project sometimes obscures the theological underpinnings of premodern insights and practices. Through specific attention to Eastern Trinitarian theologies of the fourth century, this book exposes a rather persistent oversight within Lindbeck’s recovery: namely, that alongside the regulative function of canon and doctrine, early biblical interpretation recognizes the role of the Holy Spirit in the appropriation of scripture, in the mission of the church, and in the defence of the gospel within the context of an unbelieving world. This book attends to these insights from the early churchs doctrine of the Holy Spirit in appreciative service to the cultural-linguistic model of religion.

The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317722248
Total Pages : 749 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (177 download)

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Book Synopsis The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus by : Craig Evans

Download or read book The Routledge Encyclopedia of the Historical Jesus written by Craig Evans and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-01-14 with total page 749 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This Encyclopedia brings together the vast array of historical research into the reality of the man, the teachings, the acts, and the events ascribed to him that have served as the foundational story of one of the world's central religions. This kind of historiography is not biography. The historical study of the Jesus stories and the transmission of these stories through time have been of seminal importance to historians of religion. Critical historical examination has provided a way for scholars of Christianity for centuries to analyze the roots of legend and religion in a way that allows scholars an escape from the confines of dogma, belief, and theological interpretation. In recent years, historical Jesus studies have opened up important discussions concerning anti-Semitism and early Christianity and the political and ideological filtering of the Jesus story of early Christianity through the Roman empire and beyond. Entries will cover the classical studies that initiated the new historiography, the theoretical discussions about authenticating the historical record, the examination of sources that have led to the western understanding of Jesus' teachings and disseminated myth of the events concerning Jesus' birth and death. Subject areas include: the history of the historical study of the New Testament: major contributors and their works theoretical issues and concepts methodologies and criteria historical genres and rhetorical styles in the story of Jesus historical and rhetorical context of martyrdom and messianism historical teachings of Jesus teachings within historical context of ethics titles of Jesus historical events in the life of Jesus historical figures in the life of Jesus historical use of Biblical figures referenced in the Gospels places and regions institutions the history of the New Testament within the culture, politics, and law of the Roman Empire.

Divine Wrath and Salvation in Matthew

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Publisher : Fortress Press
ISBN 13 : 145145225X
Total Pages : 545 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (514 download)

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Book Synopsis Divine Wrath and Salvation in Matthew by : Anders Runesson

Download or read book Divine Wrath and Salvation in Matthew written by Anders Runesson and published by Fortress Press. This book was released on 2016-10-01 with total page 545 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Judgment and the wrath of God are prominent themes in Matthew’s Gospel. Because judgment is announced not only on the hypocritical but also on those who reject God’s messengers—and because this rejection is implicitly connected with the destruction of Jerusalem—the Gospel has often been read in terms of God’s rejection of Israel, with catastrophic results. Anders Runesson sets out to show, through careful study of Matthew’s composition and comparison with contemporary Jewish literature, that the theme of divine judgment plays very different and distinct roles regarding diverse groups of Jews (including Jesus’ disciples) and non-Jews in this Gospel. Runesson examines various assumptions regarding the criteria of judgment in each case and finds that Matthew does not support some of the most popular slogans in Christian theology. The results and implications for our historical understanding of Christian origins and our theological estimation of Matthew’s place in that story will be of vital interest to scholars and students for years to come.

Flores Florentino

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Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9047423097
Total Pages : 866 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (474 download)

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Book Synopsis Flores Florentino by : Anthony Hilhorst

Download or read book Flores Florentino written by Anthony Hilhorst and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2007-11-30 with total page 866 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume comprises forty-eight essays, presented by friends, colleagues and students in honour of Florentino García Martínez. The articles are primarily in the field of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but also cover many other fields of Second Temple Judaism, from late biblical texts and Septuagint up to the pseudepigrapha and early rabbinic writings.

Canadian Methodist Women, 1766-1925

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Publisher : Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press
ISBN 13 : 0889209197
Total Pages : 323 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (892 download)

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Book Synopsis Canadian Methodist Women, 1766-1925 by : Marilyn Färdig Whiteley

Download or read book Canadian Methodist Women, 1766-1925 written by Marilyn Färdig Whiteley and published by Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press. This book was released on 2006-01-01 with total page 323 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Canadian Methodist women, like women of all religious traditions, have expressed their faith in accordance with their denominational heritage. Canadian Methodist Women, 1766-1925: Marys, Marthas, Mothers in Israel analyzes the spiritual life and the varied activities of women whose faith helped shape the life of the Methodist Church and of Canadian society from the latter half of the eighteenth century until church union in 1925. Based on extensive readings of periodicals, biographies, autobiographies, and the records of many women’s groups across Canada, as well as early histories of Methodism, Marilyn Färdig Whiteley tells the story of ordinary women who provided hospitality for itinerant preachers, taught Sunday school, played the melodeon, selected and supported women missionaries, and taught sewing to immigrant girls, thus expressing their faith according to their opportunities. In performing these tasks they sometimes expanded women’s roles well beyond their initial boundaries. Focusing on religious practices, Canadian Methodist Women, 1766-1925 provides a broad perspective on the Methodist movement that helped shape nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Canadian society. The use and interpretation of many new or little-used sources will interest those wishing to learn more about the history of women in religion and in Canadian society.

Philo of Alexandria and the Construction of Jewishness in Early Christian Writings

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0198820720
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (988 download)

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Book Synopsis Philo of Alexandria and the Construction of Jewishness in Early Christian Writings by : Jennifer Otto

Download or read book Philo of Alexandria and the Construction of Jewishness in Early Christian Writings written by Jennifer Otto and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Philo of Alexandria and the Construction of Jewishness in Early Christian Writings investigates portrayals of the first-century philosopher and exegete Philo of Alexandria, in the writings of Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Eusebius. It argues that early Christian invocations of Philo are best understood not as attempts simply to claim an illustrious Jew for the Christian fold, but as examples of ongoing efforts to define the continuities and distinctive features of Christian beliefs and practices in relation to those of the Jews. This study takes as its starting point the curious fact that none of the first three Christians to mention Philo refer to him unambiguously as a Jew. Clement, the first in the Christian tradition to openly cite Philo's works, refers to him twice as a Pythagorean. Origen, who mentions Philo by name only three times, makes far more frequent reference to him in the guise of an anonymous "one who came before us." Eusebius, who invokes Philo on many more occasions than does Clement or Origen, most often refers to Philo as a Hebrew. These epithets construct Philo as an alternative "near-other" to both Christians and Jews, through whom ideas and practices may be imported to the former from the latter, all the while establishing boundaries between the "Christian" and "Jewish" ways of life. The portraits of Philo offered by each author reveal ongoing processes of difference-making and difference-effacing that constituted not only the construction of the Jewish "other," but also the Christian "self."