Contributions

  • Mason, Steve, 1957-. - Contributor
  • Robinson, Thomas A. 1951- - Contributor

Publication

2004 - Hendrickson Publishers, Peabody, MA, Massachusetts

Language

English

Word Count

195,000 words, Guess

Page Count

780 pages

Identifiers

and 4 more

Classifications

  • DDC270.1
  • LCCBR63 .E18 2004
  • LCCBR160.A1

Description

Early Christian Reader is a sourcebook and textbook that offers a welcoming and informed entrée into the complex world of the earliest Christian literature. The books of the New Testament (NRSV) are presented in a plausible chronological order rather than the canonical order encountered in New Testaments. In addition, translations of other early and important works such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Didache, the Letter of Barnabas, 1 Clement, and the letters of Ignatius are included. This volume examines each text as a product of its time and situation and traces similar themes from one text to the next. Each work's introduction discusses the date and place of composition, authorship, audience, basic themes, literary features, Jewish and Hellenistic contexts, and includes suggestions for further readings in the secondary literature. Generous notes illuminate specific historical, lexical, and interpretive issues. Broader issues affecting the treatment of these texts are introduced in seven lead articles covering such topics as ancient letter-writing, the relationships among the Gospels, meaning in texts, early church leadership structures, and the relationship between texts and events--for example in Jesus' life.

Description

For studying early Christianity in its historical context, standard editions of the New Testament are less than ideal. They present the earliest Christian writings out of chronological order and omit writings similar in age and historical importance to the books of the New Testament. In Early Christian Reader, these texts are arranged in a more historically meaningful order. The books of the New Testament are presented in the NRSV, the most widely accepted version in university classrooms today. Also included are translations of the letters of Ignatius, 1 Clement, the Didache, the Gospel of Thomas and the Epistle of Barnabas. Introductions to each work discuss date and place of composition, authorship, basic themes, and the Jewish and Hellenistic contexts. Generous notes illumine specific historical, lexical, and interpretive issues. Thus Early Christian Reader thus offers an objective, informed entrée into the complex world of the earliest Christian literature. Useful appendixes, maps, and charts make this an ideal text for the university or college classroom.

Subjects

Links

Other Editions

  • Early Christian reader: Christian texts from the first and second centuries in contemporary English translations including the New Revised Standard Version of the New TestamentHendrickson Publishers2004-01-01

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