The Effects of Imperial Policy Upon Christian Persecution and the Development of the Christian Church PDF Download

Author: Bruce M. Johnson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Church history
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Author: Reinhard Selinger
Publisher: Peter Lang Gmbh, Internationaler Verlag Der Wissenschaften
ISBN: 9783631523773
Category : Persecution
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The aim of this study is to explore the development from pagan religious policy to the persecution of Christians in the middle of the third century AD. Up to the present, research has largely depended on Christian sources and has focused on the consequences for the Church alone. The limitations of Christian authors, however, are obvious. Even if they were victims of persecution, none of them paid much attention to the imperial government itself; all they were concerned with were the effects on the Church. In contrast, this book looks at the Emperor and his governors at work as described by inscriptions and papyri in comparison with Christian authors. As such, this study considers not only the effects of the imperial measures on the Church and its leaders but also their original purpose. In conclusion, there is no compelling reason to see Decius' decree as a device for persecution, whereas the first Valerian law was directed against the Church hierarchy leaving hardly any room for Christian practices, and the second one was a reaction to reported problems with the implementation of the first.

Author: Paula Fredriksen
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN: 0300164106
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
"Magisterial. . . . A learned, brilliant and enjoyable study."—Géza Vermès, Times Literary Supplement In this exciting book, Paula Fredriksen explains the variety of New Testament images of Jesus by exploring the ways that the new Christian communities interpreted his mission and message in light of the delay of the Kingdom he had preached. This edition includes an introduction reviews the most recent scholarship on Jesus and its implications for both history and theology. "Brilliant and lucidly written, full of original and fascinating insights."—Reginald H. Fuller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion "This is a first-rate work of a first-rate historian."—James D. Tabor, Journal of Religion "Fredriksen confronts her documents—principally the writings of the New Testament—as an archaeologist would an especially rich complex site. With great care she distinguishes the literary images from historical fact. As she does so, she explains the images of Jesus in terms of the strategies and purposes of the writers Paul, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John."—Thomas D’Evelyn, Christian Science Monitor

Author: Vincent Twomey
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Among the papers brought together for this conference are: 'Philosophical objections to Christianity on the eve of the great persecution', 'Lessons from Diocletian's persecution', 'Preparation for martyrdom in the early church' and 'The origin of the cult of St George'.

Author: Arthur Richard Whitham
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Church history
Languages : en
Pages : 374

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Author: Earle E. Cairns
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
ISBN: 0310829305
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 562

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Book Description
The third edition of Christianity Through the Centuries brings the reader up-to-date by discussing events and developments in the church into the 1990s. This edition has been redesigned with new typography and greatly improved graphics to increase clarity, accessibility, and usefulness. - New chapters examine recent trends and developments (expanding the last section from 2 chapters to 5) - New photos. Over 100 photos in all -- more than twice the number in the previous edition - Single-column format for greater readability and a contemporary look - Improved maps (21) and charts (39) Building on the features that have made Christianity Through the Centuries an indispensable text, the author not only explains the development of doctrines, movements, and institutions, but also gives attention to "the impact of Christianity on its times and to the mark of the times on Christianity."

Author: Shadi Bartsch
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1107052203
Category : Architecture
Languages : en
Pages : 423

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Book Description
A lively and accessible guide to the rich literary, philosophical and artistic achievements of the notorious age of Nero.

Author: E. T. Salmon
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134963483
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 388

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Book Description
Including an account of political and military developments, and including sections on social, economic an cultural life, this book presents a survey of the Roman world at a time when the Principate was established, and the Pax Romana consolidated.

Author: Morwenna Ludlow
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857735594
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
How did the early Christians manage to establish a religion and institution which, despite persecution, flourished and grew? How did their initial experience of being a despised minority in the Roman Empire shape their sense of privileged identity and uniqueness? And how was it that - at least at the outset - the first believers were able to exist alongside the same shared traditions, rituals and beliefs of the Jews, despite the Jewish rejection of Jesus as Messiah?The Christian community was born out of paradox: its faith in a man who was also the 'anointed one' (or Christ) of God; and its growth and development often echoed those complex and contradictory origins. Morwenna Ludlow discusses the fragile context as well as the emerging core beliefs of the early Church (including divine creation, salvation, eschatology, the humanity and divinity of Christ and the inter-relationships of the Trinity) between 50-600 CE. She also examines the process of Christian self-definition in response to groups on the edge of the Church, such as Gnostics, Marcionites, Montanists and Manichaeans, as well as in relation to Judaism. Bringing to vivid life the remarkable history of the early Church, in all its conflict and struggle, the author shows why such a successful faith was able to rise out of such improbable and unpromising beginnings.

Author: Rodney Stark
Publisher: Harper Collins
ISBN: 0060677015
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
This "fresh, blunt, and highly persuasive account of how the West was won—for Jesus" (Newsweek) is now available in paperback. Stark's provocative report challenges conventional wisdom and finds that Christianity's astounding dominance of the Western world arose from its offer of a better, more secure way of life. "Compelling reading" (Library Journal) that is sure to "generate spirited argument" (Publishers Weekly), this account of Christianity's remarkable growth within the Roman Empire is the subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who has puzzled over Christianity's rise to dominance...must read it." says Yale University's Wayne A. Meeks, for The Rise of Christianity makes a compelling case for startling conclusions. Combining his expertise in social science with historical evidence, and his insight into contemporary religion's appeal, Stark finds that early Christianity attracted the privileged rather than the poor, that most early converts were women or marginalized Jews—and ultimately "that Christianity was a success because it proved those who joined it with a more appealing, more assuring, happier, and perhaps longer life" (Andrew M. Greeley, University of Chicago).