Among the Gentiles: Greco-Roman Religion and Christianity (The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library)

✍ Scribed by Luke Timothy Johnson

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 474
• Series: The Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Luke Timothy Johnson does it again. This most creative and learned interpreter of New Testament and early church history challenges his readers to use four new interpretive categories to explore Jewish, Christian, and Gentile religion. Scales fall from readers' eyes as they see familiar texts in exciting and brilliant new ways. For example, why should it be surprising that new converts in Galatia wanted to add circumcision to baptism? After all, the religious practices with which they were familiar invited deeper levels of initiation.

✦ Table of Contents

Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
Preface......Page 10
Ancient attack and apology......Page 14
The mixing of elements......Page 22
The need for a new approach......Page 26
New perspectives......Page 28
New knowledge......Page 34
Challenging old reconstructions......Page 39
General features......Page 45
Prophecy......Page 52
Healing......Page 53
Mysteries......Page 54
Pilgrimage......Page 55
Magic......Page 56
Ways of being religious......Page 57
The way of moral transformation......Page 59
The way of transcending the world......Page 60
The way of stabilizing the world......Page 61
4. Religion as Participation in Divine Benefits: Aelius Aristides......Page 63
Aelius Aristides and the Second Sophistic......Page 64
A sketch of Aristides' life......Page 66
Participation in divine benefits......Page 68
The sacred tales......Page 71
5. Religion as Moral Transformation: Epictetus......Page 77
The life of Epictetus......Page 78
The Stoic teacher......Page 81
Religion as moral transformation......Page 84
The philosopher as God's messenger......Page 88
6. Religion as Transcending the World: Poimandres......Page 92
Early traces......Page 93
The Hermetic literature......Page 97
Poimandres......Page 101
7. Religion as Stabilizing the World: Plutarch......Page 106
Maintaining the city of gods and men......Page 108
The many-sided Plutarch......Page 112
Superstition......Page 114
Atheism......Page 118
Piety......Page 120
Judaism in the Greco-Roman world......Page 124
A united and divided people......Page 127
Religion as participation in divine benefits......Page 132
Religion as moral transformation......Page 136
Religion as transcending the world......Page 138
Religion as stabilizing the world......Page 139
9. The Appearance of Christianity in the Greco-Roman World......Page 143
Christianity's first expansion......Page 145
Religious experience and confession......Page 146
Social settings......Page 151
Ways of being religious......Page 153
10. New Testament Christianity as Participation in Divine Benefits......Page 155
The enthusiastic Corinthians......Page 156
Ritual imprinting in Phrygia......Page 158
Jesus the bringer of benefits......Page 160
The man from heaven......Page 166
11. New Testament Christianity as Moral Transformation......Page 171
Paul as moral teacher......Page 172
James and "pure religion"......Page 177
Hebrews and moral education......Page 179
Other forms of religion in the New Testament......Page 182
Historical and social framework......Page 185
The apocryphal acts of apostles......Page 188
Apocryphal narrative gospels......Page 196
Montanism......Page 199
Martyr piety......Page 200
13. Moral Transformation in Second- and Third-Century Christianity......Page 207
First steps: Clement of Rome and Polycarp of Smyrna......Page 208
Symbolic figure: Justin Martyr......Page 211
Christianity as philosophy: Clement of Alexandria......Page 217
The Christian philosopher: Origen of Alexandria......Page 221
14. Transcending the World in Second- and Third-Century Christianity......Page 227
Irenaeus on the Gnostics......Page 230
Writings from Nag-Hammadi......Page 234
15. Stabilizing the World in Second- and Third-Century Christianity......Page 247
Bishops and cult......Page 248
Early church orders......Page 252
The Quartodeciman Controversy......Page 255
Irenaeus of Lyons......Page 259
Cyprian of Carthage......Page 263
16. After Constantine: Christianity as Imperial Religion......Page 268
The Constantinian era......Page 269
Participation in benefits......Page 271
Stabilizing the world......Page 275
Moral transformation......Page 278
Transcending the world......Page 281
Epilogue......Page 288
Implications of the study......Page 291
A final word......Page 295
1. Beyond Attack and Apology: A New Look at an Old Debate......Page 298
2. Beginning a New Conversation......Page 303
3. A Preliminary Profile of Greco-Roman Religion......Page 313
4. Religion as Participation in Divine Benefits: Aelius Aristides......Page 325
5. Religion as Moral Transformation: Epictetus......Page 328
6. Religion as Transcending the World: Poimandres......Page 332
7. Religion as Stabilizing the World: Plutarch......Page 336
8. Ways of Being Jewish in the Greco-Roman World......Page 339
9. The Appearance of Christianity in the Greco-Roman World......Page 356
10. New Testament Christianity as Participation in Divine Benefits......Page 368
11. New Testament Christianity as Moral Transformation......Page 375
12. Christianity in the Second and Third Centuries: Participation in Divine Benefits......Page 378
13. Moral Transformation in Second- and Third-Century Christianity......Page 386
14. Transcending the World in Second- and Third-Century Christianity......Page 390
15. Stabilizing the World in Second- and Third-Century Christianity......Page 397
16. After Constantine: Christianity as Imperial Religion......Page 400
Scripture Index......Page 418
Index of Ancient Authors......Page 431
Index of Modern Authors......Page 457
Subject Index......Page 466