Customer Reviews

Emergence of the Christian Religion: Essays on Early Christianity

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Early Christian Religion:
It is generally agreed between Biblical scholars that for several generations there was great variety and diversity in Early Christian thinking. As Christianity became recognized under Constantine in early fourth century, becoming the religion of the Empire under Theodosius. Christian doctrines had to be agreed and standardized throughout all the churches, which sometimes provoked debates, that lasted in some instances for several generations. The main great ecumenical councils; Nicaea, 325; Constantinople, 381; Ephesus, 431; and the schismatic council of Chalcedon, 451 have finally established the official Church versions of the doctrines of Christ and the Trinity; to differ from which was heresy.

Early Christian Thought:
From the very beginning of the Christian movement, followers of Jesus tried to make sense of the impact of Jesus of Nazareth, and began arguing about differing ways of making sense. The processes of making sense initially drew upon the ideas and narratives of contemporary Judaism, which has been already Hellenized in differing rates. Although the Jewish scriptures remained a bench mark of theological development, as time passed by, issues and concepts from the Hellenistic milieu were drawn on, though too sharp a distinction between Hebrew and Hellenic is doubtful. John's Gospel Prologue, as an example of early Christian elements previously thought to be basically Neoplatonic, are now debated to be thoroughly Jewish. Some main characters of the second/third centuries Christianity, sometimes called proto-orthodox, being the direct ancestors of the types of Christianity that got defined as Orthodox, in the fourth century. They have invested a great deal of time and toil in debates between their widely spread thoughts, pursuing an integrated interest in each other's beliefs and practices. Such concern led into councils that seem to have been finally a driver of the settling of theological thoughts and doctrinal beliefs.

Emergence of Christianity:
This collection of Birger Pearson essays helps dealing in a scholarly methodology with existing and anticipated flow of fiction style writings, literary sketches and movies from late Morton Smith popular book 'The Secret Gospel' describing a manuscript that he allegedly found in St. Saba monastery near Jerusalem, to 'The Da Vinci Code', and Bart Ehrman's turning around the rules of textual criticism, comparing the historical Jesus to the apocalyptic prophets that have appeared throughout history proclaiming the end of the age, proceeding into a series of controversial, yet popular books on 'Lost Scriptures,' and 'Lost Christianities.'

Pearson's Vignettes:
Pearsons literary sketches and essays cover a spectrum of issues from the Jesus Seminar to the sotereological philanthropy which took a main part in the development of Christianity, led by the learned Didaskaleon of Alexandria. The book is orchestrated to tackle and address concurrent problematic issues of Christian origins, as it emerged from Rabbinic Judaism, using Neoplatonic terms of Alexandria. He attempts utilizing textual and historical analysis exploring the use of terms and social practices of the Humanity loving Lord. His selection and utilization of both biblical verses in chapter 3 and 4, he masterfully links with Gnostic mythologies. he does not shy from treating the hard issue of Gnostic interpretations of the Septuagint, and explores the problem of 'Jewish Gnostic' literature, a recommended reading for the secular State university religious studies, students as well as popular fiction writers. In his concluding chapter professor Pearson reflects on the tools and methods used by scholars in their study of Christianity.

Birger A. Pearson:
Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies. University of California, Santa Barbara, and Interim Director, Religious Studies Program, University of California, Berkeley is an expert in Christian origins and early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Hellenistic religions, Gnosticism, Coptic language and literature. Professor Pearson is one of the most qualified with few others including Helmut Koester, and James Robinson, who out of their participation in the translation, study and analysis of Coptic Gnostic writings could easily discern between truth and fantasy, in the emergence case.
He wrote many valuable studies and books including 'Ancient Gnosticism: Traditions And Literature, Gnosticism and Christianity in Roman and Coptic Egypt and managed 'The Roots of Egyptian Christianity' a project to foster scholarship on early Egyptian Christianity and its emergence as the religion of Egypt.