The Theology of Jewish Christianity: A History of Early Christian Doctrine Before The Council of Nicaea [Hardcover]

Jean Daniélou (Author), John A. Baker (Translator)

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Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 446 pages
• Publisher: Westminster Press (1977)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0664210619
• ISBN-13: 978-0664210618
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,061,382 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encountering the early faith, not just Hellenism, December 21, 2004

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matt (the reading room) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Theology of Jewish Christianity: A History of Early Christian Doctrine Before The Council of Nicaea (Hardcover)

If you have any interest in early Christianity, especially its direct continuity with the various streams of Judaism at the time, then this book is a must have. This is an exhaustive treatment of that critical period in the history of the Jewish/Christian faith when identities were being established and refuted.

The chapters include the following titles, which will give you an idea of what is covered. 1 The literary heritage of Jewish Christianity, 2 Heterodox Jewish Christianity, 3 Jewish Christian Exegesis, 4 The Trinity and Angelology, 5 The Son of God, 6 Jewish Christian Apocalyptic, 7 The Lion and the Star: the Theology of the Incarnation, 8 The theology of redemption part one, 9 The theology of redemption part two: the mystery of the cross, 10 The Church, 11 Baptism and Eucharist, 12 Community Organization, 13 Personal holiness, 14 Millenarianism, 15 Conclusion
Bio and index and glossary. Every chapter merits the price of the book, so this is a true buffet of scholarship to delight the nerd or seeker in you.

This book, along with the various works of Martin Hengel such as Judaism and Hellenism: Studies in Their Encounter in Palestine During the Early Hellenistic Period, The 'Hellenization' of Judea in the First Century After Christ, Crucifixion in the Ancient World and the Folly of the Message of the Cross (Facets) and Skarasune's In the Shadow of the Temple: Jewish Influences on Early Christianity and Jewish Believers in Jesus: The Early Centuries. His Incarnation Myth or Fact (Concordia Scholarship Today) is also a fantastic intro to the subject. Skarsaune's work is the most readable, but all three of the authors are masters of their material and faithful to the tradition.

What strikes me most is how thoroughly Jewish Christianity is, especially when it is approached from the liturgical and Scriptural standpoint. During my school days it was commonplace, perhaps a la Harnak, to dismiss the formation of Christian doctrine as a hellenization of Jewish teachings to make them more understandable and palatable to gentiles. This is very much untrue, and when the question of hellenization does legitimately come up, it is more accurate to say that Hellenic thought was Christianized rather than the reverse. For more on that, combined with Hengel, see Jaroslav Pelikan's Christianity and Classical Culture: The Metamorphosis of Natural Theology in the Christian Encounter with Hellenism (Gifford Lectures Series).