A History of Christianity in America
by
The story of Christianity in America is a fascinating one, marked by constant change, development, and innovation. The faith has shaped the country, even as the country has shaped it. Award-winning historian Mark Granquist has written an up-to-date telling of this story from the arrival of Europeans to the present day. While the twists and turns are complex, varied, and at times confusing, Granquist has identified several consistent threads that weave their way through the various branches and periods of American Christianity: voluntary religion, pluralism, and an innovative religious marketplace.The account is comprehensive without being overwhelming. And it is presented in a clear and compelling narrative sure to capture and hold readers' interest. This book is therefore ideal for use in semester-long classes in undergraduate or graduate programs and appealing for general readers. The main text is accompanied by illustrative elements including sidebars, images, maps, and timelines.
Lutheran Music and the Thirty Years War: confession, politics, devotion
by
This book takes a new look at sacred music written in present-day central Germany during the Thirty Years War (1618-48), and in doing so reveals distinct connections between religious works and the historical and political contexts in which they emerged. As author Derek L. Stauff asserts, specific Lutheran biblical motets and sacred concertos engage with the war's events, people, and politics in more detailed and meaningful ways than previously imagined. Composers working in Saxony, like Heinrich Schütz, Johann Hermann Schein, Tobias Michael, and Andreas Hammerschmidt, crafted these connections by deftly selecting biblical texts that specifically resonated with the war, by setting their texts in ways that amplify these resonances, and by performing this music in politically meaningful contexts. As a result, their music could take on a variety of war-related meanings: some pieces represent the Lutheran church and community, stoking fears about Catholic political aggression and religious persecution, warning Lutherans of the grave peril in which their church was foundering, and comforting believers with promises of God's protection. Other works celebrate contemporary political and military alignments, such as the Swedish-Saxon alliance (1631-35) and its victory at the Battle of Breitenfeld (1631), and close scrutiny of a few musical pieces reveals hidden or implicit critique of a controversial decree like the Edict of Restitution (1628) or of the excesses of Swedish troops. Stauff investigates the scriptural texts at the root of this repertoire, drawing on theological and devotional writings to show how early modern Lutherans connected these texts to the war and its political disputes. He also reconstructs the political contexts in which some works were performed or published; while his analyses focus chiefly on Saxony--especially Leipzig--they also remain relevant to other Lutheran regions of the Holy Roman Empire.In a repertoire that might all too easily appear to uniformly preach peace and protest war, or to float timelessly in a liturgical space undisturbed by contemporary affairs, Stauff decisively shows how Lutheran composers actively reflected on and responded to the war, as well as the political and religious struggles underpinning it, through their sacred music.
The Author in Early Christian Literature
by
While scholars of ancient Mediterranean literature have focused their efforts heavily on explaining why authors would write pseudonymously or anonymously, less time has been spent exploring why an author would write orthonymously (that is, under their own name). This Element explores how early Christian writers began to care deeply about 'correct' attribution of both Christian and non-Christian literature for their own apologetic purposes, as well as how scholars have overlooked the function that orthonymity plays in some early Christian texts. Orthonymity was not only a decision made by a writer regarding how to attribute one's own writings, but also how to classify other writers' texts based on proper or improper attribution. This Element urges us to examine forms of authorship that are often treated as an unexamined default, as well as to more robustly consider when, how, for whom, and for what purposes an instance of authorial attribution is deemed 'correct.
The Beauty of Belief decorating the Württemberg Church during the Reformation (2025)
by
The Beauty of Belief sheds new light on Lutheran relationships with ecclesiastical decoration in southwest Germany following the Duchy of Württemberg's Reformation in 1534. Based on extensive original archival research and engagement with surviving images and objects, Róisín Watson compellingly demonstrates how Lutherans moved away from initial acts of iconoclasm and towards embracing the possibilities of the religious image in their devotional routines. She explores the interactions of Württemberg rulers, pastors, and congregations with their ecclesiastical spaces across the political upheavals of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In doing so, this book tells not only the story of the visual culture of the Reformation, but an account of Württemberg's Reformation itself.
Paul Through the Eyes of the Reformers
by
A brilliant reappraisal of Protestant Reformers' views on Paul In this incisive book, Stephen Chester challenges misconceptions and provides new insights into how sixteenth-century Protestant Reformers interpreted the writings of Paul. Writing for those who are interpreting Pauline letters in and for today's world, Chester demonstrates the value of a nuanced and accurate understanding of the Reformers' views on Paul. Throughout the book, Chester draws on key ideas from his monumental work Reading Paul with the Reformers, which won Christianity Today's book of the year award in biblical studies. In Paul through the Eyes of the Reformers, Chester updates the argument and presents the ideas in a shorter and more accessible form designed for a broad readership. To help readers better understand the Reformers' historical and theological context, Chester surveys perspectives on Paul prior to the sixteenth century. Against this background, Chester illuminates the paradigm shifts in Pauline interpretation that unfolded during the Reformation, paying special attention to the work of Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, and John Calvin. He also discusses the promise and challenge of reading Paul with the Reformers today, highlighting the importance of engaging with the Reformers' work critically, reaching different conclusions from them where necessary, and taking inspiration from them when appropriate. Paul through the Eyes of the Reformers is a remarkable resource for biblical scholars who care about Paul and his theology.
A Defense of Free Will Against Luther
by
Lord Acton said that of all the works written against Martin Luther in the beginning of the Reformation, Bishop John Fisher of Rochester's Assertionis Lutheranae Confutatio of 1523 was the most important. Oddly enough this massive work of Catholic apologetics, composed in Latin, has never been rendered into the English language. It contains Fisher's detailed responses to all forty-one articles defended by Martin Luther against the censures of Pope Leo X found in the bull Exsurge Domine (1520). In this volume Thomas Scheck presents for the first time in English translation, introduced, and annotated, Fisher's Preface to the Reader, Ten Truths, and the most important single article found in Fisher's Confutation, namely his Confutation of Luther's Assertion of Article 36, in which Fisher defends the existence of free will against Luther's claim that free will is a fiction with no reality. Fisher's reply is thoroughly grounded in Scripture and in the interpretation of Scripture found in the ancient Fathers of the Church. Interestingly to defend free will he makes abundant use of Augustine, Origen, Jerome, Tertullian and John Chrysostom. Luther's controversy with the Catholic Church over free will is well known today from his debate with Erasmus of Rotterdam, which is easily accessible in English. Less well known is the fact that Bishop John Fisher's reply to Luther preceded Erasmus's by one year and was used extensively by Erasmus himself in arguing against Luther's positions. Also noteworthy is that Bishop John Fisher's particular response to Luther was well known to the bishops and theologians at the Council of Trent (1545-1563) and appears to have influenced the formulation of Catholic dogma in the Decree on Justification, where free will is affirmed and the power of human resistance recognized. Bishop John Fisher was canonized along with St. Thomas More in 1935, 400 years after their bloody martyrdoms under King Henry VIII. Their mutual feast day is on June 22.
Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) on Crisis, Difference, and the Revelatory
by
Calls for reformation were widespread across the medieval Roman Catholic Church, but few were as nuanced or philosophically rich as the lifelong work of Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464). Cusa centralized the coincidentia oppositorum, the coincidence of opposites, in our knowledge of God and the mystical institution of the Church. In his book, Michael R. Kearney traces Cusa's historical impact on philosophy of communication and communication ethics with an eye toward the health of institutions in a postmodern moment of cynicism and decline. Cusa loved the church and fought passionately for its reform, energized by the "clouded vision" of a God who is beyond opposites. This champion of dialogic reformation offers churches and communities an unfinished task with a unity of contraries at its heart: upholding local narrative ground with tenacious loyalty while working in an increasingly large world.
Jacob of Sarug's Homily on Christ's Entrance to Sheol
by
Recognized as a saint by both Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian Christians alike, Jacob of Sarug (d. 521) produced many narrative poems that have rarely been translated into English. Of his reported 760 metrical homilies, only about half survive. In this homily, On the Entrance of Our Lord into Sheol, Jacob tells with great power the invincibility of Sheol and how Christ gave His life to enter into Sheol like any other dead human so that He might conquer it.
Sovereignty and Religious Freedom : a Jewish history
by
A comparative legal history of Jewish sovereignty and religious freedom, illuminating the surprising ways that collective and individual rights have evolved over the past two centuries It is a common assumption that in Israel, Jews have sovereignty, and in most other places where Jews live today, they have religious freedom instead. As Simon Rabinovitch shows in this original work, the situation is much more complicated. Jews today possess different kinds of legal rights in states around the world; some stem from religious freedom protections, and others evolved from a longer history of Jewish autonomy. By comparing conflicts between Jewish collective and individual rights in courts and laws across the globe, from the French Revolution to today, this book provides a nuanced legal history of Jewish sovereignty and religious freedom. Rabinovitch weaves key themes in Jewish legal history with the individual stories of litigants, exploring ideas about citizenship and belonging; who is a Jew; what makes a Jewish family; and how to define Jewish space. He uses recent court cases to explore problems of conflicting rights, and then situates each case in a wider historical context. This unique comparative history creates a global picture of modern legal development in which Jews continue to use the law to carve out surprising forms of sovereignty.
The Jewish South : an American history
by
A panoramic history of the Jewish American South, from European colonization to today In 1669, the Carolina colony issued the Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina, which offered freedom of worship to "Jews, heathens, and other dissenters," ushering in an era that would see Jews settle in cities and towns throughout what would become the Confederate States. The Jewish South tells their stories, and those of their descendants and coreligionists who followed, providing the first narrative history of southern Jews. Drawing on a wealth of original archival findings spanning three centuries, Shari Rabin sheds new light on the complicated decisions that southern Jews made--as individuals, families, and communities--to fit into a society built on Native land and enslaved labor and to maintain forms of Jewish difference, often through religious innovation and adaptation. She paints a richly textured and sometimes troubling portrait of the period, exploring how southern Jews have been targets of antisemitism and violence but also complicit in racial injustice. Rabin considers Jewish immigration and institution building, participation in the Civil War, the 1915 lynching of Leo Frank, and Jewish support for and resistance to the modern fight for Black civil rights. She examines shifting understandings of Jewishness, highlighting both the reality of religious diversity and the ongoing role of Christianity in defining the region. Recovering a neglected facet of the American experience, The Jewish South enables readers to see the South through the eyes of people with a distinctive religious heritage and a southern history older than the United States itself.
His Spear Through My Side into Luther: Calvin's relationship to Luther's doctrine of the will
by
In the Bondage and Liberation of the Will, Calvin claimed full agreement with Luther's doctrine of the unfree will and divine necessity. Some scholars argue however that Calvin was trying to create the appearance of unity and was embarrassed by Luther's teaching. They have also denied any substantial influence from Luther. Others argue that the Reformers discontinued their teaching on necessity in the face of criticism. Matthew Heckel defends Calvin's claim to unity with Luther and that Luther had a formative influence on Calvin. The latter can be seen in the fact that Calvin followed uniquely Lutheran contributions like the denial of free choice as a misleading term, free choice only in what is under human dominion, contingency defined as chance, divine omnipotence as the actuating force of divine necessity, and the distinctions between the hidden and revealed God and law and gospel. Despite what some interpreters have said, both Reformers affirmed necessity because of sin and divine sovereignty throughout their careers. Though the Reformers believed in divine necessity, they were careful to say that God was not the author of sin either before or after the fall of humankind. While Luther and Calvin agreed on necessity imposed by sin and divine sovereignty, they affirmed that the human will is always voluntary and thus responsible for its actions. Concerning predestination, they taught its double nature respecting the elect and the reprobate, while consoling believers by pointing them to grace alone in Christ-the revealed God-and God's preservation of the elect. Differences between the Reformers are noted but true solidarity existed on the will.
Evolving Grace : the spiritual history of a Christian doctrine
by
Evolving Grace: The Spiritual History of a Christian Doctrine seeks to bring out the personal living significance and transformative power of the Christian faith throughout the ages. This book spans from Patristic foundations, through the elaborated systematic constructions of the Middle Ages, to the profound transformation induced by the Protestant Reformation and Roman Catholic responses to it, to twentieth century de- and reconstructions. This theological history, grounded in and reflective of the spiritual experience and development of real Christians in and from the past, contributes to the production and nurturing of a living theology in and for the present.
Tending the Garden : a history of Christian mysticism
by
Mysticism in an ancient and important aspect of the Christian faith, yet it is highly misunderstood. Due to obscure language and concepts, not to mention occasionally eccentric personalities, the mystics can be difficult to approach. Once you peel back the layers of insider language, however, one begins to see a highly relatable group of people who were, first and foremost, concerned with tending to a personal and loving relationship with God. Tending the Gardenprovides the reader with a basic definition of and clarity around several terms and practices of Christian mysticism, as well as analyzing the lives and writings of important Christian mystics. Jennifer Wojciechowski proposes some ways in which we, as modern people living in an industrialized and disenchanted society, can benefit from knowing Christian mystical history and engaging in spiritual practices related to Christian mysticism. The book's aim is to demystify the mystics by making them understandable and relatable to modern believers. In this era of disenchantment and religious decline, Tending the Gardenwill introduce Christians to a rich and vibrant history of mystical prayer and relationship with God in order to spark curiosity and inspire a deeper spiritual life. The book will serve as an accessible introduction to and thematic historical overview of Christian mysticism.
Disgraced : how sex scandals transformed American Protestantism
by
Disgraced is a sweeping religious and cultural history of Protestant sex scandals in nineteenth and twentieth century America. Suzanna Krivulskaya investigates the cultural consequences of scandal, what demands the public made of religion in response to revelations of pastoral misdeeds, and how Protestantism itself changed in the process. From the birth of the modern press to the advent of the internet age, the book traces the public downfalls of religious leaders who purported to safeguard the morality of the nation. Along the way, Protestant ministers' private transgressions journeyed from the privilege of silence to the spectacle of sensationalism. At first hesitant to report on sexual misconduct among the clergy in order to protect the reputation of Protestantism writ large, newspapers embraced the genre of pastoral scandal in the 1870s, when the biggest celebrity minister of the era, Henry Beecher, stood trial for adultery. Scandal reporting escalated in the following decades, creating multiple publicity crises, the likes of which continue to plague churches to this day. As Protestant institutions struggled to protect their reputations, they turned to secrecy and silencing-often foregoing opportunities for engaging in productive reckoning with the problem of sexual hypocrisy among their clergy. Sex scandals, it turns out, have not been mere aberrations in the history of modern Protestantism; they have, in fact, been key to its development. Disgraced shows how the persistence of stories about misbehaving Protestant ministers allowed the press to compete with the pulpit as a source of moral authority, forced denominations to confront the problems that scandal exposed, and emboldened public scrutiny of religious piety. In its broad scope and compelling storytelling, the book is a timely contribution to the current moment of cultural reckoning with religious hypocrisy, charismatic authority, and sexual abuse.
A Very Brief Introduction to Reformation Doctrine
by
This book is for anyone who has an interest in the theology of the Reformation, irrespective of one's prior training in the field. Undergraduate students and laypersons will find it particularly helpful because it does not require any previous acquaintance with Reformation doctrines. All those who want to become minimally acquainted with Reformation thought would therefore find it useful to read or perhaps only browse because the chapters can be approached individually, which means that they can read in any order. Those who want to delve a little deeper into Reformation issues have a selection of over four hundred sources in the bibliography that can be consulted for further reference.
A Dream Eclipsed : the fractured quest for greater Lutheran unity
by
In the last decades of the twentieth century, American Lutherans embarked on a journey fraught with peril and filled with promise: the formation of a new church intended to unite Lutherans throughout the country in a shared vision of ministry, service, and fellowship. Congregations, leaders, institutions, publications, programs--the whole ministerial infrastructure of three of the country's Lutheran church bodies--were reborn with the ringing in of the New Year in 1988. Yet, the birth of this new church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), was not universally celebrated. From his "front-row seat" as the ELCA's first secretary, Lowell G. Almen tells the story of the ELCA's birth, life, and growing pains as it sought to promote and embody Christian unity. A Dream Eclipsedis a memoir of the ELCA's first three and a half decades told from the wealth of Almen's personal and professional experience. It offers a unique view into the triumphs, tribulations, and ongoing work of the ELCA's founding era as the church looks forward to what lies ahead. In facing that future, Almen writes, "The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the whole church always must be on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), taught by the resurrected Christ, informed by the words of Scripture, and renewed in faith through the breaking of the bread."
Early Scholastic Christology 1050-1250
by
This book traces developments in Christology--and specifically the metaphysics of the union of divine and human natures in one person--from 1050 (the age of Anselm of Canterbury) to 1250 (the age of Albert the Great). During the first part of the period, the key issue is the conflict between Augustine's homo assumptus (assumed man) Christology, defended by the Victorines, and that of Boethius's Chalcedonian Christology, defended by Gilbert of Poitiers (sometimes known as the 'subsistence' theory). By 1180, the latter of these was almost universally accepted. A third view, apparently accepted by Peter Lombard among others, according to which it is not true that Christ as man is something--the non-aliquid Christology--was condemned in 1177. The second part of the book traces the way in which theologians attempted to develop the presentation of Conciliar Christology by working out inchoate solutions to some of the metaphysical questions that the issue raises: what is the nature of the hypostatic union between the two natures, or the human nature and the divine person--is it something created, or something uncreated? And, given that the human nature is a particular substance, what prevents it from being a person? Theologians used insights from both of the rejected theories (the homo assumptus Christology and the non-aliquid Christology) in attempting to answer these issues. The early thirteenth century saw both the founding of the universities of Paris and Oxford, and the founding of the Franciscan and Dominican orders. The book explores the impact of these religious identities on the formation of Christological teaching.
Enlightenment's Reformation: religion and philosophy in Germany, 1750-1830
by
How did we get from the religious core of the sixteenth-century Reformation to the notions of freedom popularised by Hegel and Ranke? Enlightenment's Reformation explores how two key cultural and intellectual achievements - the sixteenth-century Reformation and the late eighteenth-century birth of 'German' philosophy - became fused in public discussion over the course of the 'long' eighteenth century. Michael Printy argues that Protestant theologians and intellectuals recast the meaning of Protestantism as part of a wide-ranging cultural apology aimed at the twin threats of unbelief and deism on the one hand, and against Pietism and a nascent evangelical awakening on the other. The reimagining of the Reformation into a narrative of progress was powerful, becoming part of mainstream German intellectual culture in the early decades of the nineteenth century. Utilising Reformation history, Enlightenment history, and German philosophy, this book explores how the rich if unstable idea linking Protestantism and modern freedom came to dominate German intellectual culture until the First World War.
A postcolonial political theology of care and praxis in Ethiopia's era of identity politics : reframing hegemonic and fragmented identities through subjective in-betweenness Postcolonial Political Theology of Care and Praxis in Ethiopia's Era of Identity
by
The author argues that identity politics eliminates Ethiopians' in-between spaces and identities and defines in-between spaces as political, social, religious, and geographical spaces that enable Ethiopians to co-exist with equity, solidarity, and justice. The elimination of in-between spaces and in-between identities creates either-or class, religious, ethnic, and gender categories. Therefore, the author proposes an in-between theology that invites Ethiopians to a new hybrid way of being to resist fragmented and hegemonic identities. The author claims that postcolonial discourse and praxis of in-between pastoral care disrupts and interrogates hegemonic definitions of culture, home, subjectivity, and identity. On the other hand, in-between pastoral care uses embodiment, belonging, subjectivity, and hybridity as features of care and praxis to create intercultural and intersubjective identities that can co-construct and co-create in-between spaces. In the in-between spaces, Ethiopians can relate with the Other with intercultural competencies to live their difference, similarity, hybridity, and complexity.
A Historical Theology of Worship : understanding freedom, order, and participation from the perspective of a Free Church tradition
by
Why does the church worship as it does? Worship is central to the life and vocation of the church. Yet the church's understanding of worship is more often connected to practicalities and a congregation's likes or dislikes. This book seeks to take the reader beyond the practical; to explore where God is in worship and the impact worship should have on the life of the church. Through a historical narrative of the evolution of worship in a British Free Church (the United Reformed Church and its antecedents, the Congregational Church in England and Wales and the Presbyterian Church of England), freedom, order, and participation are identified as the key elements of worship. Investigation into their interrelationship develops a theology of worship that is applicable not only to churches of the Free Church tradition in Britain, but potentially to the universal church.
Ford's the Modern Theologians : an introduction to Christian theology since 1918
by
Captures the multiple voices of Christian theology in a diverse and interconnected world through in-depth studies of representative figures and overviews of key movements Providing an unparalleled overview of the subject, The Modern Theologians provides an indispensable guide to the diverse approaches and perspectives within Christian theology from the early twentieth century to the present. Each chapter is written by a leading scholar and explores the development and trajectory of modern theology while presenting critical accounts of a broad range of relevant topics and representative thinkers. The fourth edition of The Modern Theologians is fully updated to provide readers with a clear picture of the broad spectrum and core concerns of modern Christian theology worldwide. It offers new perspectives on key twentieth-century figures and movements from different geographical and ecclesial contexts. There are expanded sections on theological dialogue with non-Christian traditions, and on Christian theology's engagement with the arts and sciences. A new section explores theological responses to urgent global challenges - such as nationalism, racism, and the environmental crisis. Providing the next generation of theologians with the tools needed to take theological conversations forward, The Modern Theologians: Explores Christian theology's engagement with multiple ways of knowing across diverse approaches and traditions Combines introductions to key modern theologians and coverage of the major movements within contemporary theology Identifies common dynamics found across theologies to enable cross-contextual comparisons Positions individual theologians in geographical regions, trans-local movements, and ecclesial contexts Features new and revised chapters written by experts in particular movements, topics, and individuals Providing in-depth critical evaluation and extensive references to further readings and research, Ford's The Modern Theologians: An Introduction to Christian Theology since 1918, Fourth Edition, remains an ideal textbook for undergraduate and graduate courses in Theology and Religious Studies, such as Introduction to Christian Theology, Systematic Theology, Modern Theology, and Modern Theologians. It is also an invaluable resource for researchers, those involved in various forms of Christian ministry, teachers of religious studies, and general readers engaged in independent study.
Sacred Concrete : the churches of Le Corbusier (3rd revised ed.)
by
Space and ritual Le Corbusier not only designed and built churches, but also engaged intensely with religion and faith and, through his oeuvre, had a significant impact on church architecture of the twentieth century. The book explains Le Corbusier's relationship with religion; it introduces his designs for La Sainte-Baume, the Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut de Ronchamp, La Tourette monastery, and the church of St. Pierre, and investigates his impact on the ensuing modern church architecture in Europe. This includes the Jubilee Church by Richard Meier, the Ignatius Chapel by Steven Holl, the Santa Maria Church by Álvaro Siza, Tadao Ando's Meditation Space, and the Chapel of Reconciliation by Reitermann & Sassenroth. For the third edition, the introduction, the conclusion, and the bibliography have been revised and supplemented. The first comprehensive illustration of Le Corbusier's church architecture A detailed examination of the existing research material Third and revised edition
Divine Light : the art of mosaic in Rome, 300-1300 AD
by
Dazzling mosaic pictures made of glittering shards of light-reflecting colored glass embellish Rome's oldest churches and tell an enduring story of beauty, faith, and artistry across a thousand years. This book brings these little-known masterpieces to life while exploring their meaning, historical context, and spiritual power. Through brilliant full-color photographs with lavish details, Wendy A. Stein presents twelve ensembles of mosaic preserved in nine churches. The subjects reveal their glory as their imagery is decoded, telling the story of an ideal Rome whose power was derived from both its imperial past and its Christian legacy. Together, the mosaics embody the interpretation of light as an expression of the divine. With a detailed map to easily locate the churches, this volume is a perfect travel companion.
Constantine and the Council of Nicaea, : defining orthodoxy and heresy in Christianity, 325 CE; Second Edition
by
Before Constantine rose to power as the Roman emperor, the empire followed polytheistic beliefs. Any deviation from this tradition, particularly embracing Christianity, was met with severe punishment including imprisonment, torture, and execution. Christians were especially targeted as their faith was considered a "cult" at the time. However, after Constantine embraced Christianity, there was a significant shift. In 325 CE, Constantine summoned early Christian leaders to Nicaea (modern-day &304;znik in Turkey) to deliberate on matters pertaining to the governance and doctrines of a unified Christian church This gathering aimed to establish a single, cohesive, and catholic church that would unify the Roman world under one dominant religion. In the game, students immerse themselves in the theological debates that defined the challenges and disagreements within the church leadership, addressing fundamental aspects of Christian beliefs. Can the bishops assembled at the council resolve these issues, or will the church face division or dissolution? The outcome of this conference holds the power to shape the trajectory of Christianity for centuries to come.
Tracing the Ritual Body: Catherine Bell and rituals of the ancient biblical world
by
This volume utilizes Catherine Bell's ritual theory to shed new light on the many rituals reflected in ancient Mediterranean texts. In recent decades scholars of religion have come to realize that ritual and bodily practices are just as important for religion as beliefs and doctrine. With the development of ritual studies in the 1990s there arose a critical framework for investigating ritual and practice. Only recently, however, has Bell's theorizing been employed to study the rituals portrayed in ancient texts. This cross-disciplinary examination assesses the utility of Bell's theorizing for studying the textual evidence for rituals of the ancient Near East, the Hebrew Bible, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the New Testament, and other early Christian literature. The contributors to this volume illustrate a path away from regarding rituals as inert and fixed and toward a more complex and vibrant interactive model of ritual behaviour. In this volume, as each scholar works to recover the traces of long-past rituals in a particular set of materials, these and other concepts are consciously employed to guide or challenge the investigation, pushing beyond previous conclusions about ancient rituals. The contributors' attention to theory, and especially the social context, practical function, and symbolic interpretation, set this collection apart from studies that consider the rituals in more traditional textual ways.
Clement of Alexandria and the Judgement of Taste (2024)
by
"Clement of Alexandria and the Judgement of Taste: Pedagogical Rhetoric and Christian Formation provides a new account of Clement of Alexandria's Paedagogus as a programme in the formation of the judgement of taste, situating it in critical dialogue with modern approaches to the judgement of taste and aesthetics. The book's key questions are framed in light of Pierre Bourdieu's Distinction (1979): a landmark in twentieth-century scholarship on the theory of taste. J. M. F. Heath studies Clement's rhetoric and theology in the context of the Christian Second Sophistic, when Christians were experimenting with new ways of inhabiting the rhetorical and philosophical culture of the Greco-Roman world. The Paedagogus shows Clement's pedagogical method and rhetorical strategy at the early stages of Christian formation when his audience are not yet ready for abstract philosophical argument. This was a time for forming people's habits of judgement and preferences of 'taste', so as to ground their daily lives in deeper desires and aversions that are structured through a relationship with God. This was an immensely important stage of Christian formation: many people never got beyond this to any sort of philosophical curriculum, and yet, through engaging the 'tastes' of a wide audience, Christian leaders sought to spread the gospel--and succeeded in doing so. Even for the intellectual elites, personal formation through preferences of taste was part of how they embodied their desire for God, and the way they inhabited it through the sacramental and ascetic life of the church. Bourdieu's sociological and anthropological approach proves fruitful for understanding aspects of Clement's rhetorical method and purpose, but the study of Clement's theological rhetoric in its cultural context also, in turn, points the way to a theological response to Bourdieu's theory of taste." --
Ancient Christianities: the first five hundred years (2024)
by
"A new narrative history of the origins and development of ancient Mediterranean Christianity from the time of the apostle Paul up to the fifth century CE"-- Provided by publisher."How, over the course of five centuries, one particular god and one particular Christianity came to dominate late Roman imperial politics and piety The ancient Mediterranean teemed with gods. For centuries, a practical religious pluralism prevailed. How, then, did one particular god come to dominate the politics and piety of the late Roman Empire? In Ancient Christianities, Paula Fredriksen traces the evolution of early Christianity-or rather, of early Christianities-through five centuries of Empire, mapping its pathways from the hills of Judea to the halls of Rome and Constantinople. It is a story with a sprawling cast of characters: not only theologians, bishops, and emperors, but also gods and demons, angels and magicians, astrologers and ascetics, saints and heretics, aristocratic patrons and millenarian enthusiasts. All played their part in the development of what became and always remained an energetically diverse biblical religion. The New Testament, as we know it, represents only a small selection of the many gospels, letters, acts of apostles, and revelations that circulated before the establishment of the imperial church. It tells how the gospel passed from Jesus, to the apostles, thence to Paul. But by using our peripheral vision, by looking to noncanonical and paracanonical texts, by availing ourselves of information derived from papyri, inscriptions, and archaeology, we can see a different, richer, much less linear story emerging. Fredriksen brings together these many sources to reconstruct the lively interactions of pagans, Jews, and Christians, tracing the conversions of Christianity from an energetic form of Jewish messianism to an arm of the late Roman state"
From Europe to Overseas: Saints, Martyrs, Heroes, Models and Soft Power in an Early Modern Global Perspective.
by
How to translate and apply the complex concept encapsulated in words like saint, martyr and hero in a global space? This volume is devoted to the study of some of the transformations of the broad concept of sanctity and its exportation and adaptation in and outside Europe, through a series of case studies focusing on gender, popular and learned culture. The collected essays weave together the institutional regulations, starting with the papal rules and with particular attention to the space of the Iberian world, the adaptation of sanctity in Europe to different political and cultural contexts, and its diffusion through the Catholic missions in America and Asia.
The Wisdom of the Ancients : four ideas that changed the world
by
This book is about four cornerstones of modern thought that were put in place by people living in the ancient Mediterranean world. It covers approximately 2,000 years in time (from ca. 1000 BCE to 1000 CE) and spatially moves from the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Mesopotamia (roughly, modern Iraq), through Greece and Rome, to the new Germanic states growing in what is now western Europe. The four ideas, as author H. A. Drake proposes, are monotheism, the idea that there is only one god, not many; individual rights, the idea that there is a limit to what the state can order us to do; naturalized citizenship, the idea that the full rights and privileges of citizenship can be extended to people who have no birthright to them; and creation of a standard by which to judge the performance of states. It is easy, now, to take these ideas for granted. For believers, it seems obvious that only a singular, omnipotent deity can account for the splendour of the universe. Similarly, the common notion that individuals can stand up for their rights, that citizenship can be freely given, or that governments ought to be held to a standard of justice for all, is often accompanied by the assumption that, at the time they were introduced, such ideas must have been immediately recognized as superior and gratefully accepted. The record is far more complicated, and that makes the story of their success far more interesting. By discussing these ideas in their historical context with clarity and wit, The Wisdom of the Ancients reminds readers how preposterous they were originally and how different our world would be if they had not taken hold.
What to Expect When You're Dead : an ancient tour of death and the afterlife
by
An entertaining and enlightening book about how ancient peoples dealt with death--and what we might learn from them A lively story of death, What to Expect When You're Dead explores the fascinating death-related beliefs and practices of a wide range of ancient cultures and traditions--Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Early Christian, and Islamic. By drawing on the latest scholarship on ancient archaeology, art, literature, and funerary inscriptions, Robert Garland invites readers to put themselves in the sandals of ancient peoples and to imagine their mental state moment by moment as they sought--in ways that turn out to be remarkably similar to ours--to assist the dead on their journey to the next world and to understand life's greatest mystery. What to Expect When You're Dead chronicles the ways ancient peoples answered questions such as: How to achieve a good death and afterlife? What's the best way to dispose of a body? Do the dead face a postmortem judgement--and where do they end up? Do the dead have bodies in the afterlife--and can they eat, drink, and have sex? And what can the living do to stay on good terms with the nonliving? Filled with intriguing stories and frequent humor, What to Expect When You're Dead will be a morbidly delicious treat for every reader alive.
The Luther Myth: the image of Martin Luther from religious reformer to Völkisch icon
by
In the period from the close of the Napoleonic Wars up through the immediate post-World-War II era the image of Martin Luther was transposed in Germany from a religious reformer and advocate of freedom to a symbol of völkisch nationalist identity, such that with the seizure of power by the Nazis, Luther was used to portray a symbiosis between the new regime and the tradition of Protestant religiosity. The Luther Myth traces the evolution of this image within the environment of nineteenth- and twentieth-century German nationalist sentiment, looking particularly at how Protestant Germans styled Luther to affirm the essentialist racial identity politics of the Nazis, the cult of authoritarian leadership around Adolf Hitler, the drive to impose state control over all competing sources of authority, and the victimizing of German Jews. In doing so, it sheds new light on why Nazism was able to co-opt German Protestantism as a source for legitimizing its seizure of power despite the fact that the animating core of Nazi ideology was radically subversive in relation to traditional Christian piety. Using evidence drawn from not only theological works and literary and philosophical sources, but also speeches, theatrical works, public celebrations, and monuments, it pulls together the narrative of development and connects it over the longer term, offering an original contribution to scholarship on the topic and allowing readers a format for considering how similar dynamics are still at work in contemporary society and culture.
Slaves of God: Augustine and other Romans on religion and politics
by
A provocative look at the central role of slavery in Augustine's religious, ethical, and political thought Augustine believed that slavery is permissible, but to understand why, we must situate him in his late antique Roman intellectual context. Slaves of God provides a major reassessment of this monumental figure in the Western religious and political tradition, tracing the remarkably close connections between Augustine's understanding of slavery and his broader thought. Augustine is most often read through the lens of Greek philosophy and the theology of Christian writers such as Paul and Ambrose, yet his debt to Roman thought is seldom appreciated. Toni Alimi reminds us that the author of Confessions and City of God was also a Roman citizen and argues that some of the thinkers who most significantly shaped his intellectual development were Romans such as Cicero, Seneca, Lactantius, and Varro--Romans who had much to say about slavery and its relationship to civic life. Alimi shows how Augustine, a keen and influential student of these figures, related chattel slavery and slavery to God, and sheds light on Augustinianism's complicity in Christianity's long entanglement with slavery. An illuminating work of scholarship, Slaves of God reveals how slavery was integral to Augustine's views about law, rule, accountability, and citizenship, and breaks new ground on the topic of slavery in late antique and medieval political thought.
The Wars of the Lord: the Puritan conquest of America's first people
by
The epic, tragic story of the Puritan conquest of New England through the eyes of those who lived it Over several decades beginning in 1620, tens of thousands of devout English colonists known as Puritans came to America. They believed that bringing Christianity to the natives would liberate them from darkness. Daniel Gookin, Massachusetts's missionary superintendent, called such efforts a "war of the Lord," a war in which Christ would deliver captive souls from Satan's bondage. When Puritan soldiers slaughtered hundreds of indigenous men, women, and children at Fort Mystic in 1637, during the Pequot War, they believed they were doing God's will. The same was true during King Philip's War, perhaps the bloodiest war in American history. The Puritan clergyman Increase Mather described this conflict, too, as a "war of the Lord," a war in which God was judging the enemies of his people. Matthew J. Tuininga argues that these two "wars" are inextricably linked. Puritan Christianity, he shows, shaped both the spiritual and military conquests of New England from beginning to end. It is not only that the people who did these things happened to be Christians; it is that Christianity was the framework they used to guide, interpret, and defend every major act of peace or war. They made sincere efforts to treat Natives according to Christian principles of love and justice as they understood them, and their sustained missionary efforts demonstrate how serious they were about saving native souls. Yet they appealed to Christianity just as confidently when they subjugated, enslaved, or killed native peoples in the name of justice. A mission they saw as spiritual, peaceful, benevolent, and just devolved into a military conquest that was virtually genocidal. This book tells the story of how this happened from the perspective of those who lived it, both colonists and Native Americans.
Women in Christianity in the Medieval Age
by
This volume offers a comprehensive introduction to and investigation of the multivocality of women's experience in the Middle Ages. In medieval Europe women saw their role in the Christian Church and society progressively confined to conflicting models of femininity epitomised by the dichotomy of Eve/Mary. Classical views of gender, predicated on misogynistic dichotomies which confined women to matter and the corruption of the flesh, were consolidated in powerful male-dominated clerical institutions and widely disseminated. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, however, women's corporeality and somatic spirituality contributed to and influenced burgeoning modes of piety centred around the cult of the Virgin Mary and the veneration of the suffering body of Christ on the Cross. This shift in devotional practices afforded women as bodily beings the space for an increased level of self-expression, self-realisation, and authority. Ranging from philosophical and theological enquiry to education and art, as well as medical sciences and popular beliefs, the essays in this collection account for the complexities and richness of the conceptualisations and lived experiences of medieval Christian women. The book will be especially relevant to students and scholars of religion and history with an interest in medieval studies and gender. Whilst expounding the key strands of thinking in the field, it engages with and contributes to some of the latest scholarly research.
Revising Pentecostal History : Scandinavian-American contributions to the development of Pentecostalism
by
Modern Pentecostalism in America began around the turn of the twentieth century, and most historians of this history have drawn from the available English-language sources. Very few historians of American Pentecostalism knew of source materials in the Scandinavian languages of Norwegian and Swedish. This present volume argues that American Pentecostal history cannot be understood apart from both the texts and the people who participated in and contributed to the Pentecostal movement in America, including first-generation immigrants from Scandinavia and second-generation Scandinavian-Americans. Revising Pentecostal History describes ways in which Scandinavian-Americans have contributed to and played a role in the development of the Pentecostal movement. The volume presents crucial findings from rarely, if ever, used sources that inform how American Pentecostalism is understood. These findings prompt a revising of Pentecostal history.
Why Aquinas Matters Now
by
Oliver Keenan brings the medieval philosophy of Thomas Aquinas to life. Thomas Aquinas is more than a medieval curiosity. He was a reluctant revolutionary, a scholar, poet and saint whose work unleashed an epoch-defining explosion of philosophical creativity in the thirteenth century. Writing at a time of war, injustice, poverty and alienation, Aquinas' thought reaches across the ages and speaks to us today. As Oliver Keenan argues, Aquinas matters now not because he was right about everything but because he can teach us a new way of looking at the world. A powerful voice for community, justice, friendship and peace, Aquinas' profoundly non-violent philosophy shows us how to be human in a deeply dehumanizing world. The era that he knew was defined by conflict and divisive politics, much like our own - his unfailing belief in the power of communication to overcome alienation and despair is an important lesson for us all. This book brings Aquinas' challenging but deeply rewarding philosophy to life for readers new to his work, as well as those already familiar. Oliver Keenan has spent his working life researching and engaging with Thomas Aquinas, culminating in this moving and original account of why he matters now - perhaps more than ever.
Luther und Die Frühneuzeitliche Auslegung der Abrahamerzählung
by
Mit der Figur und Geschichte des Erzvaters Abraham nimmt die Arbeit ein prominentes Thema in den Blick. Zahl- und variantenreich ist die Verarbeitung und Deutung der Abrahamerzählung (Gen 12-25) in Kunst, Literatur und Theologie. Hierzu zählt nicht zuletzt die Fülle an Bibelkommentaren, die sich in der Reformations- und Frühen Neuzeit mit ihrer Interpretation befassen - angefangen bei den Genesisauslegungen der drei großen Reformatoren Luther, Zwingli und Calvin. Die Arbeit orientiert sich an zwei Forschungsdiskursen, die sich ab den 1950er Jahren etabliert haben. Zum einen vertieft sie die bereits bestehenden Erkenntnisse zu Luthers Abrahambild, insofern sie theologisch reflektiert, wie die Korrelation von Wort und Glaube Luthers Verständnis des Erzvaters prägt. Zum andern fragt sie nach der Rezeptions- und Auslegungsgeschichte jener alttestamentlichen Erzählung, indem sie andere, zeitgenössische Deutungen exemplarisch auf Luther bezieht. Dadurch entsteht ein facettenreiches Bild, welches auf breiter Basis die Interpretationen des Wittenberger Reformators differenziert - in theologischer, schrifthermeneutischer und exegetischer Hinsicht.
Becoming Fire: through the year with the desert fathers and mothers
by
Revised edition of Tim Vivian's Becoming Firecontinues to inspire readers with ancient wisdom for modern Christian contemplation. The sayings of the desert monks of the fifth and sixth centuries continue to inspire readers with their wisdom, and those who read them as the ancients did, slowly and reflectively, still learn from the insights they offer. In this revised edition of Becoming Fire: Through the Year with the Desert Fathers and Mothers, Tim Vivian arranges these stories in short daily readings and invites readers to savor the monks' advice as guides to Christian living. This volume provides: sayings and stories for each day of the year to use for lectio divina. saints and revered persons from the Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Episcopalian traditions. sayings from the Philokalia and the fourth-fifth century monastic writers Neilos of Ancyra and Hyperechios, among others. In addition, there is a glossary of important monastic terms with cross-references to the fuller glossary in volume two of The Sayings and Stories of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (Cistercian Publications, 2023). Perfect for students and enthusiasts of the desert tradition and desert monasticism.
The Universal Way of Salvation in the Thought of Augustine
by
This work examines Augustine's critique of his Roman predecessors to reveal key aspects of Christ's mediation of the universal way of salvation. Porphyry of Tyre had noticed that Christianity can make a claim that pagan religion and pagan philosophy cannot: that all types of human being can be saved through the one salvific action of Christ mediated sacramentally through the one Catholic Church. Augustine's response to Porphyry is grounded firmly on Christology, especially on what Augustine sees to be the unique act of Christ as mediator, based in turn on Christ's unique position as true God and true man, which in turn is capable of healing the whole man and, by healing the whole man, also healing each of the parts of the soul. Christ himself, as concretely universal, is capable of saving each and any type of human being, no matter which part of the soul rules within him, Augustine counters, which is not a claim his pagan interlocutors can replicate. In addition to careful considerations of ancient authors like Plato, Cicero, Varro, and Porphyry, this book also ranges through Plutarch, Shakespeare, and contemporary political thinkers like Pierre Manent and Leo Strauss; scholars of religion such as Michael Bland Simmons, theologians such as Erik Peterson and Ernest L. Fortin, as well as well-known Augustine scholars such as James Wetzel, G.R. Evans, John Cavadini, Robert Dodaro, Mary Keys, Michael Foley, Rowan Williams, Oliver O'Donovan, John Rist, and many others.
The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and the Reformation
by
During the Reformation of the sixteenth century, the role of the Bible in both Protestant and Roman Catholic branches of western Christianity was vital and complex. Drawing on new technologies such as movable type, this period saw extraordinary energy and enterprise put into the translation, interpretation, and publication of Christianity's sacred text. As a result, an increasingly broad section of the population, from scholars and clergy to laity and children, came to be involved in the reception of the Bible and its position in early modern religious expression. The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and the Reformation provides readers with a deeper understanding of the expansive history of the Bible as it was shaped, shared, and received across Christian traditions. Chapters explore the biblical canon, translation and print, the development of Reformation hermeneutics, the history of Bible commentators, and exegesis relating to key texts and theological themes of Reformation writing and discourse. Engaging the subject broadly, intricately, and robustly, the expertise of over fifty leading experts illuminates the early modern Bible's composition and position as scripture and, from the Renaissance era on, as a printed book. By including the contributions of radical reformers, Catholics, and women scholars, the Handbook presents a deep and wide-ranging account of the importance of the Bible's reach and authority among all western Christians.
Turning Points in American Church History: how pivotal events shaped a nation and a faith (2024 ebook version)
by
"An excellent resource for those eager to learn more about the evolution of American Christianity."--Publishers Weekly "Well-informed and highly readable."--Christianity Today (5-star review) American history has profoundly shaped, and been shaped by, Christianity. This engaging introduction provides a brisk and lively yet deeply researched survey of these intertwined forces from the colonial period to the present. Elesha Coffman tells the story of Christianity in the United States by focusing on 13 key events over four centuries of history. The turning points are as varied as the movements they track, including a naval battle, a revival, a schism, a court case, an outpouring of the Spirit, an act of terrorism, the election of a bishop, and the election of a president. Coffman highlights women and men from a range of traditions and shows how, throughout these events, Christians endeavored to discern what it meant to live faithfully in the diverse and rapidly changing place that became the United States. This book helps readers understand their own faith and the landscape of American religion. Each chapter includes a hymn, a prayer, relevant historical images, excerpts from primary sources, and resources for further reading. Foreword by Mark A. Noll.
Dutch Reformed Protestants in the Holy Roman Empire, c.1550-1620 : a Reformation of refugees
by
"Examines the diverse experiences of Reformed Protestant religious refugees fleeing war and persecution in the Netherlands for cities and towns in the Holy Roman Empire in the late sixteenth century. Starting in the mid-sixteenth century, widespread persecution and war forced tens of thousands of Reformed Protestants in the Netherlands to flee their homes for new communities in England and the Holy Roman Empire. This book follows those refugees who escaped to large cities and small towns to the east and southeast, up the Rhine River watershed. The comprehensive approach taken here examines these forced migrations from political, intellectual, social, cultural, religious, and linguistic perspectives, including using a large prosopographical database to track refugees' movements and experiences. It challenges scholars' claims that Reformed Protestants developed more doctrinal, volunteeristic, and well-organized churches particularly capable of surviving the challenges of persecution and exile. Instead, the authors show, refugees proved remarkably willing to compromise and adapt, even as they built new relationships with the unfamiliar people they met abroad. Based on an extensive collaboration between two senior scholars with different training and intellectual backgrounds and the team of researchers they led, this book challenges conventional wisdom about refugees and forced migrations in early modern Europe. This book is based on research conducted as part of a project funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), titled "The Rhineland Exiles and the Religious Landscape of the Dutch Republic, c.1550-1618. This title is available under the Creative Commons license CC-BY-NC-ND"-
Asceticism and Society in Crisis: John of Ephesus and the lives of the eastern saints (2024 ebook)
by
Christianity and the Eastern Slavs: Russian culture in modern times, Volume II (of 3), 2024 ebook
by
The Making of a Heretic: gender, authority, and the priscillianist controversy. (2024 ebook)
by
Wondrous in His Saints: counter-reformation propaganda in Bavaria.(2024 ebook)
by
Women and the Christian Story: a global history
by
"This is a story about Christian women. It is a story of martyrs, mystics, missionaries, leaders, preachers, theologians, saints, and prophets." For most of its two-thousand-year history, Christianity has told its stories from the perspective of men, mostly powerful men, and almost always men in control of the "official" narrative. These masculine narratives tell only part of the story because they obscure the rich and essential contributions, large and small, of Christian women throughout time. If the stories of women have been overlooked generally, stories of women from outside the Western tradition have been even more seriously overlooked. In this exciting, readable, and fresh new history of Christianity, Jennifer Hornyak Wojciechowski foregrounds the story of Christian women for a new era. Be they powerful or nameless, saintly or flawed, women across two millennia and six continents are lifted up and allowed to speak fully to their part in the spread of the faith. Wojciechowski's book works perfectly as a classroom text while welcoming general readers of all backgrounds and interest levels.
Here's a selection of the latest (Summer/Fall 2024) full-text journal articles in Church History from a variety of history journals:
Recent (Fall 2024) articles on Church History--ATLA Religion, including ATLA Root Review
Here are some other recent (Spring 2024) full-text journal articles in Church History from these journals, Themelios, European Journal of Theology, Concordia Theological Quarterly, and Christian Century:
Additional recent full-text articles on church history from ATLA (2023)
"Recontextualising theology: A challenge for theological training" by J. Beyers. Open access in Verbum et Ecclesia, May 2025
"A Study of Natural Theology from a Lutheran Perspective" by T. Pandiangan, in RERUM: Journal of Biblical Perspective (5.1: April 2025)
Enjoy the latest articles (some by Luther Sem's own Faculty), from Word & World recent issues (44.3), accessed via Luther Library's subscription to ATLA -Religion Database. Here's a few samples: New Journal Articles in Church History & Theology, 2024