Constantine Versus Christ

Author : Alistair Kee
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 193 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2016-08-31
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781498295727

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Constantine versus Christ by Alistair Kee Pdf

The subject of this book is politics and religion, the relationship between Constantine and Christianity. Something happened in the reign of the Emperor Constantine that transformed both politics and religion in Europe, and anyone who seeks to understand modern Christianity must analyze this transformation and its consequences. The reign of Constantine is remembered as the victory of Christianity over the Roman Empire; the subtitle of the book indicates a more ominous assessment: "the triumph of ideology." Through a careful analysis of the sources, Dr. Kee argues that Constantine was not in fact a Christian and that the sign in which he conquered was not the cross of Christ but a political symbol of his own making. However, that is only the beginning of the story. For Constantine, religion was part of an imperial strategy, and the second part of this book shows just what that strategy was. Here is the development which marks a transition to a further stage, the way in which by using Christianity for his own ends, Constantine trans­formed it into something completely different. Constantine, Dr. Kee argues, along with his biographer and panegyrist Eusebius, succeeded in replacing the norms of Christ and the early church with the norms of imperial ideology. Why it has been previously thought that Constantine was a Christian is not because what he believed was Christian, but because what he believed came to be called Christian. And that represents "the triumph of ideology."

Author : Alistair Kee
Publisher : Wipf and Stock
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 2016-08-31
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1498295738

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Constantine Versus Christ by Alistair Kee Pdf

The subject of this book is politics and religion, the relationship between Constantine and Christianity. Something happened in the reign of the Emperor Constantine that transformed both politics and religion in Europe, and anyone who seeks to understand modern Christianity must analyze this transformation and its consequences. The reign of Constantine is remembered as the victory of Christianity over the Roman Empire; the subtitle of the book indicates a more ominous assessment: ""the triumph of ideology."" Through a careful analysis of the sources, Dr. Kee argues that Constantine was not in fact a Christian and that the sign in which he conquered was not the cross of Christ but a political symbol of his own making. However, that is only the beginning of the story. For Constantine, religion was part of an imperial strategy, and the second part of this book shows just what that strategy was. Here is the development which marks a transition to a further stage, the way in which by using Christianity for his own ends, Constantine transformed it into something completely different. Constantine, Dr. Kee argues, along with his biographer and panegyrist Eusebius, succeeded in replacing the norms of Christ and the early church with the norms of imperial ideology. Why it has been previously thought that Constantine was a Christian is not because what he believed was Christian, but because what he believed came to be called Christian. And that represents ""the triumph of ideology."""

Author : Jonathan Bardill
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 471 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Architecture
ISBN : 9780521764230

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Constantine, Divine Emperor of the Christian Golden Age by Jonathan Bardill Pdf

"Constantine was the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity. The book explores the emperor's image as conveyed through literature, art, and architecture, and shows how Constantine reconciled the tradition of imperial divinity with his monotheistic faith. It demonstrates how the traditional themes and imagery of kingship were exploited to portray the emperor as the saviour of his people and to assimilate him to Christ. This is the first book to study simultaneously both archaeological and historical information to build a picture of the emperor's image and propaganda. It is extensively illustrated" --Provided by publisher.

Author : Bart D. Ehrman
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2018-02-22
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781786073020

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The Triumph of Christianity by Bart D. Ehrman Pdf

How did Christianity become the dominant religion in the West? In the early first century, a small group of peasants from the backwaters of the Roman Empire proclaimed that an executed enemy of the state was God’s messiah. Less than four hundred years later it had become the official religion of Rome with some thirty million followers. It could so easily have been a forgotten sect of Judaism. Through meticulous research, Bart Ehrman, an expert on Christian history, texts and traditions, explores the way we think about one of the most important cultural transformations the world has ever seen, one that has shaped the art, music, literature, philosophy, ethics and economics of modern Western civilisation.

Author : Peter J. Leithart
Publisher : InterVarsity Press
Page : 374 pages
File Size : 51,6 Mb
Release : 2010-09-24
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780830827220

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Defending Constantine by Peter J. Leithart Pdf

Peter Leithart weighs what we've been taught about Constantine and claims that in focusing on these historical mirages we have failed to notice the true significance of Constantine and Rome baptized. He reveals how beneath the surface of this contested story there lies a deeper narrative--a tectonic shift in the political theology of an empire--with far-reaching implications.

Author : Paul Stephenson
Publisher : Hachette UK
Page : 352 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 2011-08-04
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781849166447

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Constantine by Paul Stephenson Pdf

In AD 312, Constantine - one of four Roman emperors ruling a divided empire - marched on Rome to establish his sole control of its western half. On the eve of the decisive battle he later claimed to have seen a 'Cross-shaped trophy of light' in the heavens, a sign that the Christian God was his patron, ensuring his victory. But Constantine's conversion was not a momentary revelation inspired by a vision. It was a lifelong process inspired by his own mother and aligned with radical developments in the later Roman world. During Constantine's lifetime, Christianity emerged from the shadows and under his rule, its adherents were no longer persecuted. Constantine the victorious general advanced a new triumphalist brand of Christianity, which became the empire's dominant faith and entrenched an institutional Church that could propagate and sustain the imperial religion. Constantine would go on to unite the eastern and western halves of the empire, establishing a new ceremonial stage, his eponymous victory city, Constantinople. This was not a new capital to replace Rome, nor was it an exclusively Christian construction. Yet it became the greatest Christian city in the world, the capital of Byzantium even as Rome itself fell to barbarian hordes. Paul Stephenson offers a nuanced and deeply satisfying account of a man whose cultural and spiritual renewal of the Roman empire gave birth to the idea of a unified Christian empire from which Europe would emerge. In Constantine: Unconquered Emperor, Christian Victor, a seminal figure in political and cultural history has found the biographer he deserves.

Author : Constantine R. Campbell
Publisher : Zondervan Academic
Page : 528 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2020-11-24
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780310521228

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Paul and the Hope of Glory by Constantine R. Campbell Pdf

A Unique Study of Pauline Eschatology that Is Both Exegetical and Theological One of the trajectories coming out of Constantine Campbell's award-winning book Paul and Union with Christ is the significance of eschatology for the apostle. Along with union with Christ, eschatology is a feature of Paul’s thinking that affects virtually everything else. While union with Christ is the "webbing" that joins Paul's thought together, eschatology provides the "shape" of his thought, and thus gives shape to his teaching about justification, resurrection, the cross, ethics, and so forth. There is considerable debate, however, about Paul's eschatology, asking whether he is a "covenant" or an "apocalyptic" theologian. In Paul and the Hope of Glory Campbell conducts a thorough exegetical study of the relevant elements of Paul's eschatological language, metaphors, and images including "parousia," "the last day," "inheritance," "hope," and others. He examines each passage in context, aiming to build inductively an overall sense of Paul's thinking. The results of this exegetical study then feed into a theological study that demonstrates the integration of Paul's eschatological thought into his overall theological framework. The study is comprised of three parts: The first part introduces the key issues--both exegetical and theological--and sets the parameters and methodology of the book. It also offers an historical survey of the scholarly work produced on Paul's eschatology through the twentieth century to the present day. The second part contains the detailed exegetical analysis, with chapters on each important Pauline phrase, metaphor, and image related to eschatology. The third part turns its attention to theological synthesis. It recapitulates relevant conclusions from the evidence adduced in part two and launches into theological discussion engaging current issues and debates. This volume combines high-level scholarship and a concern for practical application of a topic currently debated in the academy and the church. More than a monograph, this book is a helpful reference tool for students, scholars, and pastors to consult its treatment of any particular instance of any phrase or metaphor that relates to eschatology in Paul's thinking.

Author : C. Eliopoulos Nicholas C. Eliopoulos,Nicholas C. Eliopoulos
Publisher : iUniverse
Page : 622 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2010
Category : History
ISBN : 9780595503667

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Constantine Versus the Bankers by C. Eliopoulos Nicholas C. Eliopoulos,Nicholas C. Eliopoulos Pdf

Constantine Versus the Bankers is the epic of what went wrong and still goes wrong in a seemingly Christian setting. In spite of setbacks, it examines what is yet to be accomplished toward Peace in this world. There is, nevertheless, a de facto kind of oneness in politics, religion, education and public ethos, albeit, as four distinctly separate Estates, and not always in harmony. This results at times in human failure and more often in pernicious conspiracies at work. Constantine still is maligned, from contemporary world leaders to historians, while Christians still are selectively being killed with evermore-imaginative cunning. Consider the sources vilifying Christianity: they are the same agencies hunting down the Holy Apostles on their Mission, with the same combination of Murky Forces and modern internationalist adepts. While considered a "sacred cow," the Bankers of all grades are popularly held on the highest pedestal and glorified as saviors, greater than God. As matters today stand, the only solutions to cultural, political, social, economic and educational impasses come through going deeper into private, national and international debt, sinking down into the cavernous jaws of the interest-bearing Vipers. To believe in an irreversibly coming doom is to question whether there is a God, or not.

Author : Terry Julian
Publisher : Trafford Publishing
Page : 132 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Church history
ISBN : 9781412070034

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Constantine the Great, Christianity, and Constantinople by Terry Julian Pdf

Since Jesus Christ, only two people have affected the life or death of christianity: Saint Paul with his missionary success and Constantine The Great with his divine revelation. Constantine was the emperor who turned the Roman Empire from persecuting Christians to promoting them and this resulted in major and lasting consequences for Christianity. He created an environment for Christianity to evolve from a fringe society to become the single most important influence on Western civilization. In addition to being the greatest builder of Christian churches, Constantine created Constantinople, today's Istanbul a centre that kept Christianity and classical literature alive for a thousand years.

Author : Eusebius (of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea)
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 652 pages
File Size : 50,8 Mb
Release : 1890
Category : Christian literature, Early
ISBN : HARVARD:32044055305296

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Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine by Eusebius (of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea) Pdf

Author : George Philip Baker
Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
Page : 384 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2001
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9780815411581

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Constantine the Great and the Christian Revolution by George Philip Baker Pdf

This sharp, engaging biography details the life and achievements of Constantine the Great who unified the Roman Empire, adopted Christianity as its official religion, and transferred the capital of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople.

Author : Paula Fredriksen
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2008-10-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780300164107

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From Jesus to Christ by Paula Fredriksen Pdf

"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 : James Carroll
Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Page : 774 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2002
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 0618219080

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Constantine's Sword by James Carroll Pdf

A rare book that combines searing passion with a subject that has affected all of our lives. "Chicago Tribune" Novelist, cultural critic, and former priest James Carroll marries history with memoir as he maps the two-thousand-year course of the Church s battle against Judaism and faces the crisis of faith it has sparked in his own life. Fascinating, brave, and sometimes infuriating ("Time"), this dark history is more than a chronicle of religion. It is the central tragedy of Western civilization, its fault lines reaching deep into our culture to create a deeply felt work ("San Francisco Chronicle") as Carroll wrangles with centuries of strife and tragedy to reach a courageous and affecting reckoning with difficult truths."

Author : Terry Julian
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 46,9 Mb
Release : 2005-09-28
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781412239134

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Constantine, Christianity and Constantinople by Terry Julian Pdf

Since Jesus Christ, only two people have affected the life or death of christianity: Saint Paul with his missionary success and Constantine The Great with his divine revelation. Constantine was the emperor who turned the Roman Empire from persecuting Christians to promoting them and this resulted in major and lasting consequences for Christianity. He created an environment for Christianity to evolve from a fringe society to become the single most important influence on Western civilization. In addition to being the greatest builder of Christian churches, Constantine created Constantinople, today's Istanbul a centre that kept Christianity and classical literature alive for a thousand years.

Author : David E. Henderson,Frank Kirkpatrick
Publisher : UNC Press Books
Page : 144 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2016-10-25
Category : History
ISBN : 9781469631424

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Constantine and the Council of Nicaea by David E. Henderson,Frank Kirkpatrick Pdf

Constantine and the Council of Nicaea plunges students into the theological debates confronting early Christian church leaders. Emperor Constantine has sanctioned Christianity as a legitimate religion within the Roman Empire but discovers that Christians do not agree on fundamental aspects of their beliefs. Some have resorted to violence, battling over which group has the correct theology. Constantine has invited all of the bishops of the church to attend a great church council to be held in Nicaea, hoping to settle these problems and others. The first order of business is to agree on a core theology of the church to which Christians must subscribe if they are to hold to the "true faith." Some will attempt to use the creed to exclude their enemies from the church. If they succeed, Constantine may fail to achieve his goal of unity in both empire and church. The outcome of this conference will shape the future of Christianity for millennia. Free supplementary materials for this textbook are available at the Reacting to the Past website. Visit https://reacting.barnard.edu/instructor-resources, click on the RTTP Game Library link, and create a free account to download what is available.