The Early Persecutions Of The Christians

Author : Candida Moss
Publisher : Harper Collins
Page : 247 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2013-03-05
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780062104540

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The Myth of Persecution by Candida Moss Pdf

In The Myth of Persecution, Candida Moss, a leading expert on early Christianity, reveals how the early church exaggerated, invented, and forged stories of Christian martyrs and how the dangerous legacy of a martyrdom complex is employed today to silence dissent and galvanize a new generation of culture warriors. According to cherished church tradition and popular belief, before the Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal in the fourth century, early Christians were systematically persecuted by a brutal Roman Empire intent on their destruction. As the story goes, vast numbers of believers were thrown to the lions, tortured, or burned alive because they refused to renounce Christ. These saints, Christianity's inspirational heroes, are still venerated today. Moss, however, exposes that the "Age of Martyrs" is a fiction—there was no sustained 300-year-long effort by the Romans to persecute Christians. Instead, these stories were pious exaggerations; highly stylized rewritings of Jewish, Greek, and Roman noble death traditions; and even forgeries designed to marginalize heretics, inspire the faithful, and fund churches. The traditional story of persecution is still taught in Sunday school classes, celebrated in sermons, and employed by church leaders, politicians, and media pundits who insist that Christians were—and always will be—persecuted by a hostile, secular world. While violence against Christians does occur in select parts of the world today, the rhetoric of persecution is both misleading and rooted in an inaccurate history of the early church. Moss urges modern Christians to abandon the conspiratorial assumption that the world is out to get Christians and, rather, embrace the consolation, moral instruction, and spiritual guidance that these martyrdom stories provide.

Author : Leon Hardy Canfield
Publisher : The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd.
Page : 216 pages
File Size : 47,9 Mb
Release : 2005
Category : Persecution
ISBN : 9781584774815

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The Early Persecutions of the Christians by Leon Hardy Canfield Pdf

Canfield, Leon Hardy. The Early Persecutions of the Christians. New York: Columbia University Press, 1913. 215 pp. Reprint available February, 2005 by The Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-481-9. Cloth. $75. * Based on a sensitive reading of all known primary sources, many of a legal or legislative nature, Canfield reconstructs the early history of the Christians' persecution. After discussing their legal basis, he shows how the law was employed from the reign of Nero through the reign of Hadrian. The book has two parts. Each chapter in Part I has a corresponding chapter of relevant source documents in Part II. All appear in translation, some are also presented in the original Latin or Greek. Originally published as Volume LV, Number 2 in Columbia's series Studies in History, Economics and Public Law.

Author : Professor of Church History Wolfram Kinzig
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 188 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2021-09-15
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1481313886

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Christian Persecution in Antiquity by Professor of Church History Wolfram Kinzig Pdf

For centuries into the Common Era, Christians faced social ostracism and suspicion from neighbors and authorities alike. At times, this antipathy erupted into violence. Following Christ was a risky allegiance: to be a Christian in the Roman Empire carried with it the implicit risk of being branded a traitor to cultural and imperial sensibilities. The prolonged experience of distrust, oppression, and outright persecution helped shape the ethos of the Christian faith and produced a wealth of literature commemorating those who gave their lives in witness to the gospel. Wolfram Kinzig, in Christian Persecution in Antiquity, examines the motivations and legal mechanisms behind the various outbursts of violence against Christians, and chronologically tracks the course of Roman oppression of this new religion to the time of Constantine. Brief consideration is also given to persecutions of Christians outside the borders of the Roman Empire. Kinzig analyzes martyrdom accounts of the early church, cautiously drawing on these ancient voices alongside contemporary non-Christian evidence to reconstruct the church's experience as a minority sect. In doing so, Kinzig challenges recent reductionist attempts to dismantle the idea that Christians were ever serious targets of intentional violence. While martyrdom accounts and their glorification of self-sacrifice seem strange to modern eyes, they should still be given credence as historical artifacts indicative of actual events, despite them being embellished by sanctified memory. Newly translated from the German original by Markus Bockmuehl and featuring an additional chapter and concise notes, Christian Persecution in Antiquity fills a gap in English scholarship on early Christianity and offers a helpful introduction to this era for nonspecialists. Kinzig makes clear the critical role played by the experience of persecution in the development of the church's identity and sense of belonging in the ancient world.

Author : Leon Hardy Canfield
Publisher : New York : Columbia university
Page : 228 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 1913
Category : Religion
ISBN : STANFORD:36105000009691

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The Early Persecutions of the Christians by Leon Hardy Canfield Pdf

Author : Dana Carleton Munro
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 204 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 1897
Category : Church history
ISBN : STANFORD:36105010330715

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The Early Christian Persecutions by Dana Carleton Munro Pdf

Author : Paula Fredriksen
Publisher : Yale University Press
Page : 286 pages
File Size : 46,7 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 : W. H. C. Frend
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 643 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2014-04-15
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781725255524

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Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church by W. H. C. Frend Pdf

Although the story of the triumphant rise of Christianity has often been told, it was a triumph achieved through blood and tribulation. The literal meaning of the term martyr meant "witness," but among early Christians it quickly acquired a harsher meaning--one who died for the faith--and that witness through death was responsible for many conversions, including those of Justin Martyr, who himself offered just such witness, and perhaps even Tertullian. Persecution was seen by early Christians, as by later historians, as one of the crucial influences on the development of the early church and Christian belief. Why did the Roman Empire persecute Christians? Why did thousands of Christians not merely accept, but welcome martyrdom? In his classic work, Martyrdom and Persecution in the Early Church, the late W. H. C. Frend explores the mindset of Christians who suffered persecution as well as the motivations of those who persecuted them. He shows the critical importance of Jewish ideas to early Christians, heavily influenced as they were by the story of Daniel and the revolt of the Maccabean. He argues that the Christian concept of martyrdom held in such high regard among early Christians can only be understood as springing from Jewish roots. Frend explores a number of major persecutions to show both common themes and variations, and examines also the relationship between the heavenly kingdom of Christ and the rule of the earthly emperor. In doing so, he shows how persecution formed an essential part in a providential philosophy of history that has profoundly influenced European political thought.

Author : Graham Stanton,Guy G. Stroumsa
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 388 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 1998-05-28
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780521590372

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Tolerance and Intolerance in Early Judaism and Christianity by Graham Stanton,Guy G. Stroumsa Pdf

The essays in this book consider issues of tolerance and intolerance faced by Jews and Christians between approximately 200 BCE and 200 CE. Several chapters are concerned with many different aspects of early Jewish-Christian relationships. Five scholars, however, take a difference tack and discuss how Jews and Christians defined themselves against the pagan world. As minority groups, both Jews and Christians had to work out ways of co-existing with their Graeco-Roman neighbours. Relationships with those neighbours were often strained, but even within both Jewish and Christian circles, issues of tolerance and intolerance surfaced regularly. So it is appropriate that some other contributors should consider 'inner-Jewish' relationships, and that some should be concerned with Christian sects.

Author : Vincent Twomey,Mark Humphries
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 184 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : History
ISBN : STANFORD:36105124152476

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The Great Persecution by Vincent Twomey,Mark Humphries Pdf

Among the papers brought together for this conference are: 'Philosophical objections to Christianity on the eve of the great persecution', 'Lessons from Diocletian's persecution', 'Preparation for martyrdom in the early church' and 'The origin of the cult of St George'.

Author : Herbert B. Workman
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 402 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2009-04-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781532679629

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Persecution in the Early Church by Herbert B. Workman Pdf

The subject of persecution in the early Church, treated as a whole, has been somewhat neglected by English writers. The legal aspects of the matter, the relations of the Church to the Empire, and the nature of the courts and procedure by which the Christians were condemned have been fully dealt with in the researches of Ramsay, Hardy, and others . . . Persecution also, treated merely from the standpoint of the Church, the experiences of the martyrs, has, of course, never lacked presentation in this country from the days of Foxe onward . . . [A] treatment of the subject as a whole, in its legal, historical, ecclesiastical, and experiential aspects, is what I have attempted in the following pages . . . While I trust that no aspect of the subject has been neglected, special attention has been drawn to those aspects of the inner life of the Church which led to persecution. Contents 1. The Master and His Disciples 2. Casesar or Christ 3. The Causes of Hatred 4. The Great Persecution 5. The Experiences of the Persecuted

Author : Travis B. Williams
Publisher : BRILL
Page : 512 pages
File Size : 47,5 Mb
Release : 2012-11-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9789004241893

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Persecution in 1 Peter by Travis B. Williams Pdf

In Persecution in 1 Peter, Travis B. Williams offers a comprehensive and detailed socio-historical investigation into the nature of persecution in 1 Peter, situating the epistle against the backdrop of conflict management in first-century CE Asia Minor.

Author : Geoffrey de Ste. Croix,Geoffrey Ernest Maurice De Ste. Croix
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 407 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2006-09-28
Category : History
ISBN : 9780199278121

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Christian Persecution, Martyrdom, and Orthodoxy by Geoffrey de Ste. Croix,Geoffrey Ernest Maurice De Ste. Croix Pdf

This volume brings together seven seminal papers by the great radical historian Geoffrey de Ste. Croix, who died in 2000, on early Christian topics, with an especial focus on persecution and martyrdom. Christian martyrdom is a topic which conjures up ready images of inhumane persecutors confronted by Christian heroes who perish for the instant but win the long-term battle for reputation. In five of these essays Ste. Croix scrutinizes the evidence to reveal the significant role ofChristian themselves, first as volunteer martyrs and later, after the triumph of Christianity in the early fourth century, as organizers of much more effective persecutions. A sixth essay pursues the question of the control of Christianity through a comprehensive study of the context for one of theChurch's most important and divisive doctrinal decisions, at the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451); the key role of the emperor and his senior secular officials is revealed, contrary to the prevailing interpretation of Church historians. Finally the attitudes of the early Church towards property and slavery are reviewed, to show the divide between the Gospel message and actual practice.

Author : Michael Labahn,Outi Lethipuu
Publisher : Amsterdam University Press
Page : 316 pages
File Size : 47,8 Mb
Release : 2021-06-16
Category : History
ISBN : 9789048535125

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Tolerance, Intolerance, and Recognition in Early Christianity and Early Judaism by Michael Labahn,Outi Lethipuu Pdf

This collection of essays investigates signs of toleration, recognition, respect and other positive forms of interaction between and within religious groups of late antiquity. At the same time, it acknowledges that examples of tolerance are significantly fewer in ancient sources than examples of intolerance and are often limited to insiders, while outsiders often met with contempt, or even outright violence. The essays take both perspectives seriously by analysing the complexity pertaining to these encounters. Religious concerns, ethnicity, gender and other social factors central to identity formation were often intertwined and they yielded different ways of drawing the limits of tolerance and intolerance. This book enhances our understanding of the formative centuries of Jewish and Christian religious traditions. It also brings the results of historical inquiry into dialogue with present-day questions of religious tolerance.

Author : Thomas D. Williams
Publisher : Crisis Publication
Page : 0 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2023-03-21
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1644134454

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The Coming Christian Persecution by Thomas D. Williams Pdf

The age of martyrs is not a thing of the past … Churches burned. Christians beheaded. Faith communities driven underground. Governments forcing silence upon those who profess fidelity to the Gospel. These experiences are not confined to members of the early Church or to the missionaries and converts in far-off pagan lands centuries ago. The persecution of Christians is happening right now-and it is closer to home than you may realize. Moral theologian and news analyst Dr. Thomas Williams incisively juxtaposes the still relatively unknown global Christian persecution of today with that of previous epochs, describing it in its various forms and providing insight into what it means for the Church and for society at large. Dr. Williams shows how Christian persecution has been with us since the time of Jesus, and how modern attacks against Christians spring from six primary sources: atheism, radical Islam, Hindu nationalism, totalitarianism, academia, and Satanism. He provides valuable advice on how these outrages can be remedied and explains what Christians can do to prepare for what is to come.

Author : W. H. C. Frend
Publisher : Fortress Press
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 40,8 Mb
Release : 1991
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1451419511

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The Early Church by W. H. C. Frend Pdf

Frend's masterful survey, here presented with a new Preface and updated bibliographies, traces the historical and theological development of the Christian church from apostolic times through the fifth century.