Description
Book SynopsisHow did second-century Christians vie with each other in seeking to produce an authoritative discourse of Christian identity? This book argues that many early Christians deployed the metaphors of procreation and kinship in the struggle over claims to represent the truth of Christian interpretation, practice, and doctrine.
Trade Review"A very well-conceived and well-executed project. This groundbreaking and elegantly argued book will make a crucial contribution to interdisciplinary discussions in early Christian studies, ancient studies, and gender studies."
—Elizabeth A. Castelli, Barnard College"Buell's scholarship meets the highest standards of excellence; the study is thorough and methodologically sound and sophisticated. The insights are many and substantial."
—Karen L. King, Harvard Divinity SchoolTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsAbbreviationsIntroduction: Origin Stories as Authorizing Discourse3Ch. 1Tracing Procreation: The Origins of Origin Stories21Ch. 2The Social Force of Metaphors for Procreation32Ch. 3Sowing Knowledge: Procreation and Pedagogy50Ch. 4Defending Teaching Methods with Procreative Language69Ch. 5"Few Are Like Their Fathers": The Rhetoric of Genealogy and Intra-Christian Polemic79Ch. 6Allegiance to the "True Father": Kinship Metaphors as Border Discourse95Ch. 7A Rhetoric of Christian Unity: Christians as Children of the Father of All107Ch. 8Paideia and the Paidagogos119Ch. 9Perfect Children: Drinking the Logos-Milk of Christ131Ch. 10"The Milk of the Father": "Only Those Who Suckle This Breast Are Truly Blessed"149Conclusion: Reflections on the Future of Origin Stories180Select Bibliography185Index of Ancient Passages Cited205General Index215
