Description
Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1953, The Birth of Christianity analyses the development of Christian doctrine and the establishment of the Church.
The book traces the history of the formation of the Church as a new religious society and considers its development both in the realm of thought as well as on a social level, in both emotional life and moral action. It explores how the Christian faith first found expression in society through a variety of forms that were gradually assimilated into one system of doctrine, and examines both how Christian theology and dogma were formed, and how the Church developed its constitution.
The Birth of Christianity will appeal to those with an interest in the history of religion, the history of Christianity, theology, and the philosophy of religion.
Table of ContentsIntroduction; Part One: The Creation of a New Object of Religious Devotion; 1: The Birth of the Belief in the Resurrection of Jesus; 2: The Birth of the Faith in the Resurrection; Part Two: The Failure of Christianity to Develop in the Framework of Judaism; 1: The Church at Jerusalem up to A.D. 44; 2: The Church in Jerusalem after A.D. 44; 3: Apostolic Christianity after A.D. 44; Part Three: The Development of Christianity within the Framework of Hellenism. The Beginnings of Christian Doctrine; 1: Stephen and the Hellenists of Jerusalem; 2: The Church at Antioch; 3: The Apostle Paul and Paulinism; Part Four: The Stabilisation of Christianity and the Formation of its Doctrine; 1: Towards Stabilisation; 2: The Conflict Between Jewish and Gentile Christianity; 3: Deuteropaulinism; 4: The Epistle to the Hebrews; 5: The Johanne Theology; 6: Christianity as an Ethical Religion in the Epistle of James and the Didache; 7: The Pre-Catholicism of Clement of Rome; 8: Heresies; 9: Towards Early Catholicism; Part Five: The Reactions Provoked by the Preaching of the Gospel; 1: The Problem; 2: The Reactions of Palestinian Judaism to the Preaching of the Gospel; 3: The Reactions of the Jews in the Diaspora and the First Interventions of Rome Prompted by Them; 4: Christianity and the Roman Empire; 5: How Christianity Reacted to Persecution; Appendix
