Description
Book SynopsisWhat was life like among the first Christians? For the last thirty years, scholars have explored the historical and social contexts of the New Testament in order to sharpen their understanding of the text itself. This interest has led scholars to focus more and more on the social features of early Christian communities and less on their theologies or doctrines.
Scholars are keen to understand what these communities were like, but the ritual life of early Christians remains largely unexplored. Studies of baptism and eucharist do exist, but they are very traditional, showing little awareness of the ritual world, let alone the broader social environment, in which Christians found themselves. Such studies make little or no use of the social sciences, Roman social history, or the archaeological record.
This book argues that ritual was central to, and definitive for, early Christian life (as it is for all social orders), and explores the New Testament through a ritual lens.
Trade Review
'This valuable work forces New Testament scholars to give more attention to the neglected ritual world of the New Testament.’ – V. Henry T. Nguyen, Loyola Marymount University, USA
'This is a brief and much-needed introduction to a neglected aspect of early Christianity and its environment ...The challenge to protestant and rationalist assumptions in reading the New Testament is clear, and the contribution of this book to opening the way to further insights into early Christianity will undoubtedly prove significant.' – Journal for the Study of the New Testament
'Both accessible and invigorating, DeMaris' book will no doubt be hailed as a tour de force in the social-scientific understanding of early Christian ritual and practice.' – Theology
‘Both accessible and invigorating, DeMaris' book will no doubt be hailed as a tour de force in the social-scientific understanding of early Christian ritual and practice’
- Theology
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction: Ritual Studies and the New Testament Part One Entry Rites: 1. Perilous Passage 2. Contested Waters 3. And the Greatest of These Is Death Part Two Exit Rites: 4. Paul's Omphalos 5. Jesus Jettisoned Bibliography
