Among the gentiles : Greco-Roman religion and Christianity

by: Johnson, L.T.

Price: 29,00 EURO

1 copy in stock

"The question of Christianity's relation to the other religions of the world is more pertinent and difficult today than ever before. While Christianity's historical failure to appreciate or actively engage Judaism is notorious, Christianity's even more shoddy record with respect to 'pagan' religions is less understood. Christians have inherited a virtually unanimous theological tradition that thinks of paganism in terms of demonic possession, and of Christian missions as a rescue operation that saves pagans from inherently evil practices. In undertaking this fresh inquiry into early Christianity and Greco-Roman paganism, Luke Timothy Johnson begins with a broad definition of religion as a way of life organized around convictions and experiences concerning ultimate power. In the tradition of William James's Variety of Religious Experience, he identifies four distinct ways of being religious: religion as participation in benefits, as moral transformation, as transcending the world, and as stabilizing the world. Using these criteria as the basis for his exploration of Christianity and paganism, Johnson finds multiple points of similarity in religious sensibility. Christianity's failure to adequately come to grips with its first pagan neighbors, Johnson asserts, inhibits any effort to engage positively with adherents of various world religions. This thoughtful and passionate study should help break down the walls between Christianity and other religious traditions.

Preface ix
One Beyond Attack and Apology: A New Look at an Old Debate
1 (14)
Two Beginning a New Conversation
15 (17)
Three A Preliminary Profile of Greco-Roman Religion
32 (18)
Four Religion as Participation in Divine Benefits: Aelius Aristides
50 (14)
Five Religion as Moral Transformation: Epictetus
64 (15)
Six Religion as Transcending the World: Poimandres
79 (14)
Seven Religion as Stabilizing the World: Plutarch
93 (18)
Eight Ways of Being Jewish in the Greco-Roman World
111 (19)
Nine The Appearance of Christianity in the Greco-Roman World
130 (12)
Ten New Testament Christianity as Participation in Divine Benefits
142 (16)
Eleven New Testament Christianity as Moral Transformation
158 (14)
Twelve Christianity in the Second and Third Centuries: Participation in Divine Benefits
172 (22)
Thirteen Moral Transformation in Second-and Third-Century Christianity
194 (20)
Fourteen Transcending the World in Second-and Third-Century Christianity
214 (20)
Fifteen Stabilizing the World in Second-and Third-Century Christianity
234 (21)
Sixteen After Constantine: Christianity as Imperial Religion
255 (20)
Epilogue 275 (10)
Notes 285 (120)
Scripture Index 405 (13)
Index of Ancient Authors 418 (26)
Index of Modern Authors 444 (9)
Subject Index 453

x, 461 pages ; 25 cm

Among the gentiles : Greco-Roman religion and Christianity

by: Johnson, L.T.

• ISBN-13: 9780300142082 / 978-0-300-14208-2
• ISBN-03: 0300142080 / 0-300-14208-0
• Yale University Press, New Haven, 2009

Price: 29,00 EURO

1 copy in stock