Texts, practices, and groups
Book Description
This comprehensive scholarly work emerges from the First Meeting of Bertinoro on Early Christianity, bringing together cutting-edge research that illuminates the foundational period of Christian history through fresh methodological approaches.
Drawing upon systematic examination of documentary materials and archaeological discoveries, including inscriptions and papyri from the first two centuries, this volume offers readers unprecedented access to the social and cultural landscape that shaped Jesus and the earliest Christian communities. The authors demonstrate how epigraphic evidence and documentary papyri provide crucial insights into the lived experiences of these formative groups.
The work addresses a critical need in contemporary scholarship by incorporating the full spectrum of available literary sources in reconstructing both the historical Jesus and the diverse communities that formed around his teachings. Rather than relying on traditional textual analysis alone, the contributors embrace innovative epistemological and methodological frameworks from the human sciences to deepen our understanding of this pivotal era.
A distinctive feature of this collection is its exploration of how modern interpretations of Jesus and early Christianity have evolved, connecting contemporary research findings with the intellectual traditions that have shaped our understanding over centuries. For readers seeking to understand the historical foundations of Christian spirituality and the complex social dynamics that influenced early Christian thought and practice, this volume provides scholarly rigor combined with accessible insights into the archaeological and documentary evidence that continues to reshape our knowledge of Christianity's origins.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Long (> 400 pages) (~26 hours)
📄 Length: 918 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Origin
- ✓ Explore Church history
- ✓ Explore Historicity
- ✓ Explore Archaeology and religion
- ✓ Explore Christianity
- ✓ Explore Christian antiquities
- ✓ Explore Primitive and early church
- ✓ Explore Historicity of Jesus Christ
