Why This New Race?
Book Description
Scholar Denise K. Buell presents a groundbreaking examination of how early Christians understood their spiritual identity through the lens of ethnicity and peoplehood. Drawing from texts written before Christianity gained legal status in 313 C.E., this work reveals how the earliest Christian communities actively constructed themselves as a distinct "new race" or people group, separate from Jews, Romans, and Greeks.
Through careful analysis of Greek apologetic writings, martyr accounts, and works by influential figures like Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Tertullian, Buell demonstrates how Christian thinkers employed what she terms "ethnic reasoning" to define their faith community. Rather than viewing Christianity as a purely spiritual movement that transcended cultural boundaries, these early believers deliberately positioned themselves as members of a unique ethnos or genos with its own distinct characteristics and identity.
This exploration challenges conventional historical narratives about Christianity's origins and development. Buell examines why scholars have historically overlooked this ethnic dimension in early Christian discourse, offering fresh perspectives on the formation of Christian identity during its formative centuries.
The book provides valuable insights for understanding both the historical roots of Christian anti-Semitism and contemporary discussions about race and religious identity. For readers interested in the intersection of spirituality, identity, and social belonging, this scholarly work offers a thought-provoking reexamination of how religious communities define themselves in relation to the broader world around them.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)
📄 Length: 280 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore 11.51 early Christianity
- ✓ Explore Christianisme
- ✓ Explore Race relations, religious aspects, christianity
- ✓ Explore History of doctrines
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Identification (religion)
- ✓ Explore Christianity
- ✓ Explore Ethnicité
