Dictionary Of Early Christian Literature

The long-awaited successor to Berthold Altaner's Patrologie handbook, the Dictionary of Early Christian Literature presents the life and work of Chrisitan authors up to the eighth century and an assessment of their lasting influence on the Christian tradition. The Dictionary offers complete and precise information as well as an updated bibliography in an easy-to-use alphabetical arrangement. Articles on authors provide a brief description of their lives, a presentation of their works, and an assessment of their invluence on the Christian tradition. Other articles deal with types of works and their particular characteristics. Despite the wealth of articles, movements and developments within the centuries can be easily grasped, providing valuable insight into the formation of the Christian tradition as we understand it today.

Interest in the ways of the early church has never been more intense. What did early Christians believe about the divinity of Christ? What were the beliefs of those who sat at the feet of Jesus’ disciples? Now, for the first time, a unique dictionary has been developed to allow easy access to the ancient material and furnish ready answers to these questions and others like them. David W. Bercot has painstakingly combed the writings of these early church leaders and categorized the heart of their thinking into more than 700 theological, moral, and historical topics to create A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs. Wonderfully suited for devotional or thematic study as well as sermon illustration, this resource offers a window into the world of the early church and affords special opportunity to examine topically the thoughts of students of the original apostles, as well as other great lights in the life of the early church. Collects relevant comments on key Christian concepts from prominent figures such as Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, and Hippolytus Includes key biblical verses associated with a given topic Offers brief definitions of unfamiliar terms or concepts, allowing easy access to the ancient material Provides a “who’s who” of ante-Nicene Christianity to put in context the ancient Christian writers Discusses more than 700 key theological, moral, and historical topics Gives strategic cross-references to related topics Functions as a topical index to the writings of Ante-Nicene Fathers

Discover essential, reliable information on over 800 Christian personalities, groups, and literature to the end of the sixth century A.D. in this unique, concise volume. It includes descriptions of the principal sects and heresies that challenged orthodox Christianity on several fronts during the early years. A remarkably comprehensive work, this volume evolved from the distinguished four-volume Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature. For anyone serious about the early church and the people who made indelible marks in its story, this is a fundamental resource. Features reliable sketches of major Christian personalities of the first six centuries Describes the pricipal sects and heretics of early Christianity, including discussions of the theological tendencies of these opponents Analyzes the documents, creeds, and literature of the early church and its opponents Covers more than 600 years of church history in one convenient volume

The Westminster Dictionary of New Testament and Early Christian Literature and Rhetoric details the variety of literary and rhetorical forms found in the New Testament and in the literature of the early Christian church. This authoritative reference source is a treasury for understanding the methods employed by New Testament and early Christian writers. Aune's extensive study will be of immense value to scholars and all those interested in the ways literary and rhetorical forms were used and how they functioned in the early Christian world. This unique and encyclopedic study will serve generations of scholars and students by illuminating the ways words shaped the consciousness of those who encountered Christian teachings.

This comprehensive one of a kind dictionary covers the span of six centuries, and penetrates into the marrow of the priciple influences of Christianity; whether they be pope or caesar, christian or pagan, orthodox or heretic this impressive volume handles nearly every detail necessary to impart an image of the individual and the indelible impact they made upon the pervasive expanse of Christian history. The facts are straight-foward, and bias is placed only when the information is in need of discretion, not distortion.

Although the name of the book of Numbers derives from the lists and census data contained therein, Walter Riggans shows that this biblical book, rich in content, is best understood in the context of the Pentateuch as a whole. In this incisive commentary, the author describes the people of Israel during their trials in the wilderness, throughout the period of adjustment, and into the time of settlement. He illustrates that the underlying theme of Numbers is the gracious providence of the Lord who cares for Israel in spite of constant rebellion by the people and their leaders. Carrying forward brilliantly the pattern established by Barclay's New Testament series, the Daily Study Bible has been extended to cover the entire Old Testament as well. Invaluable for individual devotional study, for group discussion, and for classroom use, the Daily Study Bible provides a useful, reliable, and eminently readable way to discover what the Scriptures were saying then and what God is saying today.

Helen Rhee’s outstanding work is the first book to bring together The Apologies and the semi-fictional Apocryphal Acts and Martyr Acts in a single study. Filling a significant gap in the scholarship, she looks at Christian self definition and self representation in the context of pagan-Christian conflict. Using an interdisciplinary approach; historical, literary, theological, sociological, and anthropological, Rhee studies the Christians in the formative period of their religion; from mid first to early third centuries. She examines how the forms of Greco-Roman society were adapted by the Christians to present the superiority of Christian monotheism, Christian sexual morality, and Christian (dis)loyalty to the Empire. Tackling broad topics, including theology, asceticism, sexuality and patriotism, this book explores issues of cultural identity and examines how these propagandist writings shaped the theological, moral and political trajectories of Christian faith and contributed largely to the definition of orthodoxy. This thorough study will benefit all students of early Christianity and Greco-Roman literary culture and civilization.