The Religion of the Earliest Churches: Creating a Symbolic World

, by Theissen, Gerd

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ISBN: 9780800631796 | 080063179X
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 11/1/1999

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Summary

Supplemental Materials

A major contribution to the theory of religion and early Christianity.

Preface

xiii

Translator's note

Introduction: The Programme of a Theory of Primitive Christian Religion

(18)

The `essence' of religion: religion as a cultural sign system

(5)

The function of religion: religion as the promise of a gain in life

(6)

Basic problems of a theory of primitive religion

(6)

Part One: Myth and History in Primitive Christianity

(42)

The Significance of the Historical Jesus for the Origin of Primitive Christian Religion

The Revitalization of the Jewish Religion by Jesus

(2)

Myth in the preaching of the historical Jesus

(4)

The `historical' transformation of myth

(1)

The `poetic' transformation of myth

(1)

The `political' transformation of myth

(2)

The ethic of Judaism and the preaching of Jesus

(4)

The Jewish rites and the preaching of Jesus

(3)

The political situation of Judaism and the historical Jesus

(3)

Myth and Jesus' understanding of himself

(7)

How Did Jesus Come to be Deified?

The Transformation of the Jewish Sign System by Post-Easter Belief in Christ

(3)

The exaltation of Jesus as a way of surmounting dissonance

(3)

The exaltation of Jesus as the intensification of the basic conviction of monotheism

(2)

The exaltation of Jesus as the outdoing of competition

(12)

Outdoing power through exaltation

(4)

Outdoing salvation through nearness

(7)

Part Two: The Ethics of Primitive Christianity

(58)

The Two Basic Values of the Primitive Christian Ethic: Love of Neighbour and Renunciation of Status

(18)

Love of neighbour as the first basic value in primitive Christianity

(7)

Tendencies towards extension in primitive Christianity

(2)

Tendencies towards restriction in primitive Christianity

(3)

Renunciation of status as the second basic value in primitive Christianity

(7)

Renunciation of status in the Synoptic tradition

(1)

Humility focussed on mutuality in the epistolary literature

(2)

The primitive Christian `myth' and the two basic values of primitive Christianity

(3)

Dealing with Power and Possessions in Primitive Christianity. Ethical Demands in the Light of the Two Basic Values: I

(19)

A change of value in dealing with power and rule

(5)

A change of value in dealing with possessions and wealth

(11)

Dealing with Wisdom and Holiness in Primitive Christianity. Ethical Demands in the Light of the Two Basic Values: II

100

(19)

A change of value in dealing with wisdom

101

(6)

A change of value in dealing with holiness and cleanness

107

(12)

Part Three: The Ritual Sign Language of Primitive Christianity

119

(42)

The Origin of the Primitive Christian Sacraments from Symbolic Actions

121

(18)

The ritual sign language of primitive Christianity as a whole

122

(4)

Symbolic actions as preliminary forms of the sacraments

126

(2)

The transformation of prophetic symbolic actions into primitive Christian sacraments

128

(11)

The reference to the death of Jesus

129

(2)

The tension between outward performance and religious significance

131

(1)

The crossing of taboo thresholds in the primitive Christian sacraments

132

(7)

The Sacrificial Interpretation of the Death of Jesus and the End of Sacrifice

139

(22)

The replacement of sacrifice in the primitive Christian period

139

(3)

The sacrifical interpretation of the death of Jesus

142

(9)

Self-stigmatization in the life and teaching of Jesus

143

(1)

The interpretations of the death of Jesus in primitive Christianity

144

(3)

The incorporation of the resurrection into the interpretation of the death of Jesus

147

(4)

The functions of traditional sacrifice

151

(5)

Methodological reflections

151

(2)

The functions of sacrifice

153

(3)

Primitive Christian sign language as a functional equivalent of the traditional sacrifices

156

(5)

Part Four: Primitive Christian Religion as an Autonomous Sign World

161

(46)

The Way from Primitive Christian Religion to an Autonomous Sign World

From Paul to the Synoptic Gospels

163

(2)

The beginning of the development towards the autonomy of primitive Christian religion: the Apostolic Council and Paul

165

(4)

The way to the autonomy of primitive Christian religion and the Synoptic Gospels

169

(16)

The Gospel of Mark: the ritual demarcation from Judaism

171

(4)

The Gospel of Matthew: the ethical demarcation from Judaism (and paganism)

175

(4)

The Gospel of Luke: the narrative-historical demarcation from Judaism

179

(6)

The Gospel of John: The Internal Autonomy of the Primitive Christian Sign World is Brought to Consciousness

185

(22)

The programme of the Johannine hermeneutic-in-stages in the prologue

186

(3)

The implementation of the Johannine hermeneutic-in-stages

189

(11)

The transformation of the mythical sign system in the Gospel of John

190

(2)

The transformation of the ritual sign language in the Gospel of John

192

(4)

The transformation of the ethical sign language in the Gospel of John

196

(4)

The self-organization of the primitive Christian sign system in the Gospel of John

200

(7)

The reorganization of the traditional sign elements and forms of expression

201

(3)

The pre-organization of the future sign language in the Gospel of John

204

(3)

Part Five: The Crises and Consolidation of Primitive Christianity

207

(101)

The Crises of Primitive Christianity

209

(40)

The Judaistic crisis in the first century

211

(20)

The basic axioms of Judaism: monotheism and covenantal nomism and the aporias of Judaism

212

(5)

The doctrine of justification in the life of Paul

217

(3)

The historical and political causes of the crisis in the first century

220

(3)

The Judaistic crisis and the response of Pauline theology

223

(8)

The Gnostic crisis in the second century

231

(9)

What is Gnosticism? An attempt at a definition

231

(1)

The historical context of Gnosticism as a universal movement

232

(3)

Christian Gnosticism

235

(5)

The prophetic crises in the first and second centuries

240

(9)

The Jesus movement and the Logia source

240

(2)

The Revelation of John

242

(3)

The Shepherd of Hermas

245

(1)

The new prophecy of Montanism

246

(3)

Plurality and Unity in Primitive Christianity and the Origin of the Canon

249

(37)

Plurality in Christianity up to the formation of the canon

252

(9)

Conflicts and groupings in the first generation

253

(1)

Four basic currents in the second generation

254

(3)

Early catholic church Christianity and its controversy with `heresies'

257

(4)

The formation of the canon as a confession of plurality

261

(10)

The decision to divide the canon as a whole into Old and New Testaments

261

(2)

The decision to divide the New Testament into a gospel part and an apostle part

263

(1)

The decision for the fourfold Gospel

264

(4)

The decision for the letters of Paul and the Catholic letters

268

(3)

The inner canon within the canon: the grammar of primitive Christian faith

271

(15)

Conclusion: The Construction and Plausibility of the Primitive Christian Sign World

286

(22)

The construction of primitive Christian religion: a summary

286

(6)

The plausibility of primitive Christian religion

292

(16)

Experience of the world as a source of evidence: the axioms of primitive Christianity make a dynamic view of the world possible

295

(4)

Correspondence to the self as a source of evidence: the axioms of primitive Christianity and the religious a priori

299

(4)

Correspondence to other people as a source of evidence: the power of the axioms of primitive Christianity in forming a community

303

(5)

Bibliography

308

(15)

Notes

323

(52)

Index of References to the Bible and Other Ancient Texts

375

(11)

General Index

386

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The Religion of the Earliest Churches: Creating a Symbolic World

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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The Religion of the Earliest Churches: Creating a Symbolic World

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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