Priests of My People

Levitical Paradigms for Early Christian Ministers

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Bible & Bible Studies, Criticism & Interpretation, Judaism, History
Cover of the book Priests of My People by Bryan A. Stewart, Peter Lang
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bryan A. Stewart ISBN: 9781454193654
Publisher: Peter Lang Publication: March 26, 2015
Imprint: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers Language: English
Author: Bryan A. Stewart
ISBN: 9781454193654
Publisher: Peter Lang
Publication: March 26, 2015
Imprint: Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers
Language: English

This book offers an innovative examination of the question: why did early Christians begin calling their ministerial leaders «priests» (using the terms hiereus/sacerdos)? Scholarly consensus has typically suggested that a Christian «priesthood» emerged either from an imitation of pagan priesthood or in connection with seeing the Eucharist as a sacrifice over which a «priest» must preside. This work challenges these claims by exploring texts of the third and fourth century where Christian bishops and ministers are first designated «priests»: Tertullian and Cyprian of Carthage, Origen of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, and the church orders Apostolic Tradition and Didascalia Apostolorum. Such an examination demonstrates that the rise of a Christian ministerial priesthood grew more broadly out of a developing «religio-political ecclesiology». As early Christians began to understand themselves culturally as a unique polis in their own right in the Greco-Roman world, they also saw themselves theologically and historically connected with ancient biblical Israel. This religio-political ecclesiology, sharpened by an emerging Christian material culture and a growing sense of Christian «sacred space», influenced the way Christians interpreted the Jewish Scriptures typologically. In seeing the nation of Israel as a divine nation corresponding to themselves, Christians began appropriating the Levitical priesthood as a figure or «type» of the Christian ministerial office. Such a study helpfully broadens our understanding of the emergence of a Christian priesthood beyond pagan imitation or narrow focus on the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist, and instead offers a more comprehensive explanation in connection with early Christian ecclesiology.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book offers an innovative examination of the question: why did early Christians begin calling their ministerial leaders «priests» (using the terms hiereus/sacerdos)? Scholarly consensus has typically suggested that a Christian «priesthood» emerged either from an imitation of pagan priesthood or in connection with seeing the Eucharist as a sacrifice over which a «priest» must preside. This work challenges these claims by exploring texts of the third and fourth century where Christian bishops and ministers are first designated «priests»: Tertullian and Cyprian of Carthage, Origen of Alexandria, Eusebius of Caesarea, and the church orders Apostolic Tradition and Didascalia Apostolorum. Such an examination demonstrates that the rise of a Christian ministerial priesthood grew more broadly out of a developing «religio-political ecclesiology». As early Christians began to understand themselves culturally as a unique polis in their own right in the Greco-Roman world, they also saw themselves theologically and historically connected with ancient biblical Israel. This religio-political ecclesiology, sharpened by an emerging Christian material culture and a growing sense of Christian «sacred space», influenced the way Christians interpreted the Jewish Scriptures typologically. In seeing the nation of Israel as a divine nation corresponding to themselves, Christians began appropriating the Levitical priesthood as a figure or «type» of the Christian ministerial office. Such a study helpfully broadens our understanding of the emergence of a Christian priesthood beyond pagan imitation or narrow focus on the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist, and instead offers a more comprehensive explanation in connection with early Christian ecclesiology.

More books from Peter Lang

Cover of the book Beyond Borders by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Translation and Meaning. New Series, Vol. 2, Pt. 1 by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book European Solidarity with Chile 1970s 1980s by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Images of India in British Fiction: Anglo-India vs. the Metropolis by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Die Anwendbarkeit des Konzernprivilegs im Rahmen von Art. 102 AEUV by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Innovationsstrategien by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Economic Dynamics and Sustainable Development Resources, Factors, Structures and Policies by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book CIUTI-Forum 2014 by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Girls Sexualities and the Media by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Komparative Aesthetik(en) by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book The Text in the Middle by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Korruption: ein ungerechtfertigter Eingriff in internationale Menschenrechte? by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Communicating the Environment Beyond Photography by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Interne Kapitalmaerkte und interne Corporate Governance-Mechanismen by Bryan A. Stewart
Cover of the book Global Governance and Its Effects on State and Law by Bryan A. Stewart
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy