To what extent was early Christianity viewed as superstition by its contemporaries? Superstition was the standard category in Greco-Roman antiquity for defaming "debased" religion, and to situate early Christianity in its Mediterranean milieu it is necessary to understand what this label meant to those who used it. Fear is the defining element of superstition according to writers like Plutarch, who regard the emotion as a fundamental human problem. Fear is likewise a recurring motif in the Epistle to the Hebrews, whose ...
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To what extent was early Christianity viewed as superstition by its contemporaries? Superstition was the standard category in Greco-Roman antiquity for defaming "debased" religion, and to situate early Christianity in its Mediterranean milieu it is necessary to understand what this label meant to those who used it. Fear is the defining element of superstition according to writers like Plutarch, who regard the emotion as a fundamental human problem. Fear is likewise a recurring motif in the Epistle to the Hebrews, whose author holds up "confidence" as a Christian ideal yet also employs language which evokes fear in the starkest of terms. This work examines the articulation of Christian faith in Hebrews in the context of ancient debates about the propriety of fear. Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (...
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Add this copy of Godly Fear: the Epistle to the Hebrews and Greco-Roman to cart. $16.55, good condition, Sold by Books From California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Simi Valley, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Brill Academic Publishers.
Add this copy of Godly Fear to cart. $16.55, like new condition, Sold by Rosario Beach Rare Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lake Stevens, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2004 by Brill Academic Pub.
