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9780802822215
Backgrounds of Early Christianity / Edition 3 available in Paperback, eBook
Backgrounds of Early Christianity / Edition 3
by Everett Ferguson
Everett Ferguson
- ISBN-10:
- 0802822215
- ISBN-13:
- 9780802822215
- Pub. Date:
- 08/19/2003
- Publisher:
- Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
- ISBN-10:
- 0802822215
- ISBN-13:
- 9780802822215
- Pub. Date:
- 08/19/2003
- Publisher:
- Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Backgrounds of Early Christianity / Edition 3
by Everett Ferguson
Everett Ferguson
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Overview
Having long served as a standard introduction to the world of the early church, Everett Ferguson's Backgrounds of Early Christianity has been expanded and updated in this third edition. The book explores and unpacks the Roman, Greek, and Jewish political, social, religious, and philosophical backgrounds necessary for a good historical understanding of the New Testament and the early church. New to this edition are revisions of Ferguson's original material, updated bibliographies, and fresh discussions of first-century social life, of Gnosticism, and of the Dead Sea Scrolls and other Jewish literature.
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780802822215 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company |
Publication date: | 08/19/2003 |
Edition description: | 3rd ed. |
Pages: | 672 |
Product dimensions: | 6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.38(d) |
About the Author
Everett Ferguson is professor emeritus of Bible anddistinguished scholar-in-residence at Abilene ChristianUniversity, Abilene, Texas. Among his books areBackgrounds of Early Christianity, now in itsthird edition, and The Church of Christ: A BiblicalEcclesiology for Today (both Eerdmans).
Table of Contents
Preface | xvi | |
Acknowledgments | xviii | |
Abbreviations | xix | |
General Bibliography | xx | |
Introduction: Perspectives on Parallels | 1 | |
Political History | 5 | |
Introduction | 5 | |
Near East Before Alexander | 6 | |
Persian Empire | 6 | |
Greece | 7 | |
Alexander the Great | 10 | |
Macedonia | 10 | |
Life of Alexander III (356-323) | 12 | |
Alexander's Influence | 13 | |
The Hellenistic Kingdoms | 15 | |
The Diadochi | 15 | |
Ptolemies--Egypt | 16 | |
Seleucids--Syria | 18 | |
Rome | 20 | |
The Roman Genius | 20 | |
Rome and the West | 22 | |
Rome and the East | 23 | |
The Later Republic: Civil Wars | 24 | |
Augustus (31 B.C.-A.D. 14) | 26 | |
The Early Empire | 31 | |
The Later Empire | 40 | |
Administration of the Empire | 40 | |
Cities | 40 | |
Provinces | 43 | |
Client Kingdoms | 45 | |
Political Connections of the New Testament | 46 | |
Society and Culture | 48 | |
Introduction | 49 | |
The Roman Military | 49 | |
The Legions | 49 | |
Emblems, Weapons, and Dress | 51 | |
Auxiliaries | 52 | |
Praetorian Guard | 52 | |
Other Units | 55 | |
Social Classes | 55 | |
The Senatorial Order | 56 | |
The Equestrian Order | 57 | |
Municipal Aristocracies | 57 | |
Plebeians and Other Free Persons | 58 | |
Freedmen | 58 | |
Slavery | 59 | |
Roman Citizenship | 62 | |
Roman Law | 65 | |
Social Relationships | 66 | |
Patron-Client Relationship | 67 | |
Friendship | 67 | |
Social Networks | 68 | |
Honor and Shame | 69 | |
Social Morality | 69 | |
Marriage and Family | 70 | |
Place of Women | 77 | |
Children | 80 | |
Economic Life | 82 | |
Trade and Travel | 86 | |
Coinage | 90 | |
Taxation | 95 | |
Clothing and Appearance | 96 | |
Entertainment | 97 | |
Theatres | 97 | |
Athletics | 100 | |
Arenas | 102 | |
Circuses | 103 | |
Gymnasia and Baths | 104 | |
Banquets | 106 | |
Music | 107 | |
Education | 109 | |
Literature and Language | 113 | |
Authors | 113 | |
Rhetoric | 119 | |
Literary Forms and Genres | 120 | |
Making of Books | 128 | |
Reading and Studying of Books | 132 | |
Inscriptions and Papyri | 133 | |
Language | 135 | |
Art and Architecture | 137 | |
Clubs and Associations | 142 | |
Greek Clubs | 142 | |
Roman Colleges | 143 | |
Egyptian Associations | 145 | |
The Statutes of an Association | 145 | |
Conclusion | 147 | |
Hellenistic-Roman Religions | 148 | |
Ancient Greek Religion | 149 | |
The Epic Age: Homer | 150 | |
Hesiod | 157 | |
The Archaic Period | 160 | |
Signs of Dissolution in the Classical Age | 164 | |
Ancient Roman Religion | 165 | |
Deities | 167 | |
Religious Personnel | 167 | |
Religious Observances | 169 | |
Soul and the Dead | 171 | |
Characteristics of Roman Religion | 171 | |
Religion in Hellenistic-Roman Times: General Characteristics | 173 | |
Domestic and Rural Religion | 177 | |
Greek | 178 | |
Roman | 180 | |
Civic Cults | 182 | |
Priesthood | 184 | |
Ritual Prescriptions | 186 | |
Sacrifice | 188 | |
Votive Offerings | 192 | |
Prayers and Hymns | 193 | |
Festivals | 195 | |
Other Features | 197 | |
A Sample of a Civic Cult: Ephesus and Artemis | 198 | |
Ruler Cult | 199 | |
Antecedents and Presuppositions | 200 | |
Historical Developments | 204 | |
Forms of the Imperial Cult | 211 | |
Personal Religion | 213 | |
Oracles | 213 | |
Dreams and Divination | 220 | |
Healing Cults | 221 | |
Magic and Maledictions | 227 | |
Imprecations and Oaths | 235 | |
Demons and Superstition | 236 | |
Astrology, Astral Religion, and Fate | 238 | |
Death and the Afterlife | 243 | |
Greek Mysteries and Eastern Religions | 251 | |
Local Mysteries | 253 | |
Eleusinian Mysteries | 254 | |
Dionysiac Mysteries | 259 | |
Egyptian Deities: Isis, Osiris, and Sarapis | 266 | |
Phoenician Deities: Astarte and Adonis | 277 | |
Syrian Deities: Atargatis and Others | 278 | |
Phrygian Deities: Cybele and Attis | 281 | |
A Persian Deity: Mithras | 287 | |
Mystery Religions and Christianity | 297 | |
Gnosticism, Hermetic Literature, Chaldaean Oracles | 300 | |
The Term Gnosticism | 300 | |
Sources for Study | 301 | |
Origins of Gnosticism | 307 | |
Characteristic Features | 309 | |
Gnosticism in the New Testament | 312 | |
The Hermetica | 313 | |
Chaldaean Oracles | 315 | |
Later Developments: Monotheism and Sun Worship | 316 | |
Hellenistic-Roman Philosophies | 319 | |
Introduction | 320 | |
Philosophy as Religion | 320 | |
Philosophy as Ethics | 321 | |
Popular Philosophy | 323 | |
Philosophy and Individualism | 325 | |
Philosophy in Its Social Setting | 325 | |
Sophists and Socrates | 326 | |
The Sophists | 326 | |
Socrates (469-399 B.C.) | 327 | |
Plato and the Academy to the First Century | 330 | |
Life of Plato (429-347 B.C.) | 330 | |
The Dialogues | 332 | |
Plato's Thought | 333 | |
Plato's Influence | 335 | |
The Old Academy | 336 | |
The Skeptical Academy | 336 | |
The Eclectic Academy | 337 | |
Aristotle and the Peripatetics | 338 | |
Life of Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) | 338 | |
Aristotle's Thought | 339 | |
Aristotle's Influence | 342 | |
Theophrastus (370-285 B.C.) | 342 | |
Strato | 343 | |
Later History and General Character | 344 | |
Aspects of the Peripatetic Legacy | 344 | |
Skepticism | 346 | |
Pyrrho (C. 360-C. 270 B.C.) | 346 | |
Aenesidemus | 347 | |
Sextus Empiricus (C. A.D. 200) | 347 | |
Influence of Skepticism | 347 | |
Cynicism | 348 | |
Beginnings of Cynicism | 348 | |
Cynic Characteristics | 349 | |
Dio of Prusa (A.D. 40 to after 112) | 352 | |
Lucian of Samosata (C. A.D. 120 to after 180) | 352 | |
Stoicism | 354 | |
Early Stoa | 354 | |
Stoic Physics | 356 | |
Stoic Logic and Epistemology | 358 | |
Stoic Ethics | 359 | |
Middle Stoa | 360 | |
Later Stoa: Roman Stoicism | 363 | |
Stoicism and Christianity | 368 | |
Epicureanism | 370 | |
Epicurus and His School | 370 | |
Lucretius (94-55 B.C.) | 372 | |
Epicurean Physics | 372 | |
Epicurean Epistemology | 374 | |
Epicurean Ethics | 375 | |
Estimate and Comparisons | 377 | |
Eclecticism | 379 | |
Characteristics | 379 | |
Cicero (106-43 B.C.) | 380 | |
Neopythagoreanism | 382 | |
Pythagoras | 382 | |
The Pythagorean Revival | 383 | |
Apollonius of Tyana and Philostratus | 384 | |
Numenius | 386 | |
Middle Platonism | 387 | |
Characteristics | 387 | |
Plutarch (C. A.D. 50-after 120) | 389 | |
Plotinus and Neoplatonism | 391 | |
Life of Plotinus (A.D. 205-270) | 391 | |
Plotinus's System | 391 | |
Later Neoplatonists | 393 | |
Judaism | 396 | |
Jewish History, 538 B.C. To A.D. 200 | 399 | |
The Persian Period (538-332 B.C.) | 399 | |
The Greek Period (332-167 B.C.) | 403 | |
The Maccabean or Hasmonean Period (167-63 B.C.) | 407 | |
The Roman Period (from 63 B.C.) | 411 | |
Jews in the Early Roman Empire | 427 | |
Jewish Literature and Other Sources in the Hellenistic and Roman Periods | 431 | |
The Old Testament in Greek | 432 | |
Jewish Literature in Greek: Fragments | 439 | |
Apocrypha | 440 | |
Pseudepigrapha | 448 | |
Dead Sea Scrolls | 463 | |
Apocalyptic Writings | 475 | |
Philo | 478 | |
Josephus | 485 | |
Rabbinic Literature | 490 | |
Jewish Mysticism | 501 | |
Archaeological Sources | 503 | |
Pagan References to Jews | 512 | |
Parties and Sects | 513 | |
Pharisees | 514 | |
Sadducees | 519 | |
Qumran Community, Essenes, and Therapeutae | 521 | |
Zealots | 532 | |
Herodians | 533 | |
Samaritans | 534 | |
Beliefs and Practices | 537 | |
One God | 538 | |
Israel, the Chosen People | 538 | |
Torah, Tradition, and Scripture | 539 | |
Proselytes and Godfearers | 546 | |
Messianism and the Glorious Destiny | 551 | |
Afterlife | 554 | |
Festivals and Holy Days | 555 | |
Daily Devotions | 561 | |
Organization and Institutions | 562 | |
Temple and Priesthood | 562 | |
Sanhedrin | 567 | |
Community Organization | 570 | |
Rabbis | 572 | |
Synagogue | 573 | |
Christianity in the Ancient World | 583 | |
Literary References to Christianity in Non-Christian Sources | 584 | |
Latin Authors | 584 | |
Greek Authors | 584 | |
Jewish Sources in Greek | 584 | |
Jewish Sources in Hebrew and Aramaic | 584 | |
Archaeological Remains Bearing on Early Christian History | 585 | |
Inscriptions | 585 | |
Papyri | 587 | |
Coins | 588 | |
Some Claimed Archaeological Remains of Early Christianity | 589 | |
Rotas-Sator Word Square | 589 | |
The "Cross" at Herculaneum | 590 | |
Ossuaries | 591 | |
The Tomb of Peter | 592 | |
Attitudes of Pagans toward Christians | 592 | |
The Legal Status of Christianity | 601 | |
Hindrances to the Acceptance of Christianity | 608 | |
Religious Rivals | 609 | |
Judaism | 609 | |
Pagan Religion and Philosophy | 610 | |
Gnosticism and Other Rival Versions of Christianity | 612 | |
Jewish Christianity | 613 | |
Factors Favorable to Christianity | 616 | |
External Circumstances | 616 | |
Hellenistic Judaism | 617 | |
Religious Quest | 618 | |
What Was Unique in Christianity? | 619 | |
Index of Subjects | 621 | |
Index of Scripture References | 643 | |
Map of the Ancient World | 650 |
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