Defending and Defining the Faith: An Introduction to Early Christian Apologetic Literature

by D. H. Williams

Overview

In Early Christian Apologetics, D.H. Williams offers a comprehensive presentation of Christian apologetic literature from the second to the fifth century, considering each writer within the intellectual context of the day. Williams argues that most apologies were not directed at a pagan readership. In most cases, he says, ancient apologetics had a double object: to instruct the Christian and to persuade weak Christians or non-Christians who were sympathetic to Christian claims. Traditionally, scholars of apologetics have focused on the context of persecution in the pre-Constantinian period. By following the links in the intellectual trajectory up though the early fifth century, Williams prompts deeper reflection on the process of Christian self-definition in late antiquity. Taken cumulatively, he finds, apologetic literature was in fact integral to the formation of the Christian identity in the Roman world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190620509
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/18/2020
Pages:	484
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.30(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

D. H. Williams is Professor of Patristics and Historical Theology in the Departments of Religion and Classics, Baylor University. Ph.D. 1991 University of Toronto; Th.M. 1985 Princeton Theological Seminary. Williams specializes in early Christian literature and theology, ancient Roman religions, the history of doctrine; the fourth century Trinitarian controversies and ancient Christianity in China.

Table of Contents

Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
I Matters of Definition and Qualification
II The Roman World of Early Christianity
III Construction of Christian Self-Definition
IV Persecution and the Ambiguity of Roman Law
V Earliest Christian Responses
VI Christian Faith and Intellectual Culture
VII Hellenized Antagonism Toward Hellenism
VIII Philosophy as Protagonist
IX Brilliant Diatribe
X Apology as Dialogue and Appeal
XI Clash of the Giants:
XII Divine Judgment in Vindication and Salvation
XIII Apologist Par Excellence
XIV Apologetic as Exhortation
XV The Unexpected Pagan Emperor
XVI Cities in Conflict
XVII Final Anti-Pagan Polemics
Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

"Williams consistently demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of both the various contexts in which the apologists wrote as well as critical issues related to the apologies themselves. Williams should be commended for producing a resource that all scholars writing on the early Christian apologists will be eager to consult in the course of their own research." — Kyle R. Hughes, Atlanta, Georgia, Review of Biblical Literature

"It will occupy an important place in libraries and private collections for years to come." — Anthony Briggman, Scottish Journal of Theology

"Defending and defining the faith will serve as a longstanding resource for experts in early Christianity, scholars interested in pagan-Christian relations during late antiquity, church historians curious about the significance of early Christian apologetics and, finally, those interested in the pairing of sensible historiography with careful attention to the lived faith of religious communities." — Alexander H. Pierce, Journal of Ecclesiastical History

"Highly useful for students beginning to explore the topic of early Christian apologetics and the arguments and counter-arguments that were employed then and still sometimes surface today." — Linda M. Maloney, Catholic Books Review

"I believe Williams's endeavor is both necessary and important, and I learned much from his discussion of Justin Martyr in particular." — Mattias Gassman, Church History

"...with this meticulous analysis he makes a unique contribution to an underexamined aspect of the genre...Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty." — M. M. Hawkins, Carson-Newman University, CHOICE

"This is the first general introduction to Apologies and Apologetic Literature in the English Language since a long time. Readers will find in the book a lot of information and a first approach to ancient texts, secondary literature and context. The rich world of those texts should be more discovered and Daniel Williams offers a kind of map for journeys in an extremely rich landscape. Defending the Faith is a project of Christianity also in Late Antiquity, the book do not cover the Apologists of the Pre-Constantine Aera." — Christopher Markschies, Professor of Ancient Christianity, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin

"This book is unique: a survey of early Christian apologetic writing that covers all major figures in the period! Williams's insightful and always reliable erudition is a joy to read and will benefit generations of scholars and students seeking to understand this constant theme in early Christian writing. Theologians, Classicists, and Historians will all find this book an immense boon." — Lewis Ayres, Professor of Catholic & Historical Theology, Durham University & Australian Catholic University

"This volume does not confine itself to texts of a particular type and period. It gives a full account of neglected but important works that followed the 'triumph' of Christianity, exploring the historical situations that at times might prompt the choice of historiography or political agitation as means of catching the reluctant pagan ear. Each chapter also provides an insightful and comprehensive guide to current debates in scholarship." — Mark Edwards, Professor of Early Christian Studies, University of Oxford

"In this sweeping exploration of early Christian apologetics—indeed magisterial in its breadth—D.H. Williams expands our sense of Christianity's engagement with the larger non-Christian culture well beyond the traditional study of apologetics, which focuses on the pre-Constantinian era. In this way also he challenges contemporary theologians to rethink the place of apologetics beyond the Barthian critique of Schleiermacher and von Harnack's fears of cultural syncretism." — J. Warren Smith, Professor of Historical Theology, Duke Divinity School

"The writings by early Christian authors that were purportedly addressed to outsiders present a notoriously diverse body of literature, provoking a wide range of general and of specific questions regarding how they are to be understood within their historical contexts. In its range and clarity Defending and Defining the Faith fills a serious gap as it guides its readers through the debates and through the writings themselves, and makes its own contribution to locating them within wider discussion of the formation of a Christian identity." — Judith Lieu, author of Marcion and the Making of a Heretic: God and Scripture in the Second Century

"This volume seeks to provide a contextualized overview of early Christian texts that fit the qualifications of an apology, while noting the difficulties in defining the categories of both "apology" and 'apologist" and aiming to honor both the continuities and discontinuities that lie between the various authors across the centuries." — New Testament Abstracts

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