The First Christians in Their Social Worlds: Social-scientific approaches to New Testament Interpretation

by Philip F. Esler

Overview

By applying perspectives from sociology and anthropology to a wide range of biblical data, The First Christians in Their Social Worlds examines how the New Testament documents were influenced by the social realities of the early Christian communities for whom they were written, with the result that the texts reveal an intimate connection between society and Gospel. Overlaying this theoretical foundation, Philip Esler's book studies specific socio-political ideas in various texts of the New Testament, for example, charismatic phenomena, the admission of Gentiles into early Christian communities, sectarianism and millennarianism and its relationship to political oppression.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415111225
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/01/1994
Edition description:	1991. Corr. 4th ed.
Pages:	174
Product dimensions:	5.44(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Preface 1. Social worlds, social sciences and the New Testament 2. Reading the Mediterranean social script 3. Glossolalia and the admission of Gentiles into the early Christian community 4. Sectarianism and the conflict at Antioch 5. Introverted sectarianism at Quran and in the Johannine community 6. Millennialism and Daniel 7 7. The social function of 4 Ezra 8. Sorcery accusations and the Apocalypse References Index

Editorial Reviews

‘E writes with admirable clarity and enthusiasm.' - Publciation Unknown

‘For those whose sudy of the New Testament has been of an exclusively literary-critical type, the book offers a glimpse of how alternative perspectives can be opened up.' - Church Times

From the Publisher