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

Defending and Defining the Faith: An Introduction to Early Christian Apologetic Literature
ISBN-10
0190620501
ISBN-13
9780190620509
Category
Religion
Pages
482
Language
English
Published
2020
Publisher
Oxford University Press, USA
Author
D. H. Williams

Description

"Christian apologetics in the patristic era should be understood broadly as a defense of Christian beliefs and practices against non-Christian beliefs, practices, and policies (religious, social, and political) that were either antithetical to Christian beliefs and practices or openly hostile to Christianity. The advantage of this conceptualization of apologetics is that it enables readers to follow the discussion of Christian responses to Hellenistic culture beyond the context of persecution associated with the pre-Constantinian period which tends to be where many scholarly projects on apologetics end. The reader is also invited to see the links in the intellectual trajectory from early second-century apologetics through the early fifth century, prompting deeper reflection about the process of Christian self-definition in late antiquity. This book offers a presentation of Christian apologetic literature from the second century to the fifth century, taking each writer within the intellectual context of the day. The book argues that most apologies were not directed at a pagan readership. In most cases, ancient apologetics had a double object: to instruct the Christian and persuade weak Christians or non-Christians who were sympathetic to Christian claims. Taken cumulatively, it finds, apologetic literature was integral to the formation of the Christian identity in the Roman world. Christian beliefs Christianity Hellenistic culture pre-Constantinian period Christian self-definition Christian apologetic literature Christian identity"--

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