Theologies of Creation in Early Judaism and Ancient Christianity PDF Download

Author: Tobias Nicklas
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter
ISBN: 3110246309
Category : Religion
Languages : de
Pages : 460

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Book Description
As environmental destruction begins to seriously affect humans, it has become increasingly relevant to reflect on the essential elements of the Jewish and Christian theologies of creation. The essays in this volume explore key aspects of creation theology, which poses the question of the origin of the world and of man. Creation theology is rooted in the concept of man who owes his existence to God and who is placed in a cosmos which God created as "good". At the same time, the essays show that even back in antiquity, the creation discussion held high potential for ideological criticism.

Author: Philip Kennedy
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857737880
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 281

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Book Description
The Christian faith has the allegiance of one third of the human race. It has succeeded in influencing civilization to such a degree that we now take its existence almost for granted. Yet it might all have been so different. Christianity began with the words and deeds of an obscure village carpenter's son who died a shameful criminal's death at the hands of the Roman occupiers of his country: itself an insignificant outpost of the powerful ruling Empire. The feverish land of biblical Palestine, awash with apocalyptic expectations of deliverance from its foreign overlords, was hardly short of seers and prophets who claimed to be sent visions from God. Yet the followers of this man thought he was different: so different, in fact, that some years after his death and asserted resurrection they scandalously insisted not only that he was sent by God, but that he 'was' God. How a provincial sect, with its seemingly outrageous ideas, became first the sanctioned religion of the Roman Empire and then, over the course of 2000 years, the creed of billions of people, is the improbable story that this book tells. It is a story of freethinkers, friars, fanatics and firebrands; and of the lay people (not just the clerical or the powerful) who have made up the great mass of Christians over the centuries. Many introductions to Christianity are written by Christians, for Christians. This elegant textbook, by contrast, shows that the history of the religion, while often glorious, is not one of unimpeded progress, but something still more remarkable, flawed and human.

Author: Runar Thorsteinsson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199578648
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 263

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Book Description
Runar M. Thorsteinsson presents a challenge to the view that Christianity introduced an entirely new, better, and decidedly universal morality into the ancient world. Presenting evidence from Stoic and Christian texts from first century Rome, he emphasizes the similarities between the two belief systems.

Author: Anand Samuel
Publisher: Paragon Publishing
ISBN: 1782223568
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 130

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Book Description
Many Christians have written and spoken a great deal about the evil of atheism in one form or another. This book lays no claim for promoting atheism. The author strongly feels that a faith and a belief in a God and a subsequent religion which follows, is a matter of a personal choice. What the book does claim, is the facts that are hidden in Christianity, as a cover up for all the misdeeds that took place in the garb of religion six thousand years ago, if we are to go by the Christian calendar, and what is taking place today is the continuation of a trend that began in BCE.

Author: Xiaochao Wang
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9789004109278
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288

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Book Description
This book studies the writings of the seventeenth century Chinese Christian apologist, Xu Guangqi, comparing them with those of early Latin Christian apologists in Europe to explore problems within the historical inculturation of Christianity in China.

Author: Bruce Chilton
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317657462
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 202

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Book Description
Christianity: The Basics is a compelling introduction to both the central pillars of the Christian faith and the rich and varied history of this most global of global religions. This book traces the development of Christianity through an exploration of some of the key beliefs, practices and emotions which have been recurrent symbols through the centuries: Christ, the kingdom of heaven and sin Baptism, Eucharist and prayer Joy, divine union and self denial Encompassing the major epochs of Christian history and examining the unity and divisions created by these symbols, Christianity: The Basics is both a concise and comprehensive introduction to the Christian tradition.

Author: Dr. Alex Locay
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1664242481
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Today, the voices from the secular left are hard at work removing any trace of religion from government and the law. Meanwhile, secular historians have successfully limited Christianity’s contribution in history to the Crusades and Inquisitions; as if that is all Christians have to speak for. The real story is quite different, primarily that everything good in Western Civilization has its roots in the Christian religion. How Christianity Built Western Civilization is the epic tale of how our Christian forefathers stood up to history’s darkest forces, to forge a new way of life, grounded in the biblical worldview. Over the centuries it has become evident that Western Civilization has emerged as mankind’s greatest achievement. It is here where the greatest political and economic systems were born, and here that we see the concept of human rights emerge, along with the modern scientific process and the greatest discoveries. It is in the West that we find the most advanced educational institutions, along with the greatest charities, artistic masterpieces and architectural innovations. Is this a coincidence, or the deliberate result of our worldview? How Christianity Built Western Civilization answers this question with chapters on human rights, modern science, universal education, charity, art and architecture; focusing entirely on the revolutionary milestones and individuals that made these achievements possible. Each chapter unfolds chronologically, starting with the biblical foundation and moving through the work of the early and Medieval Church, arriving at modern times. The author builds a compelling case demonstrating how Western Civilization would be indistinguishable from India, China or Africa today, if not for the teachings of Christ and the Bible.

Author: Raoul Vaneigem
Publisher: ERIS
ISBN: 191247560X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 744

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Book Description
Resistance to Christianity: A Chronological Encyclopaedia of Heresy from the Beginning to the Eighteenth Century reveals the hidden story behind the modern-day edifice of Christianity. Raoul Vaneigem’s landmark study provides a compelling account of the falsifications and political agendas that shaped what we now know as the canonical Bible and such pillars of Christian doctrine as the Resurrection and the Holy Trinity. It also traces alternative pathways that have been opened up the many individuals and groups that have departed from the Church’s teachings: from the remarkably modern first-century thinker Simon the Magus, to the libertarian mystics of the Middle Ages, to the Jansenists of the seventeenth century. This is, in short, an exceptionally wide-ranging history of the forms of thought and belief that orthodox religion has mischaracterized and suppressed over the course of the centuries. Resistance to Christianity is far more, however, than a study of religious movements and ideas; indeed, Vaneigem is bracingly unapologetic in his ambition “to examine the resistance that the inclination to natural liberty has, for nearly twenty centuries, opposed to . . . Christian oppression”. The story of how men and women have again and again resisted the authoritarian implications of religious orthodoxy is, above all, a crucial strand of the history of human freedom. Bill Brown’s translation makes available in English a major work by one of the preeminent thinkers of our time. A remarkable feat of historical scholarship that deserves to be widely read, Resistance to Christianity represents radical thought at its most exciting, incisive, and compelling.

Author: Charles Nordhoff
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Christian life
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Author: Daniel Klassen
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1525532340
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 157

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Book Description
Throughout Church history, a lack of clear thought has been the chief cause of heresy: wherever indifference to doctrine and theology has arisen, neglect and rejection have soon followed. Christianity today faces a crisis in thinking: there is both an indifference toward, and neglect of, serious thought about Christian doctrine and theology. Instead, personal experience has been given primacy. Thinking Christianity attempts to reverse this popular attitude and forestall the rejection of the Christian gospel that will otherwise inevitably follow. Author Daniel Klassen covers two aspects of thinking in the Christian faith: the necessity for thinking, and the need for proper thinking. Addressing the first aspect, he answers questions such as “Why should Christians think?”, “Is faith reasonable and rational?”, “How do we know God?”, and “How do we know the truth?”. Addressing the second aspect, he explores foundational beliefs for the Christian faith, covering questions such as, “What is salvation?”, “What is sanctification?”, How do we gain assurance?”, and “What does it mean to worship God?”. Throughout the book, he attempts to answer these questions with clarity and truthfulness by expounding Scripture, using historical examples from the Reformation, and exploring philosophical ideas. This clearly reasoned, timely book will help Christians live in assurance and confidence in God—and preserve the gospel for future generations.