In the Shadow of the Temple

by Skarsaune, Oskar

• ISBN13: 9780830828449
• ISBN10: 0830828443
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-12-30
• Publisher: Ivp Academic

Summary

Oskar Skarsaune makes a fresh contribution to our understanding of the development of the early church in its practice (e.g., worship, baptism and Eucharist) and doctrine (e.g., Scripture, Christology, pneumatology). This book offers the new perspective that Christians were in ongoing and deep conversation with Jews during the early centuries leading up to Constantine. The common perception of a drastic "parting of the ways" after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. has tended to distort our understanding of the succeeding decades and centuries of Jewish and Christian history. Notwithstanding the fact that there were points of bitterness and strife, the relationship is better viewed as that of a younger and older sibling. There is much evidence of interaction between the early Christians and rabbinic Judaism, both at the level of leadership and laypeople, and this left its impression on the church. Skarsaune gives us numerous fascinating episodic and topical glimpses into this untold story.

Table of Contents

Introduction

A Note on Abbreviations and References

General Literature

Translations of Sources

The Mother Soul: Judaism from the Maccabees to the Rabbis

The Cultural Dimension: Judaism & Hellenism

Introduction: The Maccabbes Revolt

Alexander the Great and the Triumph of Hellenism

The Hellenistic City: The Polis

A New Conception of the Torah

The Concept of Judaism

Greek in Israel

Active Disemination of Judaism and Christianity

Postscript

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

The Political Dimension: Jews & the Roman Empire

The End of the Hasmonean Dynasty and the Beginning of Roman Rule

The Bar Kokhba Revolt

The Tension Between Jews and Romans

The Legal Position of Jewish and Gentile Believers

Epilogue

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

The Geographical Dimension: The Land of Israel & the Diaspora

The Diaspora

The Land of Israel

The Galilee

Jerusalem: The Capital of All Jews

"Palestinian" Judaism and "Hellenistic" Judaism?

Geography of Synagogue and Church

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

Jerusalem: The City of the Temple

Was Jerusalem Relevant?

The Temple and the Pilgrimages

The Temple: The Financial Significance

The Temple: The Religious Significance

The Chief Priests, the Priests and the Levites

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

How Many "Judaisms"?

Introduction: "Give me Jabne!"

The Priestly Elite

Priestly Judaism: The Sadducees

Priestly Judaism: The Community at Qumran and the Essenes

The Community at Qumran

The Essenes

Priestly Judaism for Laypeople: The Pharisees

Judaism Apart from the Temple: The Synagogue

Nationalistic Judaism: The Zealots

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

Christian Beginnings: From Jewish Party to Gentile Church

Jesus Within Judaism

"The Old Quest"

"The New Quest"

"The Third Quest": A Jewish Quest

Jesus and the Hope for Israel

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

The Early Jerusalem Community of Believers in Jesus

The Importance of Jerusalem to the Early Church

Conflict in the Temple; Sympathy from the People

Increased Conflict: The "Hellenists"

The First Believers' View of the Temple

What About the Torah?

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

The Mission to the Gentiles & the Question of the Torah

Problems?

The Role of Paul and the Apostolic Counsil

The Mission to the God-Fearing Gentiles

The Reaction of the Roman Authorities

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

The Land of Israel: The Church of Jewish Believers

Internal Diversity

The Sources

Jewish Believers in the Land of Israel (I): The Archaeology of Holy Places

Jerusalem: The Holy Sepulchre

Jerusalem: A Community Center on Mount Zion

Capernaum: The House of Peter?

Nazareth

Jewish Believers in the Land of Israel (II): Literary Evidence

The Relatives of Jesus

Eusebius's List of Jewish Christian "Bishops"

The Rabbis and the Minim

Bar Kokhba and the Jewish Believers

The Nazarenes

The Ebionites

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

The Diaspora: The Church of Jews & Gentiles

The Apostolic Fathers

Clement

Didache

Ignatius

Barnabas

Concluding Remarks: The Jewish Believers as the Theological Teachers of Gentile Christianity

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

Encounter with Paganism--& the Jewish Heritage

Introduction

Conversion in Judaism and Christianity

The Apologists

The Martyrs of Lyons

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

Orthodoxy & Heresy: The Challenge from Gnosticism & Marcion

The Basic Defination of Heresy

The Fundamentals of Gnostic Doctrine

Gnosticism and Christianity

The Origins of Gnosticism

Gnostic Elitism

Marcion

Conclusion: Heresy and Orthodoxy

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

Elder & Younger Brothers: The Second-Century Debate with Judaism

Introduction: The Bitterness of Family Strife

From Jewish Self-Criticism to Anti-Jewish Slogans

The Assertiveness of the Younger Brother

Justin's Dialogue with Trypho

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

The Persistence of the Jewish Heritage: Faith & Order in the Early Church

Which Books Belong in the Bible? The Question of Canon

What is "Scripture"?

The Old Testament Canon in Judaism and the Early Church

Delimiting the Hebrew Canon

The Old Testament Apocrypha

The New Testament as Canon

Delimiting the New Testament Canon

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

Christology in the Making (I): The Messiah

Jesus: The Messiah?

The Messianic Task

Confessing Belief in the Messiah: The Apostolic Creed

Suggestions for Further Reading

Christology in the Making (II): The Incarnate Word

Eastern and Western Christology

Eastern Christology: Hellenistic?

Wisdom Incarnate

Jesus and Wisdom/Torah

The Father and the Son

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

The Creative Spirit

From Spirit to Organization?

The Spirit Who Creates

Spirit, Eucharist and Ministry

Charismatic Gifts

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

Conversion, Baptism & New Life

Conversion and Baptism in the Early Community: The Double Background

Jewish and Christian Baptism

Jewish and Christian Rituals of Conversion

Pre-Baptismal Instruction

Fasting, Prayer and Exorcism

Renouncing the Devil, Confessing Faith

The "Living Water" of Baptism

Going Down, Coming Up

Undressing and Dressing Anew

Post-Baptismal Anointing

The Baptismal Eucharist

The Season for Baptism

Baptism, Spirit and New Life

Suggestions for Further Reading

Worship & Calendar: The Christian Week and Year

Freedom and Order

The Big Novelty of Christian Worship: The First Day

Sunday Worship

The Service of the Word

The Christian Day and Week

The Christian Year

Passover (Pesach) and Easter

The Jewish Festival of Weeks (Shavuot) and Christian Pentecost

Suggestions for Further Reading

Passover & Eucharist

The Eucharist: Lines of Development

The Eucharist Prayer and the Passover Meal

The Eucharist Prayers in Didache 9-10

The Eucharist Prayer in Justin and Polycarp

The Eucharist Prayer in Hippolytus

Temple Square

Suggestions for Further Reading

Epilogue

The Church Facing a New Era

The Great Roman Crisis and Restitution

The Great Persecution

"The Constantinian Revolution"

What Has the Emperor to Do with the Church?

Renouncing the World in a "Christian" Empire

"The Sanctification of Time"

The Sanctification of Places: The Idea of the Holy Land

Christian Philo-Semitis: A Grass-Roots Movement

Postscript: No End

Suggestions for Further Reading

Index of Modern Authors

Index of Subjects

Index of Ancient Writings

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