Lynch in his introduction moves us from the fourth century Trinitarian controversies, into the fifth and sixth century when the unrest centered over the “Humaness” of Jesus and/or God. Lynch points out that philosophers and educated people of Rome found it difficult to digest the idea that God could be human. Humans suffer and endure… Continue reading →
“Through endurance he overcame the unjust ruler and thus received the crown of immortality.”(Martyrdom of Polycarp, 19:2) This conclusion to the suffering and eventual death of Polycarp at the hands of persecuting Romans, illustrates perfectly the Christian perspective on the death of a martyr. To “endure” is glorified as a value in Roman culture, and… Continue reading →
The earliest Christian community as described by Luke is a socialist utopia. In 2:45 it says that the new converts would “sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds”. This communal lifestyle is personified through the concept of the group living as one body, with one heart and one soul (4:32) The tone expressed… Continue reading →
