By Gerard Mannion
The nature and tale of the Christian church is immensely vital to theology scholars and students alike. Written by means of a global staff of extraordinary students, this complete publication introduces scholars to the elemental ancient, systematic, ethical and ecclesiological features of the learn of the church, in addition to serving as a source for students accomplishing ecclesiological debates on a wide selection of concerns. It divides into six parts:
- the church in its old context
- the assorted denominational traditions
- global views
- methods and debates in ecclesiology
- key ideas and issues
- ecclesiology and different disciplines: social sciences, philosophy, literature and film.
Authoritative, obtainable and simply navigable, this publication is imperative for everybody drawn to the character and background of the Christian Church.
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Extra resources for Companion to the Christian Church
Example text
16 It is widely used in Paul, Hebrews, James, 1 and 2 Peter, the Johannine epistles and Revelation. In all of these contexts adelphoi is used to refer to fellow believers. If we are seeking an internal title for the early Christians then we need look no further. The sense of community among the earliest Christians was so great that they addressed each other using familial terms. 32). However, this was a common form of address among communities in the first century: Josephus asserts that it was used by the Essene community (Jewish War 2:122) and Plato uses it for his compatriots (Menexenus 239a).
It appears in Matthew and Acts but not in Mark, Luke or John; in Paul but not in 1 and 2 Peter, and only occurs once in Hebrews. This indicates that many New Testament writers not only could but did describe the Christian communities known to them using words other than ekkle¯sia. 29). Thus ekkle¯sia was used alongside many other words and phrases in the first century to denote Christian communities and, although it was more commonly used than any other description, it was far from being the only one used in this period.
29 This is yet one more instance of the importance of taking each text on its own merit. The connection between Revelation 21 and the church almost certainly came through other New Testament passages. 22–25 the analogy that the wife is to her husband as the church is to Christ again suggests the metaphor of marriage. This connection has prompted people to pick up the same connection in Revelation 21 though this time with less support from the text. Conclusions on terminology The overall impression of early Christian communities gained from our exploration so far is one of fluidity.
