Christian Beginnings: From Nazareth to Nicaea

289 Pages·2013·1.079 MB·English

by  Geza Vermes

Christian Beginnings
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GEZA VERMES
Christian Beginnings
From Nazareth to Nicaea
Yale
UNIVERSITY
PRESS
New Haven and London
First published in the United States in 2013 by Yale University Press.
First published in the United Kingdom in 2012 by Penguin Books Ltd.
Copyright © Geza Vermes, 2012.
All rights reserved.
This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, including il-
lustrations, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections
107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the
public press), without written permission from the publishers.
Yale University Press books may be purchased in quantity for educa-
tional, business, or promotional use. For information, please e-mail
[email protected] (U.S. office) or [email protected] (U.K. office).
Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2012946575
ISBN 978-0-300-19160-8 (cloth: alk. paper)
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This paper meets the requirements of ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Per-
manence of Paper).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
List of Abbreviations vii
Map x
Introduction xiii
1. Charismatic Judaism from Moses to Jesus 1
2. The Charismatic Religion of Jesus 28
3. Nascent Charismatic Christianity 61
4. The Christianity of Paul 87
5. Johannine Christianity 115
6. The Didache and Barnabas 134
7. The Apostolic Fathers: 1 and 2 Clement, Ignatius,
Polycarp, Hermas and Diognetus 155
8. Apologists and Theologians of the Second Century:
Justin, Melito and Irenaeus 177
9. Three Pillars of Wisdom:
Tertullian, Clement of Alexandria and Origen 200
10. Nicaea: Eusebius of Caesarea, Arius and Constantine 223
11. From Charisma to Dogma – A Bird’s Eye View 235
Postscript 243
Select Bibliography 245
Index 257
For Margaret and Ian with love
List of Abbreviations
Acts Acts of the Apostles
Am. Amos
Ant. Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities
ap Apocryphon
Apol. Justin, Apology
b Babylonian Talmud
Barn. Barnabas
Ber. Berakhot (Benedictions)
CD Cairo Damascus Document
Chron. Chronicles
Clem. Clement
Col. Colossians
Cor. Corinthians
D Damascus Document from Qumran
Deut. Deuteronomy
Did. Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles)
Ecclus Ecclesiasticus (Wisdom of Jesus ben Sira)
EH Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History
En. Enoch
Eph. Ephesians
Esdr. Esdras
Exod. Exodus
Gen. Genesis
Gal. Galatians
H Hodayot (Thanksgiving hymns)
Hab. Habakkuk
Heb. Hebrews
Hos. Hosea
vii
List of Abbreviations
Isa. Isaiah
Jas. James
Jer. Jeremiah
Jn John
Jub. Jubilees
Ket. Ketubot (Marriage deeds)
LAB Pseudo-Philo, Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum
Lev. Leviticus
Lk. Luke
m Mishnah
Mac. Maccabees
Mal. Malachi
Meil. Meilah (Sacrilege)
Mic. Micah
Mk Mark
Mt. Matthew
Ned. Nedarim (Vows)
Num. Numbers
p Pesher (Commentary)
P. Papyrus
Pes. Pesahim (Passover)
Pet. Peter
Phil. Philippians
Praep. Ev. Eusebius, Praeparatio Evangelica
Ps Psalms
Q Qumran Cave
Rev. Revelation
Rom. Romans
S Serekh (Rule)
Sam. Samuel
Shab. Shabbat (Sabbath)
Strom. Stromateis (Miscellanies)
t Tosefta
Taan. Taanit (Fasting)
Test. Testament
Thess Thessalonians
Thom. Thomas
Tim. Timothy
viii
List of Abbreviations
War Flavius Josephus, Jewish War
Wisd. Wisdom
y Jerusalem Talmud
Zech. Zechariah
4Q200 Hebrew Tobit
4Q242 Prayer of Nabonidus
4Q372 Narrative composition
4Q502 Marriage ritual
4Q510–11 Songs of the Sage
ix