Death in second-century Christian thought : the meaning of death in earliest Christianity

231 Pages·2015·1.439 MB·English

by  Mutie, Jeremiah

Death in Second-Century Christian Thought explores how the meaning of D J(cid:266)(cid:279)(cid:266)(cid:274)(cid:270)(cid:262)(cid:269) M(cid:282)(cid:281)(cid:270)(cid:266)
death was conceptualised in this crucial period of the history of the church. e
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Through an exploration of key metaphors and other figures of speech that th
Death in Second-Century
the early church used to talk about this fascinating and controversial topic, in

Jeremiah Mutie argues that the church fathers selected, adapted and exploited S
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existing pagan ideas about the subject of death in order to offer a distinctively c
o Christian Thought
Christian view based on Biblical texts. The death, burial and resurrection of n
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Jesus were critical to this development, as was the Christian promise of eternal -
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life. In this erudite book, Mutie shows how Christians engaged with the views e
n The Meaning of Death
of death in late antiquity, coming up with their own characteristic belief in life
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after death. ry in Earliest Christianity

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Mutie argues that the way early Christians treated the bodies of h
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deceased believers is evidence of their distinctly Christian view of the is
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afterlife. He shows how the apostolic teaching and the culture impacted ia
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and informed the apologists’ theological understanding and practice.
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Although no longer living, the dead saints were still seen as part of the h
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community of faith. These second-century Christians believed ‘in the
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resurrection of the body and the life everlasting’. g
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Glenn R. Kreider, Professor of Theology, t

Dallas Theological Seminary, Texas

Jeremiah Mutie’s scholarly research places the reader into the thoughts

and debates of the second-century Christian apologists as they wrestled

with the Greco-Roman view of death in light of the new reality of Jesus’s

resurrection. His collection of source material alone is impressive. The
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work and analysis is a unique contribution to understanding that period
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of time. For those who like to go in depth it is a worthy read. m
Linda Marten, Associate Professor of Biblical Counselling, i
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Dallas Theological Seminary, Texas

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Jeremiah Mutie has served as Adjunct Instructor of Religion at Liberty t
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University School of Religion Online. He also serves as Adjunct Professor of the
History of Christian Thought at Beulah Heights University in Georgia. Dr Mutie
holds a ThM and PhD from Dallas Theological Seminary.
James Clarke & Co
P.O. Box 60
Cambridge
CB1 2NT
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[email protected]
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Cover image: Mosaic of Amphora with Doves on Rim,Flanked by Peacocks C
(450-462), Chazen Museum of Art.
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Christian Thought
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Death in Second-Century
Christian Thought
The Meaning of Death
in Earliest Christianity
Jeremiah Mutie
C
James Clarke & Co
This book is dedicated to the memory of my father, Mr. Job
Mutie Musoi, who went to be with the Lord on 26 August 2009,
the very day that I, for the first time, made my full incursion
into the research of the meaning of death in early Christianity. I
believe that Paul’s words became true of my father that day:
Ἐμοὶ γὰρ τὸ ζῆν Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν κέρδος
– Phil 1:21
James Clarke & Co
P.O. Box 60
Cambridge
CB1 2NT
United Kingdom
www.jamesclarke.co
[email protected]
ISBN: 978 0 227 90478 7
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A record is available from the British Library
First published by James Clarke & Co, 2015
Copyright © Jeremiah Mutie, 2015
Published by arrangement with Pickwick Publications
All rights reserved. No part of this edition may be reproduced, stored
electronically or in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
or otherwise, without prior written permission from the
Publisher ([email protected]).
Contents
Preface | vii
Acknowledgments | ix
List of Abbreviations | xi
chapter 1 introduction | 1
chapter 2 The concept of Death in the apostolic Fathers | 54
chapter 3 The concept of Death in Valentinian gnosticism,
apologists, and Polemicists | 100
chapter 4 treatment of the Dead in the Second century | 156
chapter 5 conclusion | 191
Bibliography | 197
v

Preface
the concern of this book is the concept of death in second-century
christian thought. it addresses the question of how second-century
christians understood death as evidenced by their writings as well
as their attitudes towards the dead. The need for the study is the lack
of adequate treatment of the subject of death in this crucial period in
the history of christianity. The discussion focuses on the works of the
earliest second-century Fathers (the apostolic Fathers), the apologists,
and the polemicists.
The thesis of this work is that second-century christians carefully
selected, adapted, and utilized existing views on death from the old tes-
tament, greco-roman culture, and the documents that eventually be-
came the new testament to present a distinctively christian concept of
death commensurate with their level of progressive revelation. This selec-
tive adaptation involved rejection of some ideas, modification of others,
as well as reinterpretation of others. They reinterpreted old testament
views of death to reflect the new situation of Jesus’ post-resurrection,
arguing for a paradoxical view of death that sees it, on the one hand, as
a reality to be contended with, and, on the other hand, as a defeated foe
whose presence does not stop the believer’s fellowship either with christ
or with other believers.
a review of relevant literature reveals two competing views con-
cerning the scholarly understanding of death in second-century chris-
tian thought. on the one hand, conceptions of death in this period are
a complete contrast to greek concepts of death. on the other hand, it is
argued that views of death in second-century christian thought show
the evidence of complete hellenization of the greek concepts. although
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viii preface
there is some truth in both of these views, both cannot be entirely true
because they are opposites.
an examination of the relevant old testament, new testament,
and greco-roman data reveals that there are significant conceptual
similarities (terms and metaphors) with the second-century understand-
ing of death. however, an examination of the relevant second-century
writings and practices reveals significant conceptual differences as well
on the subject of death. This study proposes that these similarities and
differences can be accounted for on the principle of a critical adaptation,
modification, and the utilization of existing views on death to pres-
ent a christian view of death in light of the level of revelation held by
second-century believers.
Acknowledgments
although i am personally responsible for the contents of this book,
i am extremely grateful to all those who came alongside me during the
process of writing my dissertation of which this book is a revision. First,
i am very grateful to my dissertation readers, Dr. D. Jeffrey Bingham,
Dr. glenn r. Kreider, and Dr. Linda M. Marten for their deep questions,
critiques, and helpful suggestions that provoked me to greater reflection
and clarity in the research and presentation of my findings in this work.
Dr. Bingham’s questions and critiques led to the refinement of the thesis
of my argument. Drs. Kreider and Marten offered extremely helpful sug-
gestions on how to present my research findings in a readable manner.
Dr. richard taylor’s comments were of immense help in the production
of the final form of this work especially on matters of style and grammar.
My friends Dr. Michael Svigel, Beau Bishop, and Deena Pryor proofread
the entire book for me. i could not have completed the book without your
support and encouragement. Thank you all.
i could not have completed my PhD studies without the loving sup-
port of numerous family members and friends who remained a source
of constant moral, spiritual, and material support throughout the entire
program of study. above all, this particular project would not have been
completed without the loving support of my wife eunice. Thank you for
your love, support, and insurmountable sacrifice for all these years. i will
never know the depth of humility that you put in as you bore with me
during this very important time of our life. My children, Jackson and
cynthia, kept prodding me to “finish your book so that we can go to the
beach!” Thank you all very much. My mom Monicah and my parents-
in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson Muli, were a continued source of encour-
agement. i am also extremely grateful for the grace and support that i
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