The Myth of Christian Beginnings - Softcover

Wilken, Robert Louis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0334010640 ISBN 13: 9780334010647

Publisher: SCM Press, 2012

Synopsis

There is no original Christian faith, no native language, no definitive statement of the meaning of Christ for all times. That is the fundamental argument of this challenging book. vividly written and covering a great deal of evidence in a short space. Dr Wilken argues that if there has been any constant in the history of Christianity, it has been the reluctance of the tradition to give a place to change within the Christian experience. Most Christians have been willing to say that Christianity changes in some areas but in others remains the same. But why should we assume that some aspects of Christianity change while others do not? The apostolic age is a creation of the Christian imagination. There never was a Golden Age when the church was whole, perfect, pure-virginal. The faith was not purer, the Christians were not braver, the church was not one and undivided: In the light of this, Dr Wilken concludes that Christianity should forgo its preoccupation with the past and become a much more forward- looking movement.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Louis Wilken is William R. Kenan Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Virginia. His previous books include "The Christians as the Romans Saw Them "and" The Land Called Holy: Palestine in Christian History and Thought, "both available in paperback from Yale University Press.

Edition details

• Publisher: SCM Press
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0334010640
• ISBN 13: 9780334010647
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232