The Early Christians: In Their Own Words - Hardcover

Society Of Brethren (Rifton, N. Y.)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0874860954 ISBN 13: 9780874860955

Publisher: Plough Pub House, 1998

Synopsis

In these firsthand accounts of the early church, the spirit of Pentecost burns with prophetic force through the fog enveloping the modern church. A clear and vibrant faith lives on in these writings, providing a guide for Christians today. Its stark simplicity and revolutionary fervor will stun those lulled by conventional Christianity.The Early Christians is a topically arranged collection of primary sources. It includes extra-biblical sayings of Jesus and excerpts from Origen, Tertullian, Polycarp, Clement of Alexandria, Justin, Irenaeus, Hermas, Ignatius, and others. Equally revealing material from pagan contemporaries – critics, detractors, and persecutors – is included as well.

About this title

About the Author

Eberhard Arnold (1883-1935) studied theology, philosophy, and education at Breslau, Halle, and Erlangen, where he received his doctorate in 1909. In 1920, out of a desire to put into practice the demands of the Sermon on the Mount, Eberhard and his wife Emmy turned their backs on middle class Berlin - and a promising career as a writer and public speaker - and moved with their children to the small German village of Sannerz. There, with a handful of other like-minded seekers, they founded a communal movement, drawing their inspiration from the Early Christians.

Reviews

Not merely a volume of collected writings of Christians living in early church communities, this anthology is a reflection of a faith and a way of life aflame with uninhibited zeal and unwavering devotion. Arnold, the founder of the Bruderhof Community, whose members strive to imitate what they understand to be the purity and devotion of the early Christian church, compiled these writings some 75 years ago as a kind of guidebook for his community. In the first chapter, Arnold gives a synopsis of early Christian life. Each chapter contains material ranging from apologetic writing and confessions of faith to aphorisms, parables and poetry. Represented here are writers like the third-century theologian Tertullian, the first-century epistle writer Clement of Alexandria and, of course, Paul of Tarsus, one of the earliest interpreters of Jesus' life and ministry. Historical and contextual notes offer background for each writing. A clear and vibrant faith lives in these writings.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Plough Pub House
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0874860954
• ISBN 13: 9780874860955
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 365
• Editor: Arnold Eberhard