Testimonies: Volume 1 (Cambridge Library Collection - Religion)

Harris, J. Rendel

ISBN 10: 1108039693 / ISBN 13: 9781108039697

Published by Cambridge University Press, 2011

About this Item

This controversial work of 1916-20 sought to prove the existence of the earliest collection of Christian writings. Num Pages: 150 pages, black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: HRCM. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational. Dimension: 216 x 140 x 9. Weight in Grams: 200. . 2011. 1st Edition. paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland.

Seller Inventory # V9781108039697

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Testimonies: Volume 1 (Cambridge Library Collection - Religion)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1108039693
• ISBN 13: 9781108039697
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

In this two-volume work, J. Rendel Harris (1852–1941) fundamentally shaped Biblical scholarship in the twentieth century, arguing for the existence of a 'first known treatise on Christian theology', antedating the New Testament. A palaeographer, Harris examined recurring textual corruptions of Old Testament passages in early Christian writers and surmised an underlying collection, which he called the 'Testimony Book'. The book, Harris believed, collected Biblical testimonia – passages prophesying Christ – in order to prove the legitimacy of the new Christian faith. These arguments against Judaic theology marked, in Harris's opinion, the beginnings of the Christian written tradition. Volume 1 (1916) lays the groundwork for Harris's argument by examining the use of testimonia in early Christian writers like Cyprian and Gregory of Nyssa. 'The starting point of the modern study of the use of the Old Testament in the New', this is a work of enduring importance to religion scholars.

Book Description

Controversial but immensely influential, this work by J. Rendel Harris (1852-1941) argues for the existence of the earliest Christian document - a compilation which Harris called the 'Testimony Book', consisting of Old Testament prophecies of Christ. In Volume 1 (1916) he argues that later writers relied on this hypothetical compilation.