The third and final installment of James Dunn's magisterial history of Christian origins through 190 C.E.; Neither Jew nor Greek: A Contested Identity covers the period after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. through the second century; when the still-new Jesus movement firmed up its distinctive identity markers and the structures on which it would establish its growing appeal in the following decades and centuries. Dunn examines in depth the major factors that shaped first-generation Christianity and beyond; exploring the parting of the ways between Christianity and Judaism; the Hellenization of Christianity; and responses to Gnosticism. He mines all the first- and second-century sources; including the New Testament Gospels; New Testament apocrypha; and such church fathers as Ignatius; Justin Martyr; and Irenaeus; showing how the Jesus tradition and the figures of James; Paul; Peter; and John were still esteemed influences but were also the subject of intense controversy as the early church wrestled with its evolving identity. Comprehensively covering an important; complex era in Christianity that is often overlooked; this volume is a landmark contribution to the field.
#254744 in Books Walker n Company 2008-09-15 2008-07-22Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .33 x .4 x 5.67l; .72 #File Name: 0802716830352 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. nice suggestionsBy Robert W. SmithI enjoyed Sabato's work on the constitution. In this book; Sabato recommends a couple dozen suggestions for updating and improving our constitution. Sabato did a fine job of discussing each point with counter-point; although one could pretty clearly see that the counter-points were not as vigorously defended as were the original suggestions. So many of the points that he recommends are problems that I have noticed over the years; spoken with family about; but never summarized them. Sabato presents a single suggestion for each difficulty. I wish that he would have presented the three strongest options and discussed pros and cons for each. As this is a political action book; such an approach would likely have created greater "buy in". As one who sees the constitution as a living document; I give him tremendous praise for nearly all of the points discussed. I'd add a few as well just to make the government in compliance with the constitution. While there's significant support for a balanced budget amendment; I think that the House Ways and Means Committee ought to just do its job rather than introducing another constitutional amendment. Sabato accomplished his goal - the book got me to thinking! I give this 5 stars and an "A-". This book comes highly recommended for individuals with some interest in introducing amendments; the constitution; and political activism. I'm very glad that he wrote this!!!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Jeff nierodaI bought this for my son for school and it arrived very quickly. He likes it also.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Mark WestonAmerica would be so much better off if Professor Sabato's reforms were enacted.
