PDF Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World by Larry W. Hurtado in History

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56 of 57 people found the following review helpful. Superb Book on Early Christian DistinctivesBy Sean McDowell; Ph.D.What was unique about Christian practices and teachings in the first three centuries of the church? And how did such a minority faith—which was considered irrelevant; extreme; and at odd with the role “religion” is supposed to play in a pagan society—ultimately prevail? In his recent book Destroyer of the gods; New Testament scholar Larry Hurtado focuses on the first of these questions. But his book also has powerful implications for the second.Hurtado explains how Christianity was viewed by pagans in ancient Rome: “In the eyes of many of that time; early Christianity was odd; bizarre; and in some ways even dangerous. For one thing; it did not fit with what ‘religion’ was for people then. Indicative of this; Roman-era critics designated it as a perverse ‘superstition.’”[1]Although Christians in the early church aimed to be good citizens; and to show due respect and care for both their neighbors and the State (as Christians do today); their beliefs in Jesus as the one true God put them at odds with the prevailing culture (as Christian beliefs and practices increasingly do in our secular culture today).In fact; as Hurtado observes; Christian beliefs were even considered more problematic to Rome than Jewish beliefs. How so? While Jews also refused to honor pagan deities; there is little evidence Roman-era Jews aimed to persuade the masses to abandon their gods. And yet this is exactly what Christians did. In other words; Christians were often allowed to hold Christian beliefs in private; but should expect to sacrifice those beliefs when they enter the public arena.Roman authorities had little problem that Christians worshipped Jesus as God. Their problem; however; was that Christians refused to worship other deities. While Christians considered worshipping pagan deities idolatry; Romans considered such behavior defiance to the state. Jews were often excused since their behavior could be “chalked up” as a matter of national peculiarity. But Christians could not appeal to any such ethnic privilege. As a result of their refusal to worship the pagan deities; Christians experienced popular abuse; intellectual condemnation; and persecution on a local and (eventually) statewide level. And yet; amazingly; Christianity prevailed.There are many factors that can help explain the growth of Christianity. But as Hurtado points out in Destroyer of the gods; Christian distinctives must be taken into consideration as a piece of the puzzle. Consider a few Christian distinctives; which are often taken for granted today:1. When people worship God; Christians claimed they should withdrawal from worshipping the gods of their families; cities; and peoples. The exclusivist stance of Christianity was so offensive that Christians were often labeled “atheists.”2. Christians emphasized that there is one transcendent God who passionately loves his people and can be related to personally. Pagans often spoke of the love of gods toward humans in terms of philia; which indicates friendship. But Christians spoke of God with the Greek term agapē; which connotes a deep love and firm commitment to the one loved.3. Christianity was a “bookish” religion. Like Jews; Christians read Scripture publicly; produced voluminous numbers of texts; and committed remarkable resources to copying and disseminating them widely. In fact; in their eagerness to disseminate Scripture; Christians were at the leading edge of book technology of the second and third centuries.4. Christianity uniquely linked religious beliefs with ethical living. As a result; Christians were on the leading edge of overturning popular practices in ancient Rome such as infant exposure; gladiator battles; sexual abuse of children; and sexual perversity. Christians uniquely called men to the same kind of sexual loyalty demanded of women.5. Christianity was uniquely diverse. In ancient Rome; there was social stratification between men and women; slaves and free; rich and poor. But Christians began with assemblies that were diverse in gender; age; and social status. Even the least important members of Roman society; such as women and slaves; were considered equal members in the church.There are many other Christian distinctives in the first century; but if you want to read them; you’re going to have to check out Destroyer of the gods. If you are interested in comparative religion or the ancient roots of Christianity; and how this may apply to the Christian faith today; you will thoroughly enjoy the book.38 of 38 people found the following review helpful. One of the most IMPORTANT works on Early Christianity in a LONG time!!By sojotheoLarry W. Hurtado is Emeritus Professor of New Testament Language; Literature and Theology in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh. Hurtado has authored numerous books related to early Christianity; including Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity and The Earliest Christian Artifacts: Manuscripts and Christian Origins. Most recently; Hurtado has written a blockbuster of a book and thought-provoking investigation into the distinctiveness of early Christianity within the Greco-Roman context.Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World is an important and well-thought monograph that explores various aspects of the early Christian movement. The goal of the book is to display the uniqueness of early Christianity in the vast religious landscape of the Greco-Roman world. The book begins with a quick survey of early Christianity through the lenses of non-Christians; including both Jewish and Pagan critiques of Christians. Hurtado concludes; “a good many outsiders; who were the overwhelming majority of the populace; regarded Christians and Christianity as objectionably different and certainly not simply one group among an undifferentiated lot” (p. 35). It is this discovery that establishes the subsequent chapters as the reader is guided through the distinctiveness of early Christian ethics; worship; and more.The entire book is fascinating and chocked full of rich historical commentary on the Christian movement of the second century. However; one of the most exciting chapters in the book has to do with the early Christian interest with the written word. That is; according to Hurtado; the early Christian movement was particularly interested in books—a “bookish” religion. The implications of this fly in the face of the popular misnomer that early Christians were primarily concerned with oral tradition rather than written words. Early Christianity; according to Hurtado; was uniquely fond of reading; writing; copying; and circulating text. In fact; the modern book likely discovers its origins in the early Christian utilization of the codex. Thus; Hurtado concludes; “the young Christian movement [was] distinctively text oriented in context of the varied religious environment of that time . . . ‘textuality’ was central; and; from the outset; early Christianity was; indeed; ‘a bookish religion’” (p. 141).Destroyer of the gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World by Larry W. Hurtado is a worthwhile investment for anyone interested in early Christianity. Hurtado is usually lucid in his presentation; but this book easily tops the charts of Hurtado’s life works. The reader will likely appreciate Hurtado’s interaction with contemporary scholarship and sensitivity to make the subject matter accessible to a wide range of readership. While much more could surely be said about Hurtado’s treatment of early Christian ethics and worship; in my opinion; the chapter outlined above is alone worth the price of the book. It comes highly recommended!I received a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR; Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Provocative Read on both the distinctiveness of Christianity and its capital contribution to the western conception of religioBy Todd MurphyLarry Hurtado has produced a fantastic read here defining not only the distinctive character of the early Christian social movement in the Hellenistic-Roman world; but also its capital contribution to Western civilization and how we conceive religion in general today.Hurtado presents a litany of perspectives on early Christian practice; traditions; and above all; personal and social ethics. If I were to define Hurtado's position in a nutshell it would say (A) Christianity was unique for its broad and consistent ethical teaching; and (B) it radically determined the direction of Western civilization in its universal expectation that all mankind; Christian are not; were/are bound by a universal standard of Divine law. Finall (C) it was this ethical teaching and influence that lead to its overall success.I found Hurtado's book deeply insightful. While I wanted to give it a 5 star rating; and I would for thesis and content; I feel that the prose was somewhat long winded and repetative. I honestly feel that book could have easily been 35% shorter and actually improve presentation and make the subject matter hit harder. The book is for sure well researched displaying the breadth of Hurtado's expertise. Nevertheless; for researchers; more subtitles and sharper table of contents would have been welcome.