This book presents how ancient Christianity must be understood from the viewpoint of the history of religions in late antiquity. The continuation of biblical prophecy runs like a thread from Jesus through Mani to Muhammad. And yet this thread; arguably the single most important characteristic of the Abrahamic movement; often remains outside the mainstream; hidden; as it were; since it generates heresy. The figures of the Gnostic; the Holy man; and the mystic are all sequels of the Israelite prophet. They reflect a mode of religiosity that is characterized by high intensity. It is centripetal and activist by nature and emphasizes sectarianism and polemics; esoteric knowledge; or gnosis and charisma. The other mode of religiosity; obviously much more common than the first one; is centrifugal and irenic. It favors an ecumenical attitude; contents itself with a widely shared faith; or pistis; and reflects; in Weberian parlance; the routinisation of the new religious movement. This is the mode of priests and bishops; rather than that of martyrs and holy men. These two main modes of religion; high versus low intensity; exist simultaneously; and cross the boundaries of religious communities. They offer a tool permitting us to follow the transformations of religion in late antiquity in general; and in ancient Christianity in particular; without becoming prisoners of the traditional categories of Patristic literature. Through the dialectical relationship between these two modes of religiosity; one can follow the complex transformations of ancient Christianity in its broad religious context.
#1771335 in Books Reginald Byron 2000-02-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.40 x .80 x 8.40l; .90 #File Name: 0198233558317 pagesIrish America
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Irish PrideBy MAFI am Irish American; and I am proud of it. This highlights all of the tremendous things that the Irish in America have done for the betterment of society.9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. This book debunks the myths of the Irish in AmericaBy A CustomerUsnig data gathered from over 500 interviews conducted with Irish-Americans in Albany; NY in the early 1990s; Byron's book shows how "Irishness" is constructed in contemporary America. Arguing that people mix knowledge of their own ancestors and genealogy in with widely held myths that the Great Famine and English oppression forced Catholics to leave Ireland; the book examines the commercialisation of Irish ethnicity in the USA at the end of the Twentieth Century. With chapters centred on issues like contests over the meaning of St. Patrick's Day in America's northeast in the 1990s; this book is a welcome change from other discussions of the Irish in America that focus mainly on biographies of famous Irish-Americans or nineteenth century immigration data and experiences.
