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The Intepretation of the New Testament in Greco-Roman Paganism Paperback – January 1, 2002
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length385 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHendrickson Pub
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 2002
- Dimensions6 x 1 x 8.75 inches
- ISBN-101565636589
- ISBN-13978-1565636583
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--David E. Aune, Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame
"The writings that were to become the New Testament were esoteric, and it is therefore remarkable that by the latter half of the second century, they had become well enough known and deemed important enough by Celsus, the archenemy of Christianity, to warrant a vehement attack. Celsus was followed by other cultured despisers of Christianity, and he and the most important critics from the third and fourth centuries are treated in detail in this volume. The book is certain to become a standard reference for those interested in the interface between early Christianity and paganism. It systematically treats more than the title might indicate, for in addition to the way the New Testament figured in pagan attacks, it discusses as well, among other things, pagan social comment on Christians and Christianity, and, on the other side, the cultural and political context of the critics. The interesting argument is made that the critics brought to bear their arsenal of literary and historical criticism, rhetoric, and philosophy because they viewed the New Testament and Christian proclamation as dangerous owing to their ability to convert people to Christianity and to influence their lives. John Granger CookÂs excellent book is sure to stimulate discussion."
--Abraham J. Malherbe, Buckingham Professor Emeritus of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation, Yale University Divinity School
"John Cook's admirable studies on Graeco-Roman paganism's interpretations of the New Testament amount to nothing less than a compendium. His commentary, notes, and references meet a long-standing need of New Testament scholarship.
--Hans Dieter Betz, Shailer Mathews Professor of New Testament (emeritus), University of Chicago -- Review
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- Publisher : Hendrickson Pub (January 1, 2002)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 385 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1565636589
- ISBN-13 : 978-1565636583
- Item Weight : 1.45 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1 x 8.75 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #2,097,581 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #469,528 in Religion & Spirituality (Books)
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Cook's sweeping, detailed analysis of this subject matter--achieved by mastering the individual classical sources in their original tongues--will probably never be matched in detail, quality, or disciplined methodological analysis, let alone superseded. The protege of the late Martin Hengel, Cook brings a level of erudition not seen in the field of New Testament since the passing of Hengel himself. His salient coverage of the philosophic and apologetic issues in these pointed and refined debates between erudite neo-platonic intellectuals and various Christian apologists owes a great deal to his early academic training in philosophy. This same training allows him to impart a high degree of objectivity to this work, drawing the reader into these multi-faceted debates with a certain degree of fascination.
The work results in two major historical contributions. The first is the elevation of the stature of the third-century a.d. Christian Church father, Origen, in his disection of the critic Celsus. The second is the revelation of the incisiveness and severity of the pagan intellectual critique of Christianity. This revelation left me wondering how the Christian faith ever survived in the face of such well-trained and withering philosophical, ethical and theological criticism. My own conclusion is that these debates took place at an extremely high level of Greco-Roman culture, while the gains of the Christians were literally on the ground, among the masses of men and women ground under the heel of Roman taxation and class consciousness. Whether the pagan intellectuals ever threw in their hand is a question. The ultimate imperial choice to endorse the new religion was based on pragmatics and demographics, not ntellectual persuasion.
Few of other scholars are capable of creating such a balanced and insightful work, grounded entirely on the ancient sources, and yet Cook has devoted some of his best scholarly energies to this task. In the end, he has produced a remarkably sophisticated work, although one which is still highly readable.