Freethought & Rationalism Archive

stephan huller · 07-28-2013, 11:15 PM

The Rev. Prof. Allen Brent is a scholar of early Christian history and literature. He is a Fellow and Acting Dean of St Edmund's College, Cambridge was an Affiliated Lecturer in the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge. This book rocks.

From a review at Project Muse:

Quote:

Brent's thesis is that Christian ritual developed in direct response to imperial theology as expressed in the ruler cult, thereby exhibiting all the traits of a "contra-culture." After two chapters discussing the thesis and the development of the imperial cult, Brent takes the reader step-by-step through parallel developments in imperial ideology and Church Order as demonstrated in Luke-Acts (ch. 3), Clement of Rome (ch. 4), the Apocalypse (ch. 5), and Ignatius's letters (ch. 6). Two final chapters deal with changes under the Severans. In chapter 7, Brent branches out to discuss universalism in the cults of Isis and Magna Mater and developments in classical philosophy, which he then compares with growing Christian thought about the Trinity. In the final chapter, Brent draws parallels between the careers and thoughts of Elagabalus and Callistus.

The entire book has been scanned here:

http://thebibleisnotholy.files.wordp...order-1999.pdf

stephan huller · 07-29-2013, 08:27 AM

The parallel Jewish phenomenon:

Quote:

So it is that scholars acknowledge that the cult of the Imperial cosmocrator contributed to the expansion of the motif of divine sovereignty in the liturgy. Rabbi Judah Hanasi, who lived from the time of Commodus to Emperor Caracalla, introduced the motif into the Emet ve-yatsiv and incorporated into the Mishnah the position of Rabbi Joshua ben Korha, which maintained that the first two paragraphs of the Shema reflect respectively the acceptance of the authority of divine sovereignty and the acceptance of the authority of the commandments. The authors of the requirement of kingship in the blessing formulary were students of R. Judah Hanasi. In this cultural context the blessing should be understood as saying "Blessed are You, the Lord our God, king of the world. The emphasis on the God of Israel as the king of the world also appears in a passage of the New Year Amidah which awaits the day when all humanity will proclaim: "The Lord, God of Israel, is king and His kingship rules over everything.”

mountainman · 07-29-2013, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stephan huller

This book rocks.

The entire book has been scanned here:

http://thebibleisnotholy.files.wordp...order-1999.pdf

Talking about Bishop Cyprian of Carthage

Quote:

Originally Posted by WIKI

Cyprian (Latin: Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus) (c. 200 – September 14, 258) was bishop of Carthage and an important Early Christian writer, many of whose Latin works are extant.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev. Prof. Allen Brent p.3

To be in communion with Christ you have to be in communion with a bishop who presides over a geographi*cal territory called a diocese. In order to be in communion with other Christians outside your diocese, your bishop has to be in com*munion with their bishop and so on.

The geographical diocese [Diocletian] reform did not happen until after Bishop Cyprian of Carthage was dead (if he ever lived).

This book rocks with anachronisms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev. Prof. Allen Brent p.4

Cyprian's justification of ecclesia una est is that each bishop in the apostolic succession will mutually recognise the faith and life of the other. But behind the plurality is the one and indivisible unity which each expresses. That unity is described almost in Plotinian terms, as in Enneads VI, 9,9, of the archetypal light (unum tamen lumen est) that characterises the indivisible and therefore ultimate One.

//////

Moreover, the imagery and underlying Neo-Platonic philosophy of these sentiments bear striking resemblance to the iconography of the Imperial Cult.

Plotinus and his neoplatonic revival flourished after Bishop Cyprian of Carthage was dead (if he ever lived).
The Enneads was assembled largely by Porphyry, the student of Plotinus.

This book rocks with anachronisms.

Quote:

Originally Posted by p.4

The parallelism between participation in the Christian Cult and the Imperial Cult, and the mutual exclusivity of each, though thrown into stark relief by Cyprian, had already been previously clearly drawn in the Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs (A.D. 180).

Isn't it really wonderful for these "Biblical Scholars" that such a secure ancient historical source [Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs] was furnished by Eusebius!

The Manuscripts of the"Acts of the Scillitan Martyrs"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Date of Earliest Manuscript ... In the critical notes

A = Brit. Mus. 11,880 (9th cent.),
B = Vienna 377 (11th cent.), and
C = �vreux no. 37 (13th cent.).

So our earliest manuscript dates from the 9th century when the forgery of Pseudo-Isidore flourished.

But c.180 CE is such a wonderfully early date to play with.

This is a dream, and the Biblical Scholars are dreaming the dream.

The dream rocks!

But it's time to wake up......

εὐδαιμονία | eudaimonia

stephan huller · 07-29-2013, 04:57 PM

Oh brother. Take the hermit out his hole and he complains about the sunlight

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07-29-2013, 04:57 PM	#4
stephan huller Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: seattle, wa Posts: 9,337	Oh brother. Take the hermit out his hole and he complains about the sunlight

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