Acts and the History of Earliest Christianity

by Martin Hengel

Publisher:

Wipf and Stock

, 2003

Overview

This work explores the world of New Testament scholarship, seeking to find a reasonable place between conflicting scholarly debates. This is a valuable text for anyone who wants an introduction to New Testament scholarship or those who are seeking answers to difficult questions raised by critical scholars. Hengel acknowledges the difficulty of reconstructing the apostolic world and makes a case for the New Testament as a testimony of the fulfillment of Old Testament promises.

Key Features

• Addresses the relationship between exegesis, theology, and historical research
• Considers the historical and theological implications of early Christianity
• Interacts with various views on New Testament scholarship

Contents

History Writing in Antiquity and in Earliest Christianity

• The Sources of the History of Earliest Christianity in the Context of Ancient Historiography and Biography
• Acts as a Historical Source
• The Earliest Christian Histories as Sources for a History of Earliest Christianity and the Unity of Kerygma and Historical Narrative
• Unfashionable Reflections on Luke as a Theological Historian
• The Historical-critical Method

The Decisive Epoch of the History of Earliest Christianity: The Development of a World-wide Mission

• The Hellenists and their Expulsion from Jerusalem
• The Calling of Paul
• Peter and the Mission to the Gentiles
• The Decisive Breakthrough in Antioch
• The so-called ‘Apostolic Council’ and its Consequences

Historical Methods and the Theological Interpretation of the New Testament

Endorsements

Hengel...here marshals a vast body of learning to illuminate brilliantly a few specific questions about the New Testament.... For anyone who has read much in contemporary European New Testament scholarship, this wise little book will come as a tonic. And for the beginning adult student of the New Testament, the book will serve as an excellent introduction to the question of historicity in early Christian writings.

—Review for Religious

The book is extremely well written and gives evidence of an astonishing command of ancient literature.

—Journal of the American Academy of Religion

Product Details

• Title: Acts and the History of Earliest Christianity
• Author: Martin Hengel
• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Print Publication Date: 2003
• Logos Release Date: 2019
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Bible. N.T. Acts › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Church history › Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600--Historiography; Christianity › Origin
• ISBNs: 9781592441907, 1592441904, 9780800618766, 0800618769
• Resource ID: LLS:CTSHSTRCHRSTNTY
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T23:05:13Z

Benefits of Logos Edition

In the Logos edition, this digital volume is enhanced by amazing functionality. Citations link directly to English translations and original-language texts, and important terms link to dictionaries, encyclopedias, commentaries, and theology texts. Perform powerful searches to find exactly what you’re looking for. Take the discussion with you using tablet and mobile apps. With Logos Bible Software, the most efficient and comprehensive research tools are in one place, so you get the most out of your study.

About Martin Hengel

Martin Hengel (1926–2009) was emeritus professor of New Testament and early Judaism at the University of Tübingen. He specialized in early Christianity and the origins of Christianity. 

Hengel began studying theology in 1947 in Tübingen before moving to the University of Heidelberg in 1949. He eventually earned his Ph.D. in 1959 from the University of Tübingen.

Hengel’s works include Studies in Early Christology, Crucifixion: In the Ancient World and the Folly of the Message of the Cross, and The Septuagint as Christian Scripture: Its Prehistory and the Problem of its Canon.