Found Christianities: Remaking the World of the Second Century CE
Ebook
M. David Litwa tells the stories of the early Christians whose religious identity was either challenged or outright denied. In the second century many different groups and sects claimed to be the only Orthodox or authentic version of Christianity, and Litwa shows how those groups and figures on the side of developing Christian Orthodoxy often dismissed other versions of Christianity by refusing to call them “Christian”. However, the writings and treatises against these groups contain fascinating hints of what they believed, and why they called themselves Christian.
Litwa outlines these different groups and the controversies that surrounded them, presenting readers with an overview of the vast tapestry of beliefs that made up second century Christianity. By moving beyond notions of “gnostic”, “heretical” and “orthodox” Litwa allows these “lost Christianities” to speak for themselves. He also questions the notion of some Christian identities “surviving” or “perishing”, arguing that all second century "Catholic" groups look very different to any form of modern Roman Catholicism.
Litwa shows that countless discourses, ideas, and practices are continually recycled and adapted throughout time in the building of Christian identities, and indeed that the influence of so-called “lost” Christianities can still be felt today.
Outlines the huge variety of belief and practices in early Christianities, showing how the many "lost" early Christianities influenced the development of Christian identity.
Presents a new way of looking at so-called "gnostic" or "heretical" groups by examining how they described themselves and considering the self-identification of these groups as "Christian" above their opponents insistence that they were not
Provides readers with a comprehensive overview of all the major groups and sects that identified as Christian in the second century
Provides students with a clear understanding of Christian identity in the second century
Sheds light on the development of Christian identity to the present day
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Chronological Table
Introduction
Chapter 1: Setting the Scene: The World of the Second Century CE
Part I: Early Christian Leaders and their Movements
Chapter 2: Cerinthus and John
Chapter 3: Simon, Helen, and Simonian Christians
Chapter 4: The “Nicolaitans” and Nicolaus
Part II: Early Syrian Teachers
Chapter 5: Menander
Chapter 6: Saturninus
Chapter 7: The Seed of Seth
Part III: Early Egyptian Theologians
Chapter 8: “Ophite” and “Peratic” Christians
Chapter 9: Basilides and Isidore
Chapter 10: Carpocrates, Epiphanes, and Marcellina
Chapter 11: Valentinus
Part IV: Texts and Figures in Rome
Chapter 12: The Gospel of Truth
Chapter 13: The Treatise on the Resurrection
Chapter 14: Marcion
Chapter 15: Ptolemy and Flora
Chapter 16: Heracleon
Part V: Some Christian Leaders in Asia Minor
Chapter 17: Marcus and the Rise of Valentinian Churches
Chapter 18: Noetus and his Followers
Part VI: Theologians in Later Second-century Rome
Chapter 19: Tatian
Chapter 20: Lucanus, Apelles, and Philumene
Chapter 21: Theodotus, Florinus, and “Melchizedekian” Christians
Chapter 22: Justin, author of Baruch
Part VII: Later Theologians in Alexandria
Chapter 23: Julius Cassianus and Tatian
Chapter 24: Prodicus and his Disciples
Chapter 25: The Naassene Preacher
Chapter 26: “Sethian” Christians of the Refutation
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
There's no time better than the present to study early Christianity. Long-forgotten ancient writings that resurfaced in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have overturned traditional accounts of Christianity's rise. The task now is to rewrite that history in a way that takes into consideration all of the available voices, even those long ago dismissed as 'heretical.' Found Christianities takes up this challenge by restoring marginalized early Christian writers to their rightful place alongside the so-called Church Fathers as pioneers and influencers in Christianity's earliest centuries.
David Litwa's fascinating book tells the stories of those early Christians whom other Christians rejected by denying they were Christian. Navigating carefully amidst ancient sources, Litwa offers a comprehensive treatment of the varieties of second-century Christianity. I highly recommend this book for anyone wishing to understand the complex world in which Christianity evolved.
- Title: Found Christianities: Remaking the World of the Second Century CE
- Author: M. David Litwa
- Publisher: T&T Clark
- Print Publication Date: 2022
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9780567703897, 9780567703866, 056770386X, 0567703894
- Resource ID: LLS:9780567703897
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-05-12T04:25:45Z
M. David Litwa (Ph.D.) is Abstractor for New Testament Abstracts at the School of Theology and Ministry at Boston College. Litwa is the author of many books, most recently Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought and The Evil Creator: Origins of an Early Christian Idea.