Imitation in Early Christianity: Mimesis and Religious-Ethical Formation

by Cornelis Bennema

Publisher:

Eerdmans

, 2025

Overview

What did exhortations to “follow Jesus” or “imitate Christ” mean to early Christians?

Cornelis Bennema examines mimesis as a religious-ethical concept in early Christianity—the imitation of Jesus (and other exemplars) to become a better, more Christlike person. Situating appeals for imitation in the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers within the cultural and social context of the broader Greco-Roman world, Bennema shows how early Christian mimesis was not about literal replication, but instead was a creative, cognitive, and transformative means for shaping conduct and character.

As part of this study, Bennema explores key questions about the historic origins of early Christian mimesis; the language that early Christian authors used to articulate the concept of mimesis; the scope, nature, and workings of mimesis in each major section of early Christian literature; and how early Christians navigated the challenges of imitating exemplars (such as Paul or Jesus) who were not physically present. Offering well-researched answers to these questions, Bennema provides readers with a nuanced and informative picture of exhortations to imitation in the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers.

Key Features

• Examines mimesis as a religious-ethical concept in early Christianity
• Provides readers with a nuanced and informative picture of exhortations to imitation in the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers
• Explores key questions about the historic origins of early Christian mimesis

Contents

• Foreword by Michael J. Gorman
• Preface
• List of Abbreviations
• 1. Mimesis in Early Christianity

Part I: Mimesis in Antiquity

• 2. Mimesis in Greco-Roman Antiquity
• 3. Mimesis in Jewish Antiquity

Part II: Mimesis in Early Christianity

• 4. Mimesis in the Synoptics and Acts
• 5. Mimesis in John’s Gospel and Letters
• 6. Mimesis in the Pauline Letters
• 7. Mimesis in the Rest of the New Testament
• 8. Mimesis in the Apostolic Fathers

Part III: Synthesis

• 9. Summary—the Research Findings
• 10. Conclusion—the Hermeneutics of Mimesis
• Appendix: The Mimetic Language of Early Christianity
• Bibliography
• Index of Authors
• Index of Subjects
• Index of Sources

Product Details

• Title: Imitation in Early Christianity: Mimesis and Religious-Ethical Formation
• Author: Cornelis Bennema
• Publisher: Eerdmans
• Print Publication Date: 2025
• Pages: 500
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Resource ID: LLS:MTTNRLCHMRTHFRM
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-07-25T14:53:08Z

About Cornelis Bennema

Cornelis Bennema is senior lecturer in New Testament at the Wales Evangelical School of Theology, UK, and extraordinary associate professor, Faculty of Theology, North-West University, South Africa. He is the author of The Power of Saving Wisdom, An Investigation of Spirit and Wisdom in Relation to the Soteriology of the Fourth Gospel, Encountering Jesus: Character Studies in the Gospel of John, and coeditor of The Spirit and Christ in the New Testament and Christian Theology.