Monday, November 20, 2006
The anti-religious stance of early Christians
A noteworthy quote from N.T. Wright, a leading (and refreshing) New Testament scholar:
"...though in many ways early Christianity appears to the post-Enlightenment world as a 'religion', within first-century categories it certainly did not. The early Christians were dubbed 'atheists'. They offered no animal sacrifices. What they did in their communal meetings bore some resemblances to non-Christian religious practices, but it was the differences that stuck out. The main thing that would have struck observers of early Christianity was not its 'religious' side, nor indeed its early doctrinal formulations, but its total way of life."
- N.T. Wright in The New Testament and the People of God, page 120.
Technorati Tags: religion, early+church, N.T.+Wright, endreligion
"...though in many ways early Christianity appears to the post-Enlightenment world as a 'religion', within first-century categories it certainly did not. The early Christians were dubbed 'atheists'. They offered no animal sacrifices. What they did in their communal meetings bore some resemblances to non-Christian religious practices, but it was the differences that stuck out. The main thing that would have struck observers of early Christianity was not its 'religious' side, nor indeed its early doctrinal formulations, but its total way of life."
- N.T. Wright in The New Testament and the People of God, page 120.
Technorati Tags: religion, early+church, N.T.+Wright, endreligion
