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Eschatological beliefs have matured alongside both biblical composition and Christian history. This evolution can be traced using cultural evolutionary studies. The process reflects attempts to adapt to new conditions and challenges—sometimes giving place to more focused views, but also sometimes to failures and dysfunctional forms or fruitless variations. It becomes a theological duty to assess this evolution better. The key element is the reception of these eschatological beliefs, to discern what expressions of them are more helpful in encouraging Christian fidelity, coping with distress, and engaging with individual and societal challenges. In this article, we outline a research programme that links eschatology to anthropology, and that tries to analyse beliefs according to state‐of‐the‐art methods, such as evolutionary cultural studies and research on the believing process. We also contribute a case study based on the concept of hell to test the proposed approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the thematic connections between Martin Luther's contributions to hymnody and Christian history, particularly in the context of recent scholarship. Topics include the significance of the Creed of Nicaea, a survey of Luther's legacy and biographies by Robert Kolb, and an exploration of Paul Gerhardt's hymns in America by Mary Jane Haemig.

The article focuses on renewed appreciation for novelist Walter Scott's craftsmanship and mentions celebration of modernist Henri Bermond as spirit of romanticism in literature. Topics discussed include interest Bremond's history of French Catholic spirituality, concept of literary romanticism filled in novel of Scott, and writing of Christian history.

The article discusses the biblical substructure of Notker labeo's Gesta Karoli Magni, analyzing its use of precious metals, monarchial generosity, and scriptural allusions to convey deeper meanings within the text. It argues that Notker employs the biblical image of the fourfold statue from the Book of Daniel as a structuring device, revealing insights into his understanding of Charlemagne's reign and the Frankish empire's place in Christian history.

This essay offers a complete analysis and contextualization of Guido Bentivoglio's contemporary history „Della Guerra di Fiandra". The comparison with works by historians from the Netherlands, France and Italy, also translated into several languages, on the uprising of the provinces of the northern Netherlands, reveals similarities in composition, stylistic devices, communication with readers and their explicit or implicit individual intentions: they wished to influence current politics. In contrast to the others, Bentivoglio did not write a history book that could be verified by many sources, but a political and military textbook for readers, whom he wished to instruct and delight with classical stylistic devices, situationally used sentences and fictional speeches. With his combination of res gestae with res fictae he created a variant of contemporary history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fourth century of the Common Era was a period significant for witnessing the effective birth of Christian historiography and the (putatively) definitive separation of 'Jew' and 'Christian' as distinctive identities. A text emerged, known as Pseudo-Hegesippus or De Excidio Hierosolymitano (On the Destruction of Jerusalem). This text illustrates how Christian historiography and Christian anti-Jewish ideology at that time could engage with the traditions of classical antiquity. In particular, this article argues that Pseudo-Hegesippus deploys figures from the Hebrew Bible in the mode of classical exempla and that it does so within the largely classical conceptual framework of national decline. For Pseudo-Hegesippus, biblical figures presented as classical exempla serve to illustrate the historical decline of the Jews until their effective end in 70 CE (when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple). One passage, De Excidio 5.2.1, and its enlistment of five Hebrew heroes illustrates this point particularly well. The use of exemplarity and the theme of national decline employed there help us appreciate De Excidio as a distinctive contribution to early Christian historiography and anti-Jewish literature in late antiquity; this expands our ability to imagine the ways in which fourth-century Christian authors could conceive of and articulate Jewish history in classical terms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BEGINNING AND END, FROM DUSK TO DAWN ... The beginnings of the Christian historiographical genre and the end of pagan historiography, both symbolized in two personalities that, one from Christianity and one from paganism, live and write history in Latin in the fourth century AD. C. In the case of Christian historiography, Eusebius of Caesarea and in the case of the pagan historiography, Ammianus Marcellinus, both considered as "rarities" in their time, writers isolated and unique among his contemporaries: Eusebius as a pioneer in ecclesiastical history, Ammianus as the epigone of classical pagan historiography.

Acca of Hexham was the main patron and bishop for the prolific eighth‐century Northumbrian scholar, the Venerable Bede. The nature of their relationship and where these two men sit in the ecclesio‐political landscape of the late seventh and eighth century has been the subject of an ongoing debate. After reviewing the historiography, this study places the relationship between these two men in rich historical and textual contexts. It concludes that it is best to see the bishop and the monk as friendly collaborators in the reforms of the Northumbrian church, thereby challenging one of the prevailing scholarly opinions on the factions of the eighth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the use by late antique Christian historiographers of the classical topos of corrupting abundance. Roman historians had understood that excessive abundance in any society caused decadence and intemperance, which in turn led to moral and physical decline. I will examine the work of three writers who interpreted this classical topos according to their understanding of history and retributive providence. Orosius used the notion to explain the moral decline of Sodom, but did not deploy it in a contemporary setting. Salvian of Marseilles explicitly rejected the idea, arguing that the sinfulness of the Christian Roman population of his day was unrelated to abundance. Finally, Gildas incorporated the idea into his depiction of the Britons' corruption, for which they are punished by God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay considers the role of historiography in doctrinal criticism from a hermeneutical perspective and in light of postcolonial and postmodern criticisms. First, historiography is defined using a Gadamerian typology, providing the basis for an analysis of Kenneth Scott Latourette's well-respected essay on Christian historiography. This reading of Latourette illuminates the dogmatic nature of the prejudices informing Christian historical scholarship. Finally, these insights are applied to doctrinal criticism, arguing that the relationship between doctrine and historiography is dialectical, rather than one element having dominance over the other. It concludes by suggesting a chastened, "two-tiered" approach to doctrinal criticism capable of responding to the charges mentioned and to current trends in global Christianity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the second to the twentieth centuries, the reigning historiographic model of Christian history understood orthodoxy as early, pure, and true, and heresy as late, deviant, and false. Ever since Walter Bauer's Orthodoxy and Heresy in Earliest Christianity overturned the traditional model by arguing that in some geographic locations, heresy preceded orthodoxy, scholars of early Christianity have struggled to describe the phenomena of orthodoxy and heresy. The most popular set of approaches, informed by discourse theory, imagines orthodoxy and heresy as historically contingent notions that first arise in second-century Christian circles, where they were used to negotiate and articulate self-identity vis-à-vis notions of both Judaism and paganism. Other approaches include the use of 'proto-orthodox' terminology as a signifier for the doctrinal party platform that was eventually victorious; attempts to detect social or popular movements beneath heresiological reports; and the outright attempt to repudiate the Bauer thesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Exemplaria Classica is the property of Exemplaria Classica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article studies the role played by epistles in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea. It is important to note that this history avoids attributing discourses to the persons it features and instead relies on citing documents of various types, epistles among them. Having noted that the epistle is a special type of sermo, I discount the theory that the reason for the inclusion of the letters in the Ecclesiastical History was the desire to introduce stylistic variation. I emphasize that certain terms that recur in the introductions to the letters throw light on the question: eiq £7ti8ei§iv, rata Aé^iv, pocpTÚpiov, ávTÍypacpov; an analysis of these words shows that Eusebius was very conscious of the importance that the copies of the texts that he cites as documents (letters, among others) be faithful to the literality of the originals. I propose as a hypothesis that this emphasis on the fidelity and literality of the documents is related to the scripture-related category of canonicity first attested in Eusebius's work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studi e Materiali di Storia delle Religioni is the property of Editrice Morcelliana S.p.A. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article describes the reception history of the Jewish-Hellenistic author Flavius Josephus in Christian and Jewish literature up to the Yiddish translation of Sefer Yosippon (printed in 1546). Josephus' description of the Jewish War first shaped Christian historiography and theology. The works of Josephus were not translated into Hebrew until the tenth century, and became then very popular among the Jews. Their importance is confirmed by the 16th century translation into Yiddish that was the second Yiddish book to be printed after the translation of the Torah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the Tenth Conference of the European Network of Buddhist-Christian Studies (ENBCS) held in Ghent, Belgium from June 27 to July 1, 2013 is presented. Topics include Buddhist and Christian historiography, dangerous memory in Buddhism and Christianity and Buddhist-Christian relations. The conference featured several theologians Perry Schmidt-Leukel, Mark Blum and Terrence Merrigan.

Copyright of HUM: Journal of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Mostar is the property of University of Mostar, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this study, the most representative and (importantly) not easily methodologically categorised historiosophical concepts of the Serbian state and nation are taken into consideration. Among these, the most elementary point of reference is that of "the beginning and end". On the one hand the Serbian philosophy of history -- dependant both on common historiosophical concepts and native ideas -- demonstrates its connections with orientations of a post-Hegelian background; while on the other connections can be seen with the Providentialist historiosophy dominant in the first part of the 20th century in Serbia and, nowadays, taking into account history in Soteriologic and Eschatological terms -- Christian historiosophy (more strictly: the Orthodox theology of history based on the Russian pattern), as well as eclectic historiosophy referring to the contamination of indigenous folk tradition and ethicised Orthodoxy (which in turn synthesises mythic and messianic elements). Within all perspectives and methodological practices, the very thought enabling the whole history of Serbia and the Serbs to be grasped -- referring at the same time either to constant casual mechanisms concerning the national consciousness or to the variously-defined national psyche -- is co-constructed and present in all ideas: the concept of "the beginning and end". Within this concept, several events and historical figures -- forming a constitutional and basic domain of meaning with its potential as loci communes -- are grasped: the beginning of Nemanjić's state, St. Sava as the "Serbian beginning and end", and the very central event -- the Battle of Kosovo -- within the transcendental frame -- as the beginning of the cyclically repetitive "holy history", etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Historiography / Shixueshi Yanjiu is the property of Beijing Normal University, Institute of History and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Jean Seguy’s (1925–2007) research followed two intertwined paths. The principal path was that of methodology: his research on the history of Christianity was conducted within the framework of the sociology of Max Weber and Ernst Troeltsch. The French social historian was also interested in apocalyptic and utopian phenomena, both on the Catholic and on the Reformation side, with the intention of grasping the similarities between them, if not their common roots. The result is an innovative reading of Christian history, with an original methodology in the French context. Séguy’s work continues to question the historiography of Christianity in both its cognitive and methodological contributions, and as a result our understanding of the classics of modern sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In his most recent book, Baptism in the Early Church, Everett Ferguson presents an extensive survey of the extant documents pertaining to early Christian baptism. In his final chapters, Ferguson supplements this literary study with analysis of the art and architecture associated with the rite, especially ancient baptismal fonts. From this combined review of texts together with artifacts, Ferguson concludes that baptism was universally (and normatively) accomplished by submersion of the both head and body, and that baptism was usually a rite of adult immersion until the fifth or sixth century, with exceptions made for infants in danger of death. This essay begins by summarizing the movement from outdoor to indoor baptism and the establishment of separate structures for the rite by reference to both documentary and archaeological evidence. Then, turning to the administration of the water, and attending to the depths and design of existing ancient fonts, it argues against any universal practice, particularly of submersion. Instead, in many places, pouring or affusion of water would have accomplished immersion over adult candidates while they stood in the font. Finally, this essay presents evidence for a more inclusive practice of infant and adult baptism from the third through the sixth or seventh centuries. Overall, it appears that neither archaeological nor iconographic records are easily deployed to prove that early Christian practice adhered to any universal or consistent norms with regard to submersion or baptism of adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fifty years after Vatican II we remember the way unto the Constitution Dei Verbwn and from there to the Exhortation Verbum Dornini. Then is treated the issue of hermeneutics: the lecture of the Bible centred around the Jesus Event and having its "locus" in the life of the Church, heiress of His Spirit. Since Scripture reading must be the soul of Theology, historical-literary criticism cannot be separated from theological hermeneutics. These are inscribed in amplified human rationality, that aims not at the words, but at the "thing". They unite the original and the today horizon, opening the text in several levels and directions, while historical-literary exegesis warrants the original arid referential meaning. Attention is drawn to the circularity of hermeneutics. Finally is lighted the Latin American experience, and Scripture reading as the soul of pastoral praxis today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The speech "Understanding Early Christian Ethics," the Presidential Address delivered on November 23, 1985 at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Anaheim, California, is presented. In it the speaker Wayne A. Meeks examines the ethics of the early Christian church in its formative stage, relating it to the historiography and historical philosophy espoused by the sect.

The article focuses on Eusebius Essay Prize is awarded to the best essay submitted on a subject connected with any aspect of early Christian history and awarded to the best essay submitted on any aspect of the history of Christianity beyond Europe and North America.

The article focuses on research on variation in languages within communicative space and mentions contribution centers on period of Middle English. Topics discussed include role of the communicative space in medieval England along with influence on lexical items in proverbs, conceptualization of Christian history and interest to Christian Prunitsch.

The article informs on Eusebius Essay Prize and World Christianities Essay Prize to be awarded to essay submitted on a subject connected with any aspect of early Christian history.