Creation, Christology, and Human Flourishing in Early Christianity

Arbeiten zur Kirchengeschichte first began publication in 1925 and can claim to be one of the most tradition-rich historical book series. It presents research on the history of Christian churches and dogmas through the ages but also publishes papers on related disciplines such as archeology, history of art and literary studies. One of the series leading features is its consistent striving to combine historical-methodical precision with systematic contextualization of each examined topic. In recent years the series has increasingly published studies on themes relating to the history of Christian culture and ideas, viewed within a methodically open perspective on the history of Christianity.

At the heart of the early Christian message was the claim that the Word of God, the one through whom all was created, had become incarnate and thus effected salvation for all humanity, a salvation accessible already now in the present even if its fulfilment awaited the end of history. The chapters in this edited collection examine notions of human flourishing arising from the intersection of these three themes creation, Christology, and human salvation and perfection from the New Testament through to late antiquity. They excavate a range of early Christian conceptions of human flourishing, explore their rationality, and probe how they fostered or curtailed the well-being of individuals, groups, and whole societies. Early Christian accounts of human flourishing drew on earlier traditions and often stood in tension with them. This volume explores the degree to which such innovations in thinking about human flourishing resulted from Christian claims about Christology and creation.

Autorentext

Michael Champion and Matthew R. Crawford, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, Australia.