The emergence of God’s new people: The beginnings of Christianity reconsidered

Wolfgang Stegemann

doi:10.4102/hts.v62i1.346

Abstract

The article deals with the problem of the Christian beginnings. Unlike many other scholars, the article does not defend the traditional metaphor which compares Judaism and Christianity to the relationship of mother and daughter. It also does not take for granted that ancient Judaism and Christianity can be viewed as religious. The category “religion” is a modern concept and therefore does not meet the ancient discourse. The article aims to argue that the emergence of Christianity could be better understood in terms of “ethnicity”. Another version of the article was published in Di storia dell' esegesi 21(2), 2004, 497-513.Jede Vorstellung von Anfängen verleitet dazu eine Fabel zu konstruieren (Jean Starobinski)

Highlights

We are witnessing today an extraordinary resurgence of interest in the beginnings of Christianity
Since the beginnings of Christianity are directly interwoven with the situation of Judaism of the time, our research profits from this circumstance in so far as the current enquiry engages the participation of representatives of historiography and the historical disciplines of Christian
I assume that the emerging priority of this topic in related sciences is no mere matter of chance

Summary

INTRODUCTION

We are witnessing today an extraordinary resurgence of interest in the beginnings of Christianity. I assume that the emerging priority of this topic in related sciences is no mere matter of chance It is worthwhile reflecting on the inner scientific, and social and cultural factors that have determined such a profound interest in the subject under consideration. This question, in turn, leads us towards a different discourse: a discourse about a discourse, in a certain sense. This topic, in turn, is primarily rooted in the sociology of knowledge, given the order of scientific disciplines which has prevailed in modern times. I intend to concentrate on two basic problems of the discourse about the discourse, while going on to provide a brief outline of my own ideas about the beginnings of Christianity

TWO PROBLEMS OF THE PRESENT DISCOURSE ABOUT THE BEGINNINGS OF CHRISTIANITY

CONCLUSION