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Found Christianities

Remaking the World of the Second Century CE

Found Christianities

Remaking the World of the Second Century CE

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Hardback

£80.00

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9780567703873
Number of Pages: 336
Published: 24/03/2022
Width: 15.6 cm
Height: 23.4 cm
M. David Litwa tells the stories of the early Christians whose religious identity was either challenged or outright denied. In the second century many different groups and sects claimed to be the only Orthodox or authentic version of Christianity, and Litwa shows how those groups and figures on the side of developing Christian Orthodoxy often dismissed other versions of Christianity by refusing to call them “Christian”. However, the writings and treatises against these groups contain fascinating hints of what they believed, and why they called themselves Christian. Litwa outlines these different groups and the controversies that surrounded them, presenting readers with an overview of the vast tapestry of beliefs that made up second century Christianity. By moving beyond notions of “gnostic”, “heretical” and “orthodox” Litwa allows these “lost Christianities” to speak for themselves. He also questions the notion of some Christian identities “surviving” or “perishing”, arguing that all second century "Catholic" groups look very different to any form of modern Roman Catholicism. Litwa shows that countless discourses, ideas, and practices are continually recycled and adapted throughout time in the building of Christian identities, and indeed that the influence of so-called “lost” Christianities can still be felt today.
Acknowledgements Abbreviations Chronological Table Introduction Chapter 1: Setting the Scene: The World of the Second Century CE Part I: Early Christian Leaders and their Movements Chapter 2: Cerinthus and John Chapter 3: Simon, Helen, and Simonian Christians Chapter 4: The “Nicolaitans” and Nicolaus Part II: Early Syrian Teachers Chapter 5: Menander Chapter 6: Saturninus Chapter 7: The Seed of Seth Part III: Early Egyptian Theologians Chapter 8: “Ophite” and “Peratic” Christians Chapter 9: Basilides and Isidore Chapter 10: Carpocrates, Epiphanes, and Marcellina Chapter 11: Valentinus Part IV: Texts and Figures in Rome Chapter 12: The Gospel of Truth Chapter 13: The Treatise on the Resurrection Chapter 14: Marcion Chapter 15: Ptolemy and Flora Chapter 16: Heracleon Part V: Some Christian Leaders in Asia Minor Chapter 17: Marcus and the Rise of Valentinian Churches Chapter 18: Noetus and his Followers Part VI: Theologians in Later Second-century Rome Chapter 19: Tatian Chapter 20: Lucanus, Apelles, and Philumene Chapter 21: Theodotus, Florinus, and “Melchizedekian” Christians Chapter 22: Justin, author of Baruch Part VII: Later Theologians in Alexandria Chapter 23: Julius Cassianus and Tatian Chapter 24: Prodicus and his Disciples Chapter 25: The Naassene Preacher Chapter 26: “Sethian” Christians of the Refutation Conclusion Bibliography Index

Dr M. David Litwa (Australian Catholic University, Australia)

M. David Litwa is research fellow in biblical studies and early Christianity at Australian Catholic University, Australia. Litwa is the author of many books, most recently Posthuman Transformation in Ancient Mediterranean Thought and The Evil Creator: Origins of an Early Christian Idea.

There's no time better than the present to study early Christianity. Long-forgotten ancient writings that resurfaced in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have overturned traditional accounts of Christianity's rise. The task now is to rewrite that history in a way that takes into consideration all of the available voices, even those long ago dismissed as 'heretical.' Found Christianities takes up this challenge by restoring marginalized early Christian writers to their rightful place alongside the so-called Church Fathers as pioneers and influencers in Christianity's earliest centuries. * Geoffrey S. Smith, The University of Texas at Austin, USA * David Litwa's fascinating book tells the stories of those early Christians whom other Christians rejected by denying they were Christian. Navigating carefully amidst ancient sources, Litwa offers a comprehensive treatment of the varieties of second-century Christianity. I highly recommend this book for anyone wishing to understand the complex world in which Christianity evolved. * Outi Lehtipuu, University of Helsinki, Finland *

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