Overview

At a time when the issue of priestly mission and gender is undergoing crucial debate within and without the Catholic Church, Noll's study provides a ground breaking introduction to critical historical sources. How did the Old Testament and pagan nomenclature for the priestly class find its way into the Church, and along with it the sacral-cultic conception of priesthood and of Christianity? Noll looks to the first body of authentic Christian literature after the New Testament, to uncover and discuss the historico-theological foundations of priesthood. Focusing on I Clement, The Letters of Ignatius of Antioch, the Letter of Polycarp to the Philippians, The Letter of Barnabas, The Shepherd of Hermas and The Didache, this study is a major contribution to the current theological debate. ""An important addition to the debate on the origins of a priestly celibate class."" -Professor Andrew Woznicki, University of San Francisco.

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9781883255008

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Ray Robert Noll University of San Francisco

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