Overview
Scholars across many fields have come to realize that ritual is an integral element of human life and a vital aspect of all human societies. Yet, this realization has been slow to develop among scholars of early Christianity. Early Christian Ritual Life attempts to counteract the undervaluing of ritual by placing it at the forefront of early Christian life. Rather than treating ritual in isolation or in a fragmentary way, this book examines early Christian ritual life as a whole. The authors explore an array of Christian ritual activity, employing theory critically and explicitly to make sense of various ritual behaviors and their interconnections. Written by leading experts in their fields, this collection is divided into three parts: • Interacting with the Divine • Group Interactions • Contesting and Creating Ritual Protocols. This book is ideal for religious studies students seeking an introduction to the dynamic research areas of ritual studies and early Christian practice.
Full Product Details
Author: Richard DeMaris (Valparaiso University, USA) ,
Jason Lamoreaux ,
Steven Muir
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint: Routledge
Weight: 0.453kg
ISBN: 9781138653054
ISBN 10: 1138653055
Pages: 218
Publication Date: 20 November 2017
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
Framed by a clear discussion of theories and definitions of ritual, Early Christian Ritual Life is a set of essays probing the rituals of early Christianity. The questions pursued by the editors and authors are valuable for advancing critical reflections on ritual. Ronald L. Grimes, Emeritus Professor of Religion and Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. This book consists of a rich collection of essays, each of which combines theoretical discussion with careful analysis of textual and/or material evidence. The contributions illustrate how members of Christ groups copied, adapted, transformed or in some cases, transgressed, aspects of ritual life present in their respective environments. Together the essays underscore how important ritual practices, in all of their diversity, were for the formation and maintenance of ancient Christ groups. Alicia J. Batten, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo, Canada. A truly major contribution to the study of early Christian ritual in the context of Mediterranean religion, society, and culture during the first three centuries CE. It contains substantive guidance toward major theories about ritual in personal lives, social groups, and small and large institutions along with very helpful applications of selected theories to particular issues and texts. A major strength is significant coverage of issues beyond the New Testament into the second and third centuries CE. Vernon K. Robbins, Emory University, USA. This volume is deeply infused with ritual theory and understanding of the quest for divine knowledge in the ancient world. The study of ritual in Early Christianity is a crucial area of scholarship which has not received the attention it deserves. This valuable collection of essays makes an important contribution in addressing the gap. Early Christian Ritual Life is sure to stimulate many new conversations and investigations. Margaret Y. MacDonald, Dean of Arts, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada. This new collection of studies introduces wonderful insights into a fundamental element of human society, tracing it from home to temple, from dealing with divinity to negotiating community, and situating early Christians firmly within their social world. It challenges many traditional assumptions of older scholarship and paves the way for new understandings of thinking so different from ours, and yet so much the same. Carolyn Osiek, Charles Fischer Professor of New Testament Emerita, Brite Divinity School, USA. The study of Christian origins has tended to center on ideology and rhetoric while sidelining more enactive features of religious movements. This volume helpfully shifts the center of gravity to ritual action by exploring how concrete behaviors help to instantiate such abstract concepts as honor, personal transformation, power, marking and maintaining social boundaries, and managing death; as well as practical matters of how rituals are generated, revised, and rejected. A valuable reconsideration of the field. Dr. Colleen Shantz, St Michael's College, University of Toronto, Canada. The contributions to this volume merge social-scientific and ritual studies in a novel attempt to illuminate how groups and group boundaries were defined, maintained and protected in early Christianity. Issues that vary from baptism and funerary rituals to dietary and dining practices are analysed in a creative and innovative merging of insights. Pieter F. Craffert, University of South Africa. Christianity, like all religions, consists not only of beliefs but also of rituals by which human beings access the divine. Early Christian Ritual Lifeã is by far the best book written on the topic thus far. Its various chapters carefully examine early Christian ritual practices in their particular historic, socio-religious contexts. This is a must-read book for anyone wanting to know what rituals were intended to accomplish for the earliest Christian individuals and communities. Rev. Dr. William Tabbernee, Religious Studies Faculty, the University of Oklahoma; Past President North American Patristics Society. Early Christian Ritual Life is a milestone in the cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural application of contemporary ritual studies to the study of Christianity in the first three centuries. Drawing on the methods of the social scientific study of ritual, these essays move beyond a parochial and traditional focus on baptism and eucharist to consider a polyvalent and ritually laden Christ religion in the social and cultural context of Greek, Roman, and Jewish ritual and religion more generally. The result is a sophisticated and methodologically disciplined discussion that promises to advance significantly the recent ritual turn in the study of emergent Christianity. Harry O. Maier, Vancouver School of Theology, Canada.
Framed by a clear discussion of theories and definitions of ritual, Early Christian Ritual Life is a set of essays probing the rituals of early Christianity. The questions pursued by the editors and authors are valuable for advancing critical reflections on ritual. Ronald L. Grimes, Emeritus Professor of Religion and Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. This book consists of a rich collection of essays, each of which combines theoretical discussion with careful analysis of textual and/or material evidence. The contributions illustrate how members of Christ groups copied, adapted, transformed or in some cases, transgressed, aspects of ritual life present in their respective environments. Together the essays underscore how important ritual practices, in all of their diversity, were for the formation and maintenance of ancient Christ groups. Alicia J. Batten, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo, Canada. A truly major contribution to the study of early Christian ritual in the context of Mediterranean religion, society, and culture during the first three centuries CE. It contains substantive guidance toward major theories about ritual in personal lives, social groups, and small and large institutions along with very helpful applications of selected theories to particular issues and texts. A major strength is significant coverage of issues beyond the New Testament into the second and third centuries CE. Vernon K. Robbins, Emory University, USA. This volume is deeply infused with ritual theory and understanding of the quest for divine knowledge in the ancient world. The study of ritual in Early Christianity is a crucial area of scholarship which has not received the attention it deserves. This valuable collection of essays makes an important contribution in addressing the gap. Early Christian Ritual Life is sure to stimulate many new conversations and investigations. Margaret Y. MacDonald, Dean of Arts, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada. This new collection of studies introduces wonderful insights into a fundamental element of human society, tracing it from home to temple, from dealing with divinity to negotiating community, and situating early Christians firmly within their social world. It challenges many traditional assumptions of older scholarship and paves the way for new understandings of thinking so different from ours, and yet so much the same. Carolyn Osiek, Charles Fischer Professor of New Testament Emerita, Brite Divinity School, USA. The study of Christian origins has tended to center on ideology and rhetoric while sidelining more enactive features of religious movements. This volume helpfully shifts the center of gravity to ritual action by exploring how concrete behaviors help to instantiate such abstract concepts as honor, personal transformation, power, marking and maintaining social boundaries, and managing death; as well as practical matters of how rituals are generated, revised, and rejected. A valuable reconsideration of the field. Dr. Colleen Shantz, St Michael's College, University of Toronto, Canada. The contributions to this volume merge social-scientific and ritual studies in a novel attempt to illuminate how groups and group boundaries were defined, maintained and protected in early Christianity. Issues that vary from baptism and funerary rituals to dietary and dining practices are analysed in a creative and innovative merging of insights. Pieter F. Craffert, University of South Africa. Christianity, like all religions, consists not only of beliefs but also of rituals by which human beings access the divine. Early Christian Ritual Lifeã is by far the best book written on the topic thus far. Its various chapters carefully examine early Christian ritual practices in their particular historic, socio-religious contexts. This is a must-read book for anyone wanting to know what rituals were intended to accomplish for the earliest Christian individuals and communities. Rev. Dr. William Tabbernee, Religious Studies Faculty, the University of Oklahoma; Past President North American Patristics Society.
Framed by a clear discussion of theories and definitions of ritual, Early Christian Ritual Life is a set of essays probing the rituals of early Christianity. The questions pursued by the editors and authors are valuable for advancing critical reflections on ritual. Ronald L. Grimes, Emeritus Professor of Religion and Culture, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. This book consists of a rich collection of essays, each of which combines theoretical discussion with careful analysis of textual and/or material evidence. The contributions illustrate how members of Christ groups copied, adapted, transformed or in some cases, transgressed, aspects of ritual life present in their respective environments. Together the essays underscore how important ritual practices, in all of their diversity, were for the formation and maintenance of ancient Christ groups. Alicia J. Batten, Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo, Canada. A truly major contribution to the study of early Christian ritual in the context of Mediterranean religion, society, and culture during the first three centuries CE. It contains substantive guidance toward major theories about ritual in personal lives, social groups, and small and large institutions along with very helpful applications of selected theories to particular issues and texts. A major strength is significant coverage of issues beyond the New Testament into the second and third centuries CE. Vernon K. Robbins, Emory University, USA. This volume is deeply infused with ritual theory and understanding of the quest for divine knowledge in the ancient world. The study of ritual in Early Christianity is a crucial area of scholarship which has not received the attention it deserves. This valuable collection of essays makes an important contribution in addressing the gap. Early Christian Ritual Life is sure to stimulate many new conversations and investigations. Margaret Y. MacDonald, Dean of Arts, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Canada. This new collection of studies introduces wonderful insights into a fundamental element of human society, tracing it from home to temple, from dealing with divinity to negotiating community, and situating early Christians firmly within their social world. It challenges many traditional assumptions of older scholarship and paves the way for new understandings of thinking so different from ours, and yet so much the same. Carolyn Osiek, Charles Fischer Professor of New Testament Emerita, Brite Divinity School, USA. The study of Christian origins has tended to center on ideology and rhetoric while sidelining more enactive features of religious movements. This volume helpfully shifts the center of gravity to ritual action by exploring how concrete behaviors help to instantiate such abstract concepts as honor, personal transformation, power, marking and maintaining social boundaries, and managing death; as well as practical matters of how rituals are generated, revised, and rejected. A valuable reconsideration of the field. Dr. Colleen Shantz, St Michael's College, University of Toronto, Canada. The contributions to this volume merge social-scientific and ritual studies in a novel attempt to illuminate how groups and group boundaries were defined, maintained and protected in early Christianity. Issues that vary from baptism and funerary rituals to dietary and dining practices are analysed in a creative and innovative merging of insights. Pieter F. Craffert, University of South Africa. Christianity, like all religions, consists not only of beliefs but also of rituals by which human beings access the divine. Early Christian Ritual Life is by far the best book written on the topic thus far. Its various chapters carefully examine early Christian ritual practices in their particular historic, socio-religious contexts. This is a must-read book for anyone wanting to know what rituals were intended to accomplish for the earliest Christian individuals and communities. Rev. Dr. William Tabbernee, Religious Studies Faculty, the University of Oklahoma; Past President North American Patristics Society.
Author Information
Richard E. DeMaris is a Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University, USA and a specialist in New Testament studies. Jason T. Lamoreaux is an Adjunct Professor at Texas Christian University, USA. His research focuses on the social contexts of early Christianity. Steven C. Muir is a Professor at Concordia University of Edmonton, Canada and a specialist in early Christianity in the Greco-Roman world.
