Overview

The rise of early Christianity has been examined from a myriad of perspectives, but until recently ritual has been a neglected topic. Ritual and Christian Beginnings: A Socio-Cognitive Analysis argues that ritual theory is indispensable for the study of Christian beginnings. It also makes a strong case for the application of theories and insights from the Cognitive Science of Religion, a field that has established itself as a vigorous movement in Religious Studies over the past two decades. Risto Uro develops a 'socio-cognitive' approach to the study of early Christian rituals, seeking to integrate a social-level analysis with findings from the cognitive and evolutionary sciences. Ritual and Christian Beginnings provides an overview of how ritual has been approached in previous scholarship, including reasons for its neglect, and introduces the reader to the emerging fields of Ritual Studies and the Cognitive Science of Religion. In particular, it explores the ways in which cognitive theories of ritual can shed new light on issues discussed by early Christian scholars, and opens up new questions and avenues for further research. The socio-cognitive approach to ritual is applied to a number of test cases, including John the Baptist, the ritual healing practiced by Jesus and the early Christians, the social life of Pauline Christianity, and the development of early Christian baptismal practices. The analysis creates building blocks for a new account of Christian beginnings, highlighting the role of ritual innovation, cooperative signalling, and the importance of bodily actions for the generation and transmission of religious knowledge.

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9780199661176

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Reviews

This book does not merely illustrate the potential of a reletively new approach to the study of early Christianity: it is a substantial contribution to scholarship in a growing field. Ritual and Christian Beginnings: A Socio-cognitive Analysis is a perfect example of a cross-disciplinary approach in which New Testament studies goes beyond itself, engaging other fields of science. ... This book sets a high standard for anyone using a tool or a methodology from outside of one's home discipline, a standard to which all biblical scholars should strive. ... It is highly recommended to those interested in the study of the rituals of any religious group of any time. * Review of Biblical Literature *

This book does not merely illustrate the potential of a reletively new approach to the study of early Christianity: it is a substantial contribution to scholarship in a growing field. * Nicholas Taylor, Anaphora * Ritual and Christian Beginnings: A Socio-cognitive Analysis is a perfect example of a cross-disciplinary approach in which New Testament studies goes beyond itself, engaging other fields of science. ... This book sets a high standard for anyone using a tool or a methodology from outside of one's home discipline, a standard to which all biblical scholars should strive. ... It is highly recommended to those interested in the study of the rituals of any religious group of any time. * Review of Biblical Literature *

This book does not merely illustrate the potential of a reletively new approach to the study of early Christianity: it is a substantial contribution to scholarship in a growing field. * Nicholas Taylor, Anaphora * Ritual and Christian Beginnings: A Socio-cognitive Analysis is a perfect example of a cross-disciplinary approach in which New Testament studies goes beyond itself, engaging other fields of science. ... This book sets a high standard for anyone using a tool or a methodology from outside of one's home discipline, a standard to which all biblical scholars should strive. ... It is highly recommended to those interested in the study of the rituals of any religious group of any time. * Review of Biblical Literature * This is a far reaching and significant approach ... Uro's work, and that of the project as a whole, will undoubtedly provide a valuable overarching cognitive framework for further development on these issues. * Peter Oakes, Journal for the Study of the New Testament * this excellent work introduces new research perspectives, outlined by one of the most active scholars in the field. Uro also judiciously reflects on how to carry out inter- and cross-disciplinary studies on early Christianity in the multifaceted contemporary approaches on religion * Luca Arcari, Journal of Cognitive Historiography *

Ritual and Christian Beginnings: A Socio-cognitive Analysis is a perfect example of a cross-disciplinary approach in which New Testament studies goes beyond itself, engaging other fields of science. ... This book sets a high standard for anyone using a tool or a methodology from outside of one's home discipline, a standard to which all biblical scholars should strive. ... It is highly recommended to those interested in the study of the rituals of any religious group of any time. * Review of Biblical Literature *

Author Information

Risto Uro is Senior lecturer in New Testament Studies at the University of Helsinki.

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