Innovation und Distinktion im frühen Christentum

Why did Christianity survive in antiquity? Why did the cult of Christ spread with remarkable speed in the Roman Empire while other quite successful cults such as those of Mithras, Isis, Sarapis, and Jupiter declined, albeit under quite different circumstances? Metatheories that blame the decline of...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Schließer, Benjamin 1977- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:German
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Published: Mohr Siebeck 2022
In: Early christianity
Year: 2022, Volume: 13, Issue: 4, Pages: 393-432
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Church / Innovation / Distinction / Emergence (Sociology) / Christian ethics / Ethos / Christology / Pneumatology
IxTheo Classification:CA Christianity
CB Christian life; spirituality
CH Christianity and Society
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
NBF Christology
NBG Pneumatology; Holy Spirit
NCA Ethics
Further subjects:B Ethics
B Christology
B Pneumatology
B Emergence
B urbanreligion
B Ethos
B frühesChristentum
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Summary:Why did Christianity survive in antiquity? Why did the cult of Christ spread with remarkable speed in the Roman Empire while other quite successful cults such as those of Mithras, Isis, Sarapis, and Jupiter declined, albeit under quite different circumstances? Metatheories that blame the decline of the Roman Empire or, vice versa, glorify the superiority of Christianity belong to the past. This article draws on theories of emergence, according to which changes in complex systems - such as the rise of a new religious movement in a society - cannot be entirely explained through its antecedent conditions. New and distinct features occur. An emerging religious movement, early Christianity was deeply rooted in its Jewish and Greco-Roman habitats but at the same developed unique characteristics, including social forms that are not congruent with those of other associations, specific opportunities for participation and structures of authority, a distinctive group identity, a characteristic ethical stance, and some novel religious-theological beliefs. Overall, twelve aspects are identified that illustrate the social, ethical, ideological, and communicative distinctiveness of early Christianity.
ISSN:1868-8020
Contains:Enthalten in: Early christianity
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1628/ec-2022-0029