Asceticism and Exegesis in Early Christianity

Download or read book Asceticism and Exegesis in Early Christianity written by Hans-Ulrich Weidemann and published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. This book was released on 2013-03-13 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the beginning many of the early Christian communities led an ascetic lifestyle, although a good number of New Testament texts do not seem suitable for justifying radical ascetic and encratite practice. The question thus arises how the different forms of asceticism could be justified on the basis of those scriptures.The articles of the volume focus on the interpretation and application of New Testament texts in various ascetic milieus and in the works of several early Christian authors and on the reception history of New Testament texts either supporting or resisting an ascetic relecture.