In recent years it has been increasingly suggested in some quarters that the doctrine of the atoning death of Christ did not come into being in the earliest stages of Christianity; the first interpretation of Jesus is said to have been the image of him as the eschatological prophet, or the innocent man suffering wrongly. Against such views which might seem to devalue the doctrine of the atonement, Professor Hengel argues forcefully and with great scholarship that the doctrine of the atonement can be traced back to the earliest church, indeed to the sayings of Jesus himself.The second part of the book is devoted to this quest, moving back from the letters of Paul, through the pre-Pauline tradition, to Jesus. It is fascinating in itself. However, what gives the book even greater appeal is its first part, in which Professor Hengel examines a wider area of classical antiquity. Would it have made sense to Greeks and Romans of the first-century to say that Jesus had died for them? Were there points of contact in their traditions? Surveying Greek and Latin literature, Professor Hengel shows just how widespread a theme 'dying for' actually was, from Homer, through the Greek tragedians and orators, to Plutarch, Livy and Caesar. Once again, he sheds new light on areas which might be thought to have been long since worked to death.

The Atonement: The Origins of the Doctrine in the New Testament

Religion & Spirituality

Hengel, Martin

Christian Books & Bibles

Hymns Ancient & Modern Ltd

More happened in the period between Jesus and Paul, Professor Hengel argues,. than in the whole of the next seven centuries, up to the time when the doctrine of the early church was completed. Certainly these decades are crucial to our understanding of the development of earliest Christianity. However, they are very much a 'tunnel' period, and there is little to shed light on it. This volume does something to pierce the darkness. Among other issues, it considers the origins of the Christian mission, the role of the Hellenists, the reliability of Luke as a geographer when he is dealing with events in Palestine in the Acts of the Apostles, and the development of christological belief, particularly in Christian worship. Those familiar with Professor Hengel's work will know that they will find here a wealth of valuable insight based on painstaking examination of all available sources.

Between Jesus and Paul: Studies in the Earliest History of Christianity

History

World

SCM Press

This volume brings together two important historical studies by Professor Hengel, Acts and the History of Earliest Christianity, and Property and Riches in the Early Church. Together they give a vivid and clearly written picture of life and values in the first days of Christianity. 'Remarkably easy reading and well within the reach of those who are shy of works of scholarship' (Expository Times). Martin Hengel was Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism in the University of Tubingen.

Earliest Christianity

This short but highly significant study is the first real sequel to Professor Martin Hengel's classic and monumental work Judaism and Hellenism. It demonstrates from a wealth of evidence, much of it made readily available here for the first time, that in the New Testament period Hellenization was so widespread in Palestine that the usual distinction between 'Hellenistic' Judaism and `Palestinian' Judaism is not a valid one and that the word `Hellenistic' and related terms are so vague as to be meaningless. The consequences of this for New Testament study are, of course, considerable. Martin Hengel was Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism in the University of Tuebingen.

The 'Hellenization' of Judaea in the First Century after Christ

Middle East

Judaism and Hellenism

Fortress Press

Characteristically scholarly examination of the origin and authorship of the Fourth Gospel, within the context of the community to which it relates. Skilful detective work traces the trail back to a figure who witnessed the death of Jesus in Jerusalem.

Johannine Question

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

This is the fascinating story of a group of reformers who tried to go too fast, bungled their reform, and so changed the course of history. Hengel's thesis is that Hellenistic influences were, and had been for centuries, smoothly penetrating Judaism even in Jerusalem; there was respect on both sides between Jew and Greek. Then the Greek party tried to go too fast, make Hellenization obligatory and outlaw the Law. This occasioned a furious defensive reaction; Judaism clammed up, became xenophobic and rigoristic, producing the attitude which in its turn created the defensive reaction of anti-Semitism which has stained so many centuries. The defensive rigidity set up in Judaism made it unable to respond to Jesus' creative reinterpretation of the Law, and so led to the rejection of Christianity. This is a truly important scholarly work. The exhaustive collection of evidence will make it a fundamental textbook for the period' (The Tablet). `A foundation book and essential as a source book and as a guide to trends in present research' (The Expository Times). Martin Hengel was Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism in the University of Tubingen.

Judaism and Hellenism: Studies in Their Encounter in Palestine During the Early Hellenistic Period

How should Christians live in what is still an affluent society? What should be their attitude to money and to possessions ? How far has the welfare state relieved the church of its obligations ? Is anything short of a complete renunciation of possessions a compromise with Christian teaching ? While the experience of the early church cannot be applied directly to our modern situation, it is by no means irrelevant to these questions. In a brief and lucid study, Professor Hengel looks at the views of property and riches to be found in the teaching of Jesus, the early church and Christian fathers down to the fourth century. He compares Christian ideals with those to be found in Judaism and ancient philosophy, and sets what was taught alongside what was achieved in practice. A final chapter summarizes the relevance his book might have to Christianity today, and an annotated reading list indicates how further study might be carried on. Martin Hengel, author of the monumental Judaism and Hellenism, was Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism in the University of Tuebingen.

Property and Riches in the Early Church

It might well be claimed that there was more development in christology during the period from the crucifixion of Jesus to the writing of St Paul's letter to the Philippians than in the following seven centuries of the development of patristic dogma. This survey traces what happened, in connection with the title 'Son of God'. With his encyclopaedic knowledge of the period, Professor Hengel examines the concept of Son of God in the milieu of the-New Testament, in Judaism and the Hellenistic world and their antecedents and then shows how it began to be used in earliest Christianity, in so doing shedding a new light on many classic problems of New Testament interpretation. Martin Hengel was Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism in the University of Tubingen.

The Son of God: The Origin of Christology and the History of Jewish-Hellenistic Religion

This learned study may claim to be the most comprehensive and detailed survey ever to have been published of the evidence of the use of crucifixion in the Graeco-Roman world and the way in which it was regarded by the people of the time. Beginning from the use of crucifixion as a form of execution practised among barbarian peoples, Dr Hengel shows how it was employed in the Roman empire, in the Greek-speaking world and among the Jews. He also investigates how far 'crucifixion' was a term used metaphorically or in philosophical discussion. His conclusions bring out more starkly than ever the scandal presented by the Christian message of the crucified Son of God and show that Jesus was seen to have died, not just a cruel death, but one of the worst forms of death devised by man for man. Martin Hengel was Professor of New Testament and Early Judaism in the University of Tubingen.

Crucifixion: In the Ancient World and the Folly of the Cross

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

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