Render to Caesar : Jesus, the early church, and the Roman superpower

"In Render to Caesar, Christopher Bryan reexamines the attitude of the early Church toward imperial Rome. Choosing a middle road, he asserts that Jesus and the early Christians did indeed have a critique of the Roman superpower - a critique that was broadly in line with the entire biblical and... Full description

Main Author:	Bryan, Christopher.
Published:	Oxford, UK : Oxford University Press, 2005
Subjects:	JESUS CHRIST - POLITICAL AND SOCIAL VIEWS. CHURCH HISTORY - PRIMITIVE & EARLY CHURCH ca.30-600. CHURCH AND STATE - ROME.
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Summary:	"In Render to Caesar, Christopher Bryan reexamines the attitude of the early Church toward imperial Rome. Choosing a middle road, he asserts that Jesus and the early Christians did indeed have a critique of the Roman superpower - a critique that was broadly in line with the entire biblical and prophetic tradition. One cannot worship the biblical God, the God of Israel, he argues, and not be concerned about justice in the here and now. On the other hand, the biblical tradition does not challenge human power structures by attempting to dismantle them or replace them with other power structures. Instead, Jesus' message consistently confronts such structures with the truth about their origin and purpose. Their origin is that God permits them. Their purpose is to promote God's peace and justice. Power is understood as a gift from God, a gift that is to be used to serve God's will and a gift that can be taken away by God when misused." "Render to Caesar transforms our understanding of early Christians and their relationship to Rome and demonstrates how Jesus' teaching continues to challenge those who live under structures of government quite different from those that would have been envisaged by the authors of the New Testament."--BOOK JACKET.
Item Description:	Includes Index and Bibliographical References.
Physical Description:	185p.
ISBN:	9780195183344

Render to Caesar : Jesus, the early church, and the Roman superpower

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