Overview
- Reframes Christian history and provides an alternative for an inclusive 21st century Christianity
- Advocates for understanding the early groups of Christ followers as differing in their attitudes regarding practices rather than as engaged in differences regarding doctrine
- Utilizes Foucault’s later work on the care of the self and articulates how important this concept was in the Greco-Roman culture of the first three centuries
- Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras
Part of the book series: The Bible and Cultural Studies (TBACS)
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Table of contents (6 chapters)
Keywords
About this book
This book presents the first three Christian centuries through the lens of what Foucault called “the care of the self.” This lens reveals a rich variation among early Christ movements by illuminating their practices instead of focusing on what we anachronistically assume to have been their beliefs. A deep analysis of the discourse of martyrdom demonstrates how writers like Clement, Ignatius, and Polycarp represented self-care. Deborah Niederer Saxon brings to light an entire spectrum of alternative views represented in newly-discovered texts from Nag Hammadi and elsewhere. This insightful analysis has implications for feminist scholarship and exposes the false binary of thinking in terms of “orthodoxy” versus “heresy”/”Gnosticism.”
Reviews
“In a world full of self-help and self-care books so prevalent in society today, it is refreshing to see how Dr. Saxon, returning to original language source material from the first three centuries of Christianity explores how the early church defined care of the self as more than having some ‘me time.’ She compares the early church to Greco--Roman philosophies of care of the self, as well as the church’s view of martyrdom as care for the self or soul in light of the resurrection. In addition, she contrasts perspectives of care of the self among women in the early church. The results are insightful, inspirational, and eye-opening with profound implications for helping us find the courage to speak truth to power today. It is a must read.” (Ann Graham Brock, Author of Mary Magdalene, the First Apostle: The Struggle for Authority, USA)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Deborah Niederer Saxon teaches at Butler University, USA. She researches newly-discovered Christian texts, women’s voices and the inclusive perspectives they reveal, and the intersection of gender and religion. She serves on the board of Christian Feminism Today, as the Tanho Center Vice Chair, and is a Westar Fellow/Board Member.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Care of the Self in Early Christian Texts
Authors: Deborah Niederer Saxon
Series Title: The Bible and Cultural Studies
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64750-0
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham
eBook Packages: Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy and Religion (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-87861-4Published: 15 August 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-64750-0Published: 05 October 2017
Series ISSN: 2945-6215
Series E-ISSN: 2945-6223
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XV, 213
Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations
Topics: Biblical Studies, Philosophy of Religion, Sociology of Religion