Synopses & Reviews
From the very beginning, following the Christian way commonly generated tensions within families. Insiders and outsiders alike bear witness to the threat to household and family ties posed by a transfer of the believer's primary allegiance to Jesus. This study shows that the demand to subordinate family ties in response to the call of Jesus is quite intelligible in the context of beliefs and practices both in Judaism and in Greco-Roman philosophy of the first century. Such background is related to the Gospels of Mark and Matthew.
Review
"Overall a significant contribution." Religious Studies Review"In summary, Barton succeeds in demonstrating that the four methodologies illuminate each other, and his use of them is exciting." David L. Balch, The Catholic Biblical Quarterly
Synopsis
A convincing treatment of the implications of discipleship for the family in Mark and Matthew.
Synopsis
This study raises important questions about the social impact of conversion during the first two centuries CE. The author convincingly challenges assumptions made about the relations between Christian faith and family life, and shows how important a concern the effects of discipleship on the family were for Mark and Matthew.
Synopsis
During the first two centuries CE there was a common awareness that familial tensions were generated by conversions to the Christian faith. Yet studies of Christian origins have so far paid little atention to the impact of the Christian movement upon attitudes to family ties and natural kinship. Stephen Barton remedies this deficiency by means of a detailed study of the relevant passages in the gospels of Mark and Matthew. First, however, he examines the religious traditions of Judaism and the philosophical traditions of the Greco-Roman world, and shows that the tensions apparent within the Christian movement were by no means unique. In all three areas of thought and religious belief there is found the conviction that familial obligations may be transcended by some higher responsibility, to God, to Christ, or to the demands of philosophy. Mark and Matthew saw the Jesus-movement as offering a transcendent allegiance, which relativized family ties.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 226-242) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Preface; Abbreviations; 1. Introduction; 2. The subordination of family ties in Judaism and in the Greco-Roman world of the first century; 3. Discipleship and family ties in Mark; 4. Discipleship and family ties in Matthew; 5. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index of passages; Index of authors.