Roman Virtue in the Early Christian Thought of Lactantius

NOTE EDITORE

Known since the Renaissance as the "Christian Cicero," Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius was a professor of Latin rhetoric, Christian apologist, and theologian at the court of Emperor Constantine. In this historical study, Jason M. Gehrke examines the central notion ofvirtusin Lactantius's major work,The Divine Institutes of the Christian Religion. This book begins by tracing the reception of classical Roman political and philosophical arguments about divinevirtusfrom their classical sources into the apologetic, exegetical, and doctrinal writings of Lactantius's predecessors — Tertullian, Minucius Felix, and Cyprian. Recognition of their influence illuminates the fundamental notion ofvirtusthat animates Lactantius's doctrine of God and his Christology. In this context, Lactantius's account of divinevirtusrevealed in Christ indicates the profound influence of classical Roman literature, philosophy, and politics upon the development of Christian thought in the third-century Latin West. Lactantius's Christology provides the immediate basis for his attempt to correct and reform classical Roman thinking about moral and political order. Gehrke thus examines Lactantius's arguments about wealth, sexuality, and warfare to show their intimate connection to his Christology and scriptural exegesis. In this account, Gehrke argues, Lactantius attempts a comprehensive synthesis of third century Latin Christian thinking about Christ's revelation and its implications for ethics and politics. Roman Virtue in the Early Christian Thought of Lactantiusthus presentsTheDivine Institutesas the first programmatic expression of early Latin Christian political theology in the Constantinian era. By attending to the traditional character of his arguments, this work provides a new basis for historical accounts of Lactantius and his contributions to Christianity in the pivotal era of Constantine's rise. Foreword by Anthony Briggman.

SOMMARIO

Chapter 1 - Lactantius, Divine Institutes, 1.1-6Chapter 2 - Power and Virtus from Republic to PrincipateChapter 3 - Virtus in Early Latin Christian ApologeticChapter 4 - Virtus: The Power of God in LactantiusChapter 5 - The Power of the SonChapter 6 - Virtus Revealed in ChristChapter 7 - Virtus: Christ's Precepts of Justice1 - Virtus in Roman Life and Literature2 - Power and Virtus from Republic to Principate3 - Virtus in Early Latin Christian Apologetic4 - Virtus: The Power of God in Lactantius5 - The Power of the Son6 - Virtus Revealed in Christ7 - Virtus: Christ's Precepts of Justice

AUTORE

Jason M. Gehrke is Assistant Professor of History at Hillsdale College, where he teaches courses in the intellectual, religious, and military history of the Roman Empire. He holds a PhD from Marquette University, where he studied the history of ancient Christianity in the Roman world.

ALTRE INFORMAZIONI

• Condizione: Nuovo
• ISBN: 9780197667750
• Collana: Oxford Studies in Historical Theology
• Dimensioni: 240 x 23.4 x 168 mm Ø 644 gr
• Formato: Copertina rigida
• Pagine Arabe: 352