Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth - Chapter 8: Letters from the Apostles Summary & Analysis

Burton L. Mack
This Study Guide consists of approximately 31 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Who Wrote the New Testament?.

Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth - Chapter 8: Letters from the Apostles Summary & Analysis

Burton L. Mack
This Study Guide consists of approximately 31 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more - everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Who Wrote the New Testament?.
This section contains 728 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy the Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth Study Guide

Chapter 8: Letters from the Apostles Summary and Analysis

By the second century C.E. a kind of "centrist" Christian movement had arisen, according to Mack. These centrist congregations accepted the myth of the Christ, but also recognized Jesus as a wise teacher. They recognized themselves as a distinct community, but also thought of themselves as the heirs of the Jewish traditions. They anticipated an apocalyptic second coming, but developed a code for living in the real world until that time came.

The leaders of these centrist congregations were troubled by the more extreme teachings of other Jesus movements and Christian groups and sought to create a direct connection between their beliefs and the historical Jesus in order to support their own interpretation of the Christian mythologies.

The method they used was the Greek tradition of tracing a school of philosophy back...

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This section contains 728 words
(approx. 2 pages at 400 words per page)
Buy the Who Wrote the New Testament?: The Making of the Christian Myth Study Guide
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