Doctrine and power theological controversy and christian leadership in the later roman empire

[...]... escalated and spread, unabated and passionate, spawning intolerance and unrest for nearly a century within Christian communities From the start, I was concerned neither with the specific theological content nor with the historical theology of the Arian controversy Many fine and detailed narratives of the Arian dispute have addressed the main theological developments, situating them in the larger flow of the. .. 9780520257399_PRINT.indd 20 06/08/13 3:41 PM Christian Leadership and the Challenge of Theology 21 It is not surprising, then, that bishops tried zealously to check the enthusiasm of these inspired Christians, chastising and rebuking those who refused to be disciplined, condemning and labeling them schismatics, heretics, or rebels as the occasion demanded, and excluding them from the church.65 And if it... divided Christian communities in the empire s Eastern half into theological camps, making them rivals and hostile to one another For two or three generations without interruption, the controversy engaged church leaders in a vicious struggle concerning the definition of the truth about God and for the leadership of Christian congregations Especially intriguing to me was the vast number of people involved,... instruction and the demands of instruction caused the introduction of new terms and concepts”; these, in turn, introduced new sources of disagreement.14 Since at least the mid-second century, Christian intellectuals had been interested in understanding the ontological realities underlying these “concepts,” but in the third century, the concepts themselves attracted enormous attention.15 Theologians... about the “great and important” things Indeed, although the rule continued to be the repository of Christian truth and the starting point for determining the validity of any theological proposition, the ideas it comprised had themselves become the subject of philosophical speculation, interpretation, and disagreement.13 As H Lietzmann aptly put it, The rule [of faith] demanded commentary and instruction... that scripture, the source of all truth, could be interpreted in a number of ways, right and wrong.23 Christian leaders and theologians, then, faced a conundrum On the one hand, scripture, to have any meaning at all in the lives of Christians, must be deciphered and interpreted.24 On the other, the potential for idiosyncrasy and disagreement in interpreting the word of God was always high Indeed, exegesis... authority in the hands of the episcopate, which had begun in the second century and continued during the third as the bishop’s standing in the Christian community steadily increased Although the historical development of the monarchical episcopate lies outside the scope of this book, the bishops’ claim to superior spiritual power concerns us because challenges to it had the potential to undermine their... century, the style of command they inaugurated was incorporated into a dynamic model of ecclesiastical leadership that came to define the episcopal office in late antiquity In other words, engagement in doctrinal controversy contributed not only to the assertion of episcopal power in late Roman communities, but also to the formation of Christian expectations about the leadership of the church These developments... strayed from the truth.69 Here, then, is the other part of the challenge that theology posed A hint of heresy or spurious teaching signaled the depletion of the gift of the Spirit In the eyes of the faithful this was a problem because the Spirit invested prelates with the powers of redemption and salvation, the power of the keys”70—regenerative and transformative power that regulated admission to and membership... disputants in Alexandria advance precise, albeit incompatible, ideas about the Son of God, but more significantly, they brought these ideas into the public arena, where, with unprecedented zeal and passion, they set out to convince other Christians that their views represented the truth about God and the orthodox teaching of the church This shift to greater precision in theological thinking made compromise . López LI. Doctrine and Power:  eological Controversy and Christian Leadership in the Later Roman Empire, by Carlos R. Galvão-Sobrinho LII. Crisis of Empire: Doctrine and Dissent at the End of. Booth 9780520257399_PRINT.indd iv9780520257399_PRINT.indd iv 06/08/13 3:41 PM06/08/13 3:41 PM Doctrine and Power  eological Controversy and Christian Leadership in the Later Roman Empire Carlos R. Galvão-Sobrinho UNIVERSITY. divided Christian communities in the empire s Eastern half into theological camps, making them rivals and hostile to one another. For two or three generations without interruption, the controversy