City of gods : the New Jerusalem of John's Revelation in early Christianity / by Nathan Betz.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Betz, Nathan, author.

Series:

Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae ; v. 186.

Vigiliae christianae supplements, 0920-623X ; volume 186

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bible. Revelation--Criticism, interpretation, etc--History--Early church, ca. 30-600.

Bible.

Jerusalem--In Christianity--History of doctrines--Early church, ca. 30-600.

Jerusalem.

Physical Description:

xiv, 544 pages ; 25 cm

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, [2025]

Summary:

"This is the story of the great and final city of John's Revelation. Plumbing the first three centuries of Christian literature, this careful narrative highlights the early significance of one of the most influential, evocative, and controversial images in Christian scripture. Chronicling how dozens of early writers, from Justin and Irenaeus to Origen and Methodius, and from the "Montanists" to Tertullian, Victorinus, and Lactantius, imagined and applied the coming New Jerusalem, the study demonstrates how the city, regardless of its myriad and often competing interpretations, always pointed to the highest possible union of God and humanity both here and now and in the age to come." -- Publisher, page four of cover.

Contents:

Part 1: The beginning until Alexandria (until 190).

Introduction

Papias of Hierapolis and his presbyterial tradition : sourcing the tradition

Hermas of Rome : tower, city, and bride : an early allegorical approach

Justin of Rome: millennialism goes to Rome

Melito of Sardis : reconstructing a lost witness

New prophecy : an early Orthodox perspective

Irenaeus of Lyons : the end of the beginning

Vestiges and possible allusions

Part 1 conclusion:

The first hundred years

Part 2: The Greek authors (190-313).

Part 2 introduction: The New Jerusalem and John's revelation in Rome and Alexandria

Clement of Alexandria : flying to Jerusalem

The Hippolytan corpus : the Christological turn

Origen : "the city is the people"

Gregory of Neocaesarea : the pedagogue and the polis

Methodius of Olympus : a Greek synthesis

Part 2 conclusion: What has Alexandria to do with Jerusalem?

Part 3: The Latin authors (190-313).

Part 3 introduction: The New Jerusalem in Carthage and beyond

Tertullian of Carthage : first among the Latins

Perpetua and Saturus : dreaming of Jerusalem

The two mountains Sinai and Zion : a holy and new city

Cyprian of Carthage : city of gods

Victorinus of Poetovio : the first Latin exegete

Commodian : golden camp, golden age

Lactantius : reigning together with God

Part 3 conclusion: Millennium and mysticism

General conclusion: Eschaton and telos : the New Jerusalem in early Christianity.

Notes:

Based on doctoral thesis, Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [475]-499) and indexes.

Other Format:

Online version: Betz, Nathan. City of gods

ISBN:

9789004549753

9004549757

OCLC:

1440215978

Publisher Number:

9789004549753