In Search of the Early Christians

A central figure in the reconception of early Christian history over the last three decades, Wayne A. Meeks offers here a selection of his most influential writings on the New Testament and early Christianity. His essays illustrate recent changes in our thinking about the early Christian movement and pose provocative questions regarding the history of this period. Meeks explores a fascinating range of topics, from the figure of the androgyne in antiquity to the timeless matter of God’s reliability, from Paul’s ethical rhetoric to New Testament pictures of Christianity’s separation from Jewish communities. Meeks’ introduction offers a retrospective on New Testament studies of the past thirty years and explains the intersection of these studies with a variety of exploratory and revisionist movements in the humanities, embracing social theory, history, anthropology, and literature. In an epilogue the author reflects on future directions for New Testament scholarship.

"In Search of Early Christians makes available the ground-breaking essays of Wayne Meeks, one of the most esteemed scholars of early Christian history. This volume is an invaluable resource for anyone who is interested in the study of early Christianity and the methodological issues it raises. I highly recommend it." Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza, The Divinity School, Harvard University

Wayne A. Meeks, Woolsey Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Department of Religious Studies at Yale University, is also the author of The First Urban Christians and The Origins of Christian Morality, both published by Yale University Press. H. Gregory Snyder is assistant professor of religion at Davidson College. Allen Hilton is assistant professor of New Testament at the Yale Divinity School and theologian in residence at the New Canaan Congregational Church.