Critical Essay on Bibliographical Journals

Adams, E. (2013). The earliest Christian meeting places: almost exclusively houses? (Vol. 450). A&C Black.

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In this book, Edward Adams challenges the strong arguments in the early Christian and studies of the New Testament. He suggests that most early Christians met in houses almost all the time. His assumption is the background of the first churches as the basis of the first establishments of church architecture and worship. Adams probes the New Testament and other formal data, inclusive of substantive and archeological evidence. He also shows the possibility of meeting in different places by use of archeological evidence. In his case, he says that in the first two centuries where it was implied that people had house churches, to imagine that Christians gathered in several venues rather than a variety of private houses can be argued. The chapters from this book offer a diverse amount of information ranging from the papyrological, ancient literary and archeological material.

Chapter six of this book discusses space-types, grouped into industrial, retail and storage spaces, commercial hospitality, outdoor areas, leisure places, and storage spaces. In chapter 1, he argued that both Aquila and Prisca in Ephesus, Rome, were set in workshop dwellings. Shops and workshops were centers for Christian activities. In Rome, the most urban form of architectural design was the tabernae; they surrounded markets and forums and lined the streets. Every roman archeological site has some ruins of tabernae that had an immense amount of contribution to the roman urban housing. The largest roman workshops were large buildings or large halls; they consisted of smaller rooms and a major hall. It is possible that early Christians met in workshops and shops since they were more available, adequate, and advantageous and had similar usage.

Since most of the Christians were handworker's and small business folks, Adams argue that many of them would have been working and sleeping at the tabernae. He says that another evidence of worship in workshops is the presence of shrines that indicate a practice of private religion. For instance, the feast of honor in Minerva was celebrated in workshops. Such spaces were readily available for gatherings by believers. He reviews these spaces to be an indication of other places of worship. He considers the area of communal meals to be the first Christian worship gatherings and confirms that such meals were the core centers of worship by the early Christians.

This books major strength is its use as a source of history of the early Christians, in the context of their time, and its relevance to modern society. It is accessible and provides detailed information for use by English students. Adams believes that Christians gathered in other venues and not just houses have encountered a lot of implications. Some scholars have challenged his arguments on the possibility that there could be other places of worship. For instance, Dr. Ekstrand says that it troubles him when writers discuss the forms of the early churches without enough biblical support, meaning that most are majorly opinioned in their criticism, and the facts do not provide enough substantial evidence.

Ascough, R. S. (2000). The Thessalonian Christian community as a voluntary professional association. Journal of Biblical Literature, 119(2), 311-328.

This source discusses the growth of awareness in the study of early Christians as vital, among the scholars of the New Testament. They recognize that reading of the New Testament should be done on the light of social situations which they were addressed to be understood. This article tries to investigate the social makeup of the founding of Thessalonians Christian communities, by Paul, and their similarities to the structure and composition to voluntary professional associations.

In early centuries, the assumption that the first Christian groups in the cities at the Mediterranean were the gentiles from a low social class. Paul's letters are converted from the fact that he presented himself as the 'apostle to the gentiles' in the book of (Romans 11.13). He created the Thessalonians church from the Jews whom he took away from the Thessalonian's synagogue. This is the account that is used by the Thessalonians to understand how their Christian community was formed. The most vital piece of evidence of the Thessalonians Christian community from (thes 1:9), indicates that their conversations with Thessalonians involved worshipping idols, and Paul does not give any particular attention to what the Jews practiced in their synagogues.

Paul emphasizes the nature of his ministry to the Thessalonians by quoting "you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake" (thes 1:5). He indicates that manual labor is usually physically challenging, causing fatigue, hardship, weariness, and distress. He highlights manual labor in his case as a means of establishing his ethos. Paul in his message in first Thessalonians affirms that Christians are his joy and glory. He suggests that they share his social level. This article illustrates the language of first Thessalonians through refereeing to typical ties of words they were associated with. It helps in an understanding of ways in which Paul writes his practices and those of other groups. His letters show his awareness of writings and relationships within this field, His starting point being the voluntary association language.

This scholarly article leaves some doubts about the importance of associations that lead to an understanding of the early Christian groups, in the current society; an investigation of churches synagogues and associations does not make a lot of senses. The arguments can be easily weakened by reviewing available data and trends in recent scholarships. Some scholars have suggested that the church in Thessalonians did not have proper leadership and that it is lame to assume that the Pauline mission state existed among localized churches. However, the book provides a great message on the importance of interactions, among Christians to build better relationships. It shows how the leadership of the church is essential in the development of both the community and the church, with individuals making up the body. Paul fulfills his mission by leading his pastors through his messenger visits to Timothy, and through his letters.

Esler, Philip Francis, (2000) The Early Christian World, London: Taylor and Francis (Books) Limited

This source focuses on bringing life to the social world on how the early church developed. Various chapters in this book provide the meanings of "Jew" and "Christian." In opposition to Christianity, pagan is still being used when it is said: "a very destructive two-edged sword was being prepared by the pagans for the upcoming unprecedented attack upon the church" (p797). The book is one of the most accessible in English, in the characters, development and origins and the most significant figures of early Christianity. The attractive book's architecture takes the reader through the historical development and context of early Christianity. It uses some unique maps and illustrations to bring the world to life. The literature directly provides content on how the Greco-roman society challenged Christians in the third centuries. Throughout the period, both Christianity and pagan philosophies were inconsistent development and change.

Most persecutions were triggered by popular opposition. Christians relied on the roles of public opinion which were; rumors, and suspicions. The provision governors were permitted to sentence wide latitude in the extra ordinem, and they functioned as the delatores in the legal system of the Roman Empire. Pagan critiques influenced the development of the Christian doctrines and the traditional ways transformed by the influence of Christianity. Hard and fast boundaries did not majorly lie on popular opinions and intellectual critics, but sometimes, there was an adoption of simple prejudices of the social milieu by the cultural elite. According to Justice Martyr, a judgment would only be given after inquiry and thorough searching, and not after a superstition or long rumors or irrational impulses. By not taking part in the cultic activities a person was seen to be ignoring participation in the society, hence shunning their neighbors. The book is regarded by most scholars as the most accessible and informative in the works of English, on the origin, and characters in Christianity.

Other sources have other claims. Tacitus claimed that Nero had blamed the Christians of for starting the great fire in Rome because of the atrocities by the mob which they hated. Suetonius, on the other hand, says that Christians are given new and vile superstitions and offers a record of Nero's harassment tracing back to them. There could be a connection between the fire and Christians, but there exists some doubt that the Roman mob did not like Christians because they thought they disliked their anti-social vibes. The widespread assumption that some Christians engaged in illicit and immoral activities is consistent with the socio-scientific analyses of Greco-roman societies. Although Philip Esler reviewed the social ethos of Corinth correspondence to be focused on the methodological and theoretical issues that are vital in the debates about socio-scientific approaches to the New Testaments practice and development, various scientists works argue that a model-based approach is always open to severe criticism. The most critical insights should be woven into frameworks of a more critical social theory.

References

Adams, E. (2013). The earliest Christian meeting places: almost exclusively houses? (Vol. 450). A&C Black.

Ascough, R. S. (2000). The Thessalonian Christian community as a professional voluntary association. Journal of Biblical Literature, 119(2), 311-328.

Esler, Philip Francis, (2000) The Early Christian World, London: Taylor and Francis (Books) Limited