Die frühen Christen und ihre Welt

This collection of essays shows the importance of what Peter Pilhofer calls »lokalgeschichtliche Methode,« i.e. the method of giving a complete description of the world in which the first Christians lived. It is his belief that taking this into consideration will lead to a better understanding of the historical and the theological aspects of the early Christian communities for all those attempting to explain early Christian texts. The essays collected here focus on central Christological themes such as the resurrection of Christ or his ascension as well as on eschatological problems and questions concerning the history of religion.