Theology

Rapid developments in technology and society often erode normative boundaries of socially evolved structures that are commonly taken for granted. The contributors to this volume examine the interrelations between processes of norm formation and conceptions of the conditio humana against the backdrop of cultural and technological innovation.

Through the analysis of twenty Easter sermons from the late Enlightenment period, Maike Peyrer explores how the resurrection of Jesus was preached in an era marked by the struggle to define the relationship between reason and revelation, and in which belief in miracles - such as the resurrection of Jesus - was increasingly questioned.

Ruben van Wingerden explores how early Christians interpreted Jesus' call to »carry one's cross« and shows how early Christian readers, operating within diverse cultural and theological contexts, expanded and reshaped the meaning of cross-bearing from its New Testament origins into a rich and multifaceted tradition.

Melissa J. Barciela examines the place of the suffering body in Paul's letter to the Philippians. She brings together three key angles of inquiry - Paul among ancient philosophers, embodiment in antiquity, and the theme of suffering - to offer a new reading of the embodied language in the letter.