Theosis as Limitation: The Case of the Apocalypse and Martyrs
While a variety of scholars and theologians of the modern period have understood the doctrine of theosis as a Greek outgrowth of simpler Jewish seedlings, the apocalyptic and martyrological texts examined here suggest something of the opposite. In a theological environment when christological accura...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford University Press
2022
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| In: |
The journal of theological studies
Year: 2022, Volume: 73, Issue: 2, Pages: 487-515 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Revelation
/ Jesus Christus
/ Deification
/ Martyr
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| IxTheo Classification: | HC New Testament KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity NBK Soteriology |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | While a variety of scholars and theologians of the modern period have understood the doctrine of theosis as a Greek outgrowth of simpler Jewish seedlings, the apocalyptic and martyrological texts examined here suggest something of the opposite. In a theological environment when christological accuracy was in its infancy and polytheistic motifs and heavenly hierarchies were common and unremarkable, John’s Apocalypse and early martyrologies themselves blurred the distinction between Christ and the martyrs to such a degree that the language of theosis—particularly after the waning of regular martyrdom—arose alongside the language of christological accuracy as a means to reel in and clarify problematic claims in more taxonomically sound ways. In other words, what the stabilization of orthodox Christology did for early, controversial views of Jesus, the stabilization of the language of theosis did for early, controversial views of the martyrs, who had often been worshipped alongside, if not in lieu of, Christ himself. The doctrine of theosis thus came to serve chiefly as a limitation on, rather than a simple outgrowth of, earlier soteriological claims. |
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| ISSN: | 1477-4607 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The journal of theological studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/jts/flac081 |