A traditional Christian narrative imagines the first Christians locked in a centuries-long battle... more A traditional Christian narrative imagines the first Christians locked in a centuries-long battle with hostile Roman emperors; the heroes of this tradition are martyrs, men and women who died (so the story goes) bravely for the sake of the Christian mission. But thinking of early Christianity like this is a reductive farce. It is like telling the story of Robin Hood and King Richard, where one is the noble hero and the other is an evil miser: the polarization of good and evil make for a fantastic story, and there may even be a kernel of truth in the generalities, but ending the story there would be a gross oversimplification. So, too, must we expand upon and critically examine the stories of early Christian martyrs. This paper will examine one martyrology, “The Martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas,” from an historical perspective, and will argue that the story—like other martyrologies of its time—sought to portray Christians in a powerful light, before Christianity actually had any real political power. In doing so, I will review the content of the story; examine how its gendered language functions to demonstrate the power of Christianity; locate the martyrology within the context of its literary precedents, specifically ‘noble death’ tales; and contrast the actual historical environment of persecution with Christian accounts.
A discussion of any doctrinal propositions Friedrich Schleiermacher puts forth in The Christian F... more A discussion of any doctrinal propositions Friedrich Schleiermacher puts forth in The Christian Faith is difficult to sketch briefly; the systematic nature of his formula requires knowledge of doctrines A-F before one can understand G. This paper will address Schleiermacher’s notion of personal and social sin and salvation, but will necessarily exclude some details that would, in a longer forum, serve to better elucidate his position. That being said, I will demonstrate how Schleiermacher locates personal sin within the individual and within society; how he articulates that Jesus Christ, as a human being who lived in society, is able to offer redemption; and how both these notions rely upon his concept of human nature, particularly the grades of consciousness therein. In doing so, I will start with an exposition of grades of consciousness and their relationships, before proceeding to personal and then social dimensions of sin, then to the person of Jesus Christ, and finally to the redemptive activity.
Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics is a multi-volume tome; this essay will examine one book of that tr... more Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics is a multi-volume tome; this essay will examine one book of that treatise (Volume IV, Book 1), in which the author defines the relationship between the covenant of grace and the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ. My treatment will necessarily be limited, but will seek to show that the atonement was presupposed by the covenant of grace—that the historical event of Jesus Christ was the temporal fulfillment of God’s eternal decree to unite Godself with humanity. First, I will define the covenant of grace, discussing what the covenant reveals about God and about humankind, as well as what this requires of humanity; I will describe human sinfulness and how the atonement functions to restore the seemingly broken covenant; finally, I will demonstrate that the fulfillment of the covenant by Jesus Christ was eternally presupposed by the decree of the covenant.
The goal of this essay is to provide an account of the philosophy of law which establishes the mo... more The goal of this essay is to provide an account of the philosophy of law which establishes the moral and practical appeal of one legal theory, natural law theory, above another, legal positivism. It does not aim to definitively overturn legal positivism, to deny the value of that theory, or to establish natural law theory as the absolute paramount of legal theories. Its aim, rather, is to effectively argue that natural law theory provides a better means of achieving social happiness than legal positivism can. It is a systematic approach, rather than an historical one, although historical evidence is cited at various points. It locates the particular problems facing an account of the philosophy of law, and addresses those problems using practical reasoning. The essay consists of seven sections and a conclusion. Section one establishes the conceptual location of the philosophy of law, describes its methodology, and identifies the purpose and possible scope of that philosophy. Section two discusses the external parameters of law, focusing particularly upon the relation between law and morality as envisioned by legal positivism and natural law theory. Section three outlines the argument presented by Aristotle that natural law provides a concrete means of attaining happiness, thus providing a justification for participation in a political community as well as the adoption of natural law theory. Section four addresses the question of political obligation. Section five then provides an account of the necessary criteria of legal authority which makes that obligation binding. Section six proceeds to discuss the notion of human rights, while section seven considers the justification of punishment in the context of such rights. Finally, a conclusion is presented, which summarizes the main themes addressed and reaffirms why natural law theory is of greater moral and practical appeal.
A traditional Christian narrative imagines the first Christians locked in a centuries-long battle... more A traditional Christian narrative imagines the first Christians locked in a centuries-long battle with hostile Roman emperors; the heroes of this tradition are martyrs, men and women who died (so the story goes) bravely for the sake of the Christian mission. But thinking of early Christianity like this is a reductive farce. It is like telling the story of Robin Hood and King Richard, where one is the noble hero and the other is an evil miser: the polarization of good and evil make for a fantastic story, and there may even be a kernel of truth in the generalities, but ending the story there would be a gross oversimplification. So, too, must we expand upon and critically examine the stories of early Christian martyrs. This paper will examine one martyrology, “The Martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicitas,” from an historical perspective, and will argue that the story—like other martyrologies of its time—sought to portray Christians in a powerful light, before Christianity actually had any real political power. In doing so, I will review the content of the story; examine how its gendered language functions to demonstrate the power of Christianity; locate the martyrology within the context of its literary precedents, specifically ‘noble death’ tales; and contrast the actual historical environment of persecution with Christian accounts.
A discussion of any doctrinal propositions Friedrich Schleiermacher puts forth in The Christian F... more A discussion of any doctrinal propositions Friedrich Schleiermacher puts forth in The Christian Faith is difficult to sketch briefly; the systematic nature of his formula requires knowledge of doctrines A-F before one can understand G. This paper will address Schleiermacher’s notion of personal and social sin and salvation, but will necessarily exclude some details that would, in a longer forum, serve to better elucidate his position. That being said, I will demonstrate how Schleiermacher locates personal sin within the individual and within society; how he articulates that Jesus Christ, as a human being who lived in society, is able to offer redemption; and how both these notions rely upon his concept of human nature, particularly the grades of consciousness therein. In doing so, I will start with an exposition of grades of consciousness and their relationships, before proceeding to personal and then social dimensions of sin, then to the person of Jesus Christ, and finally to the redemptive activity.
Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics is a multi-volume tome; this essay will examine one book of that tr... more Karl Barth’s Church Dogmatics is a multi-volume tome; this essay will examine one book of that treatise (Volume IV, Book 1), in which the author defines the relationship between the covenant of grace and the atonement accomplished by Jesus Christ. My treatment will necessarily be limited, but will seek to show that the atonement was presupposed by the covenant of grace—that the historical event of Jesus Christ was the temporal fulfillment of God’s eternal decree to unite Godself with humanity. First, I will define the covenant of grace, discussing what the covenant reveals about God and about humankind, as well as what this requires of humanity; I will describe human sinfulness and how the atonement functions to restore the seemingly broken covenant; finally, I will demonstrate that the fulfillment of the covenant by Jesus Christ was eternally presupposed by the decree of the covenant.
The goal of this essay is to provide an account of the philosophy of law which establishes the mo... more The goal of this essay is to provide an account of the philosophy of law which establishes the moral and practical appeal of one legal theory, natural law theory, above another, legal positivism. It does not aim to definitively overturn legal positivism, to deny the value of that theory, or to establish natural law theory as the absolute paramount of legal theories. Its aim, rather, is to effectively argue that natural law theory provides a better means of achieving social happiness than legal positivism can. It is a systematic approach, rather than an historical one, although historical evidence is cited at various points. It locates the particular problems facing an account of the philosophy of law, and addresses those problems using practical reasoning. The essay consists of seven sections and a conclusion. Section one establishes the conceptual location of the philosophy of law, describes its methodology, and identifies the purpose and possible scope of that philosophy. Section two discusses the external parameters of law, focusing particularly upon the relation between law and morality as envisioned by legal positivism and natural law theory. Section three outlines the argument presented by Aristotle that natural law provides a concrete means of attaining happiness, thus providing a justification for participation in a political community as well as the adoption of natural law theory. Section four addresses the question of political obligation. Section five then provides an account of the necessary criteria of legal authority which makes that obligation binding. Section six proceeds to discuss the notion of human rights, while section seven considers the justification of punishment in the context of such rights. Finally, a conclusion is presented, which summarizes the main themes addressed and reaffirms why natural law theory is of greater moral and practical appeal.
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