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In Defence of Christianity examines the early Christian apologists in their context in thirteen articles divided in four parts. Part I provides an introduction to apology and apologetics in antiquity, an overview of the early Christian apologists, and an outline of their argumentation. The nine articles of Part II each cover one of the early apologists: Aristides, Justin, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, the author of the Letter to Diognetus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian and Minucius Felix. Part III contextualises the apologists by providing an English translation of contemporary pagan criticism of Christianity and by discussing this critique. Part IV consists of a single article discussing how Eusebius depicted and used the apologists in his Ecclesiastical History.
List of contents
Contents: Jakob Engberg/Anders-Christian Jacobsen/Jörg Ulrich: Apology in Context - Jörg Ulrich: Apologists and apologetics in the second century - Nils Arne Pedersen: Aristides - Jörg Ulrich: Justin Martyr - René Falkenberg: Tatian - Anders-Christian Jacobsen: Athenagoras - Jakob Engberg: Theophilus - Anders Klostergaard Petersen: Heaven-borne in the World: Study of the Letter to Diognetus - Jesper Hyldahl: Clement of Alexandria. Paganism and its positive significance for Christianity - Niels Willert: Tertullian - Svend Erik Mathiassen: Minucius Felix, Octavius - Jakob Engberg: Condemnation, criticism and consternation. Contemporary pagan authors' assessment of Christians and Christianity - Jakob Engberg/Patrick M. Fritz/Robert B.N. Hansen/John Møller Larsen: The other Side of the Debate 2:
Translation of Second Century pagan Authors on Christians and Christianity - Marie Verdoner: The defenders of Christianity in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius.
About the author
Jakob Engberg is Associate Professor of Church History at the Department of Culture and Society at Aarhus University (Denmark).
Anders-Christian Jacobsen is Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at the Department of Culture and Society at Aarhus University (Denmark).
Jörg Ulrich is Professor of Church History at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Halle-Wittenberg (Germany).
Report
«The book is a most welcome contribution to a more nuanced picture of the understanding of the early Christian apologists and their writings. It should be highly recommended as a lecture for theology students and Church historians.»
Mariusz RosikT, The Biblical Annals 5/2015)
