B. Aland

Frühe direkte Auseinanders. B. Aland German edition

The Early Christian Church developed its own specific identity through its dealings with its environment. The present study examines the controversy between Celsus and Origen, between Irenaeus and the Gnostics (with reference to important Naghammadi texts) and between Plotinus and the Gnostics. It re-examines important points of contact between Platonic philosophy and Christian theology - but also shows the insurmountable obstacles between them. Of particular surprise and tragedy is above all the misunderstanding between Irenaeus and the Gnostics, whose initiatives were thus lost for the Church. The study is a source-based contribution to the genesis of the early Church and is distinguished by its knowledge of the Ancient World.