Overview
This volume introduces the early Christian ideas of history and history writing and shows their value for developing Christian communities of the patristic era. It examines the ways early Christians related and transmitted their history: apologetics, martyrdom accounts, sacred biography, and the genre of church history proper. The book shows that exploring the lives and writings of both men and women of the ancient church helps readers understand how Christian identity is rooted in the faithful work of preceding generations. It also offers a corrective to the individualistic and ahistorical tendencies within contemporary Christianity.
Table of Contents
Contents
Map
Time Line
1. Invitation to the Past
2. Ancient Historical Writing and the Rise of Historical Literary Forms
3. History as Apologetic: Harnessing a Usable Past
4. Martyrology: Remembering the Martyrs' Noble Example
5. Hagiography: Martyrdom as Discipleship in Early Christian Biographies
6. Ecclesiastical History: The Story of the Church
7. Conclusions and Trajectories
Index
Map
Time Line
1. Invitation to the Past
2. Ancient Historical Writing and the Rise of Historical Literary Forms
3. History as Apologetic: Harnessing a Usable Past
4. Martyrology: Remembering the Martyrs' Noble Example
5. Hagiography: Martyrdom as Discipleship in Early Christian Biographies
6. Ecclesiastical History: The Story of the Church
7. Conclusions and Trajectories
Index
Endorsements
"At the core of history are the stories we tell of ourselves and of our communities. The stories we choose to tell or the stories we choose to ignore are equally as important as the way we tell them, for they form us into the people we are. From the very beginning, Jews and Christians have been admonished to remember and to recount the stories of God through God's people. In Retrieving History, Laing calls us to listen again to the witness of the past and recognize that what lies before us is a clear choice between what Justo González calls 'innocent history,' which is a form of selective forgetfulness, and 'responsible remembrance,' which leads to responsible action. This volume is an important reminder that forgetfulness is the easy way out."
George Kalantzis, professor of theology and director of the Wheaton Center for Early Christian Studies, Wheaton College
"History is a slippery thing. Once it's over, it turns into memory, and everyone knows how unreliable memory can be. Stefana Dan Laing's excellent book tackles this issue directly. With impressive scholarly expertise and lively writing, she examines how early Christian memories were gathered, shaped, and marshaled as polemical arguments or world-shaping narratives. Retrieving History expertly describes how 'what happened' in the ancient church became 'what we believe to have happened.' All the right topics are covered: apologetics, martyrdom, hagiography, and Eusebian-style history. For those who think the past matters, this book is important reading--for the collective remembrance of the faithful is one of the greatest shapers of the Christian mind today."
Bryan Litfin, professor of theology, Moody Bible Institute
"Stefana Laing's Retrieving History is a welcome contribution to the retrieval of early Christian ways of thinking about Christianity and Christian living. She offers a model of how to read history for contemporary benefit in addition to introducing the reader to the enormous material in early Christianity that benefits modern Christians. Laing helps readers find value in early Christian history without cherry-picking those isolated texts with which modern readers might agree. There are many introductions to early Christian thought, but few reclaim ways of doing theology while remaining faithful to the writers whose texts are the subject of inquiry."
Steve McKinion, associate professor of theology and patristic studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
"In Retrieving History, Stefana Dan Laing brings her expertise in classics, theology, and history to bear on an important but understudied aspect of Christian history. By answering the question, 'How did the early church remember its past and what role did that play in forming its identity?' she offers a work of significant value to twenty-first-century evangelicals who long for a meaningful collective Christian identity but suffer from the effects of modernity's radical individualism. This is a serious work of painstakingly researched and well-sourced scholarship. Further, Laing's prose flows beautifully, making it a joy to read. A significant contribution to scholarship as well as an exhortation toward a more robust ecclesiology, this book is recommended for anyone interested in patristics, historiography, or the church. You will not be disappointed."
Miles S. Mullin II, professor of religious history, Hannibal-LaGrange University
"Laing serves up a delightful feast of historiographical insight, garnished with a dash of contemporary application. Her engaging study is prepared with precision and presented with style. The early Christians wrote historical materials to form social identity and to transform moral character. Similarly, Laing does more than merely inform her readers, who will find their perspectives challenged and changed by her critical reflections."
Paul A. Hartog, professor of Christian thought, Faith Baptist Theological Seminary
Author
Stefana Dan Laing
Stefana Dan Laing (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of divinity and theological librarian at Beeson Divinity School, Samford University. She previously served as assistant librarian at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has taught at Houston Graduate School of Theology and Houston Baptist University. Laing has contributed to numerous books.